Matt Ryan threw the ball down the middle of the field, connecting with Michael Jenkins for seven points. His first NFL throw, his first NFL completion. A touchdown.

The “Matty Ice Age” started with a flourish in Atlanta.

Gone were the forgotten memories of a terrible 2007-08 campaign where the focus was on dogfighting, infighting and the resignation of Bobby Petrino so that he could take a job with a team named after a bunch of pigs.

It was the beginning of a new era for the Atlanta Falcons.

Ryan, the No. 3 overall pick, lead the Dirty Birds to heights no one expected the club to attain last season: an 11-5 record, a return to the postseason.

But this season, the ice has melted a bit for Ryan and the Falcons.

The second-year signal caller has tossed an interception 12 times this season and at least once in seven of Atlanta’s nine games. He already has surpassed last season’s total of 11 and is coming off his worst performance of the season against the Carolina Panthers.

In that one, Ryan threw a pair of picks, including one in crunch time that sealed Atlanta’s fate in the 28-19 loss. He finished with a 57.4 QB rating, his second-worst performance as a pro.

Second-year quarterback Matt Ryan has struggled this season after a stellar rookie year, tossing 12 interceptions.

But has “Matty Ice” somehow made the transformation to “Matty Choke,” as some in the blogosphere have claimed?

The Atlanta quarterback doesn’t think so.

“You just have to keep plugging away,” Ryan said to reporters on a video posted by atlantafalcons.com. “As a quarterback you are going to make mistakes. You have to learn from those mistakes, make the adjustments during the course of the week.”

Let’s hope that Ryan and the Falcons make that adjustment quickly.

With Atlanta staring at mediocrity and starting rusher Michael Turner likely out for the Week 11 matchup against the New York Giants, Ryan will have to eliminate mistakes in the Meadlowlands in order for Atlanta to emerge with a much-needed win.

“The beauty of the NFL is that it's a long season,” Ryan said. “You have an opportunity to get back out there this week, play again and hopefully make the adjustments when the opportunities present themselves.”

-- PHIL FOLEY