Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter previously said familiarity with quarterback Matt Ryan would prove important.
Koetter, of course, served in the same position with the Falcons from 2012 to 2014 before taking the head coach position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And with Koetter back in the fold to call plays in Atlanta, it is clear Ryan fully embraces the opportunity to once again run Koetter's offense.
"I'm excited to work with Dirk again," Ryan told reporters last week during organized team activities, via the Falcons' official website. "I learned so much from him the first time around and he's kind of picked up a few different things along the way, too, come up with some really good stuff. So, it's been a lot of fun the last couple of months of getting back to work with Dirk."
The last time Ryan worked with Koetter, the signal-caller averaged 4,642.7 yards passing yards and 28.7 touchdowns per season and made the Pro Bowl twice.
The Falcons went through two offensive coordinators when Koetter left for Tampa Bay, and Ryan and the offense sustained a high level of production under Koetter's immediate successor, Kyle Shanahan, from 2015 to 2016.
Atlanta's offense, however, regressed under Steve Sarkisian, who took over as offensive coordinator in 2017 when Shanahan left to become the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Sarkisian didn't get the most out of an offense that boasted some of the NFL's top weapons, which included Ryan, running back Devonta Freeman, wide receivers Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Mohamed Sanu, and tight end Austin Hooper.
With Sarkisian gone after two seasons and a reunion between Ryan and Koetter now in place, the Falcons are hopeful of a turnaround. And general manager Thomas Dimitroff previously said that Koetter "is going to be really good" for the Falcons' offense.
Still, there are some subtle differences from the first time around.
But Ryan indicates the alterations in Koetter's approach are on the positive side of the spectrum and the quarterback looks forward to seeing how the adjustments work in Atlanta.
"I think just some of the ways that they used certain guys in Tampa were different from some of the ways we used the personnel that we had here in Atlanta," Ryan told reporters. "I think he does a great job of adjusting to the personnel that he has on his team. He was one of the best that I've been around of doing that during our time together.
"They had a different skill set of guys in Tampa and they utilized some different things that we didn't do during our time together. So it's been interesting to hear about that to see if some of those things they did fit with some of the guys that we have and how we can use some of those guys in spots that they did in Tampa."
