McLane: Matt Ryan not at fault in Falcons collapse

STAFF WRITER

HOUSTON - When Matt Ryan played for the Little Quakers as an eighth grader, he and his team traveled to Florida to play in one of their biggest games of the season. With less than a minute remaining, the Quakers faced fourth down at the 1-yard line and needed a touchdown to win.

When Ryan went to hand off, though, his exchange with the fullback got bungled and the football popped out. The opposing team picked up the fumble and ran it back 99 yards the other way.

It was a gut-wrenching loss, and Ryan had been part of the crucial mistake that cost the Quakers the game. But it couldn't have prepared the Exton native for Sunday's devastating defeat in Super Bowl LI. The Falcons held a…