"Over the offseason, the Falcons talked about adding more explosive plays on offense.

They must throw more deep passes, and everyone from Matt Ryan to Roddy White has arrived at that conclusion.

What's the use in drafting a fleet receiver like Julio Jones if you're not going to air it out more?

There are other factors, like the line holding its blocks longer and the backs picking up blitzers. But when it all blends together, more passes have to go deep.

Last season, the Falcons didn't ask Ryan to air it out often. They might now.

"We just have to make plays when they are there," Ryan said. "When we have opportunities to make explosive plays we have to make them."

On passes thrown from 31 to 40 yards, Ryan completed 3 of 11 passes (27.3 percent) for 132 yards, for one touchdown and a quarterback rating of 107.4, which was sixth in the league, according to Stats Pass.

On passes thrown of 41 yards or more, Ryan completed 1 of 5 passes (20 percent) for 45 yards, one touchdown and a quarterback rating of 104.2, which was eighth in the league.

Ryan was not as effective on passes thrown from 21 to 30 yards. He completed 6 of 29 passes (20.7 percent) for 143 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He had a quarterback rating of 41.9 on passes thrown in this range.

Ryan is set to enter his fourth season in the league and has been a quick study in reading defenses. He'll take the deep pass if it's there. He has not shown a propensity to throw into coverage often."