Matt Ryan used the final preseason game to get a feel for being the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback. Joe Flacco hoped his performance Thursday night showed why he should start for the Baltimore Ravens. In a game featuring the top two quarterbacks selected in the 2008 NFL draft, Ryan and the Falcons got the better of Flacco and the Ravens 10-9.

When the Atlanta Falcons entered training camp, no one really knew what to expect. It was a team that seemingly had rid itself of its unfathomable problems from 2007 - including aging players (Warrick Dunn, Alge Crumpler), disgruntled players (DeAngelo Hall and eventually Joe Horn), and the stigma of Michael Vick.

There was also that 4-12 record, but that got lost in all the mayhem.

New general manager Thomas Dimitroff, first-year coach Mike Smith and a roster half full of players with two years or less experience were charged with providing a solution.

In one offseason and training camp, some semblance of civility was restored.