FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan went a little deeper to improve an element of his game.
Teammate Julio Jones was the first to say Ryan's arm is much stronger than it was last year, and Ryan would be the first to agree. After eight NFL seasons, the 31-year-old Ryan decided to step out of his normal offseason routine, in part, to enhance his ability to throw deep.
Ryan visited Tom House and Adam Dedeaux of the acclaimed 3DQB training facility in Los Angeles after hearing recommendations. House, a former major league pitcher and pitching coach, and Dedeaux, a former pitcher at USC, developed a program aimed to improve the overall throwing performance of quarterbacks by focusing on four key areas: functional strength and conditioning, mechanics and motion analysis, mental and emotional management, and nutrition.