Tashaun Gipson Gave Matt Ryan The Spiciest Backhanded Compliment
Tashaun Gipson is one of the newest additions to the Chicago Bears defensive formula. He is their starting safety next to Eddie Jackson and seems to have molded into his role quite well. It also turns out the veteran is well-spoken. He handles the media appearances with professionalism and comes across as genuine.
As it turns out? He also isn’t afraid to talk a little trash. Such a moment came during his meeting with the media on Thursday. For the most part, Gipson was highly complimentary of the Atlanta Falcons offense. He sees them as a team with a lot of weapons like Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Hayden Hurst. All guided by longtime quarterback Matt Ryan.
When asked about Ryan and how he’s managed to have this much success over 13 seasons with one franchise, the safety couldn’t resist taking a dig.
“Man I could tell you this for the last 11 years he got a guy like Julio Jones. If I could throw to Julio Jones, man, I tell you what. I’d have a successful career too.”
That earned a well-deserved laugh. Gipson went on to compliment Ryan and why makes him somebody deserving of respect.
“He’s just a pro. He makes the right reads. He has a gunslinger mentality but it’s not the Brett Favre-ish where he’s just going to let it hang. He’s meticulous with it.”
Tashaun Gipson may see a shorthanded Ryan on Sunday
Is Gipson wrong though? History does suggest that Ryan is a far different quarterback when Jones isn’t available. His career passer rating is 94.8. However, in seasons where he didn’t have Jones? That drops to 87.74. So he becomes a little more mortal in those circumstances. Why is that relevant?
Recent updates indicate that Jones has already missed two practices this week with a hamstring injury. It doesn’t sound like optimism is high he will play. It’s true he has played hurt before but hamstrings are notoriously tough for wide receivers. Atlanta may not wish to aggravate it even further by asking him to play.
If the Bears don’t have to deal with Jones on Sunday, their chances of containing Ryan go up a little bit.