Leaning against a wall inside the Falcons complex in Flowery Branch, the 23-year-old Ryan deftly handles the issue of replacing Vick.

"It's something I couldn't worry about, but I'd be pretending to be naïve to say I didn't know the situation I was coming into," says Ryan, a leading candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year. "Michael was a great player. One of the best in the league, and he went to a bunch of Pro Bowls. But when I got here, it wasn't about replacing him; it was about doing my thing. I'm different. So I've never tried to replace him. I think the fans have been tremendously supportive since I've gotten down here. Since the start. It continues to improve and the numbers have gotten greater."

In the NFL, star players are the engine that powers the money-making machine. Even though Atlanta needed a quarterback and Ryan was the best one on the board in April's draft, selecting Ryan would be changing the "Face of the Franchise." Was Ryan's selection perceived anywhere as a rejection of what Vick was about?

"That was said," Stewart said. "That was said by a lot of folks. But a true football fan and not a fan of Vick, as much as they didn't like (moving on from Vick) they understood why they took Matt. But a lot of black folks were very upset. 'Wait a minute. They're going from this to that? They're making a statement.' But people who understand football understood it."

Ryan is asked about being perceived as a team's Great White Hope.

"That wasn't my concern," he said. "That's never been my issue or my concern. I've never really worried about it in that way. There's been a lot made, without question, about my coming in and replacing him. You never let that part of the conversation to creep in (to your thinking) even though everyone has discussed it. I really just try to do my thing."

The cultural and sociological aspects of his profession are interesting to Ryan. Being an active participant in breaking them down? Not for him.

"In my opinion, if you spend your time worrying about those things, it will be counterproductive for what you were hired to do," he said. "With that in mind, you have to put all the effort and concern into preparing. The narrow focus I've had has been somewhat why I've been successful in the beginning of this year."

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While it wasn't the reason Ryan was drafted, his selection did signal the official page-turning from Vick.

"When (Falcons owner) Arthur Blank decided to do the deal and sign off on drafting Matt and paying him huge money we understood he was doing his best for the team," Stewart said. "It also sent the message (Vick wasn't returning), because people still held out hope that he would."

The Falcons were sensitive to that belief. And they have tread lightly in building their brand around Ryan.

"We focused on the team and focused on 'We,'" said Falcons executive Rich McKay. "We talked about 'Falcons First,' about no player being bigger than the rest."

McKay was the Falcons' general manager when Vick was drafted, and he held that position until the end of the 2007 season. He, as much as anyone in the organization, was cognizant of the many hats Vick wore: quarterback, role model, icon.

"Michael had become a symbol to Atlanta of a successful African-American quarterback playing at the highest level," said McKay, who heads business operations for the Falcons. "To a lot of people, he personified what the Falcons were about, and their faith was behind Michael Vick as a quarterback.

"It was very, very difficult for them in that period of time (after his arrest) when there were protests for and against Michael. And it was very understandable. There was a very unusual draw that Michael Vick had. I don't believe it was solely because of his race, but how he played and who he was which is very unique.

"We were sensitive to the issue of the place he held in our community when the first stories came out. And, I believe it's worth noting as well that Michael never made his situation about race. He never made it 'Us vs. Them,' and I think that helped the city move forward."

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