There are times in life where you're well aware that you're watching history being made. It can be something universal, like the fall of the Berlin Wall, or it can something much more specific, like Fresno State becoming the lowest seeded team ever to win the College World Series. I'm not suggesting that Fresno State winning the College World Series is anywhere near the same level as the fall of the Berlin Wall, but there's the thought in your head in both cases that what you're watching does have historical value.

However, there are other times where we're not so sure that what we're watching is in fact historical or even noteworthy - even though it is. And that might just be what's happening this year with Matt Ryan.

In fact, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution is already making a pretty bold claim, and here it is:


Although, you know what, maybe it isn't really that bold of a statement after all. It might just be the truth.

Now, before you fly off the handle and start going nuts, like tons of people did in the comments section of Bradley's article, remember this. This is NOT a question of who is the best quarterback ever, which most people tend to forget during an argument of this nature. And it is not about which QB was the best once he finally got to start for real, like Montana or Brady. This is an argument about a rookie quarterback coming in and playing significantly in his first season in the league, and which one played the best under that scenario.

And when you start to look at the best rookie seasons ever, if Ryan isn't #1 right now, he definitely has a chance to be there by season's end. Ryan is currently leading a team that is 7-4, but was projected by the Sporting News to go 1-15. His current QB rating is 88.3, he's completed 60% of his passes, and he's started every game.

Even more impressive, he's done this for a team that was a complete and utter mess last season. Last year included not just the Michael Vick fiasco, but also Bobby Petrino fleeing town before the end of the season. The team was a complete mess. Now, they're a legit playoff contendor, especially after having beaten the Panthers this past Sunday.

So now, let's look at the competition.

Bradley goes through the usual suspects, like Fran Tarkenton, Dan Marino, and Ben Roethlisberger. Tarkenton is somewhat easy to ignore since the expansion Vikings won only three games his rookie year, despite the fact that he put up reasonably impressive numbers. Marino didn't start for the Dolphins until the sixth game of his rookie season, but he led the Dolphins to the playoffs, in the process becoming the first rookie QB to lead a conference in passing. He also set a rookie record with a 96 passer rating, and became the first rookie QB to start in the Pro Bowl. One has to remember though that the Dolphins went to the Super Bowl the year before Marino was a rookie (during the strike shortened '82 season), meaning he wasn't exactly playing on a crappy squad. Roethlisberger, meanwhile, is tossed aside by Bradley because he played for a stacked team and wasn't asked to do more than manage games his rookie season. Sort of the reverse-Tarkenton, if you will.

But Bradley misses one guy who is actually frequently regarded as the greatest rookie QB in NFL history, even better than Marino. That would be Greg Cook, who played for the 1969 Bengals. As a rookie with a second-year expansion team, Cook led the team to huge upset wins over the two best teams in football, the Chiefs and Raiders, and led the AFL in passer rating, despite being hurt for the majority of the year with a shoulder injury (this is what significantly separates him from Tarkenton). Cook managed to lead the team to a 4-6-1 record while under center (he missed three games with the injury), a remarkable feat for such an awful team. Cook was also mentored by a very young Bill Walsh (an assistant head coach at the time), who once described Cook as a player who could throw like Dan Marino and move around and see the field like Joe Montana. Cook also averaged 17.5 yards per completion and holds the rookie record for average yards per attempt, 9.41. Cook unfortunately hurt his shoulder again in the offseason and only played in one more game in his career.

Considering the competition, Ryan compares most favorably to Cook. Both were rookies coming into extremely unfavorable circumstances - Cook a 2nd-year expansion team, Ryan a team that was practically an expansion team - and both performed incredibly well. I realize Ryan's season isn't over just yet, but considering Cook played only 11 games his rookie season, now is the perfect time to compare the two. Both have essentially identical passer ratings (Cook: 88; Ryan: 88.3) through 11 games, while Cook has the slight edge in touchdowns (Cook: 15; Ryan: 11).

The one thing that may separate Cook from Ryan, is that Cook didn't have Michael Turner in the backfield. Cook had two running backs who combined rushed for about 1050 yards in 14 games. Turner, alone, has already rushed for 1088 yards in only 11 games. There's no question that Turner has been a godsend for Ryan.

There's also a more than legit argument for Marino here too, especially if you're going by sheer numbers. Marino is the rookie gold standard by numbers, but again, he has the Roethlisberger-like advantage of having been playing for a good team.

In conclusion, it wouldn't be out of line to say that Matt Ryan - currently - is one of the three greatest rookie QBs ever. Asked to do much more than manage games, Ryan has done remarkably well. I'd rank him behind Cook and Marino currently, but he could very well pass both men if he leads the Falcons to the playoffs this season.

We'll see what happens, as Ryan is now in uncharted waters (Games 12-16) that Cook and Marino never saw during their rookie campaigns. I know one thing though, I'll definitely be watching.