FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- When asked if Matt Ryan reminded him of any other quarterback he has worked with over the years, veteran Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp didn't hesitate with his response.

"His preparation for the game is much like Peyton Manning's in that he leaves no stone unturned," Knapp said of Ryan. "Coach [Dan] Quinn always tells us, 'Quiz your players. Challenge them. See if they know the game plan.' When Sark [offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian] and I are in the room, it's almost the other way around, like Matt's going to challenge us.

"When a player is doing that, especially at the quarterback position, you feel pretty confident going into the game that he's got a great grasp of the game plan. He's asking, 'Can I do things this way? It might make us a little bit better. Can I make this read this way?' And he does that all the time. It's impressive."

Ryan appreciated Knapp's high praise and the comparison to Manning.

Falcons QB coach Greg Knapp compares Matt Ryan's preparation to that of Peyton Manning, who is known for his attention to detail. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

"It obviously means a lot to me that Gregg would make a comment like that," Ryan said. "I have a ton of respect for Peyton and how he did, how he handled his career -- No. 1, from a preparation standpoint. I think he's been one of the best of all time at getting himself consistently prepared week in and week out -- at least that's what it seems like from an outside perspective.

"And it's something I do take pride in, as well. I feel like I try to get myself as [prepared as] I can be week in and week out to give our team [the] best chance to win."

Ryan, who has known Manning a long time and said he has talked to the future Hall of Famer "a lot" over the years, took one bit of advice from Manning in particular: Find a routine that works for you. Ryan actually borrowed a page from Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers' playbook this season when he hired an SUV driver to chauffeur him from his home to the Falcons' facility and back on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Ryan -- who lives in the Buckhead district of Atlanta and about 50 miles from the team headquarters in Flowery Branch, Georgia -- utilizes the commute to spend more time breaking down film, feeding right into Knapp's comment regarding his preparation.

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"I felt like I had the time to do it because of where I live and the commute," Ryan said. "And I felt like I could be more efficient with my time. Really, I get an hour and a half more work done every day because of it. ... the traffic can be a bear here in Atlanta, too, especially around the holidays."

Although this season hasn't gone as planned for the 6-9 Falcons, Ryan still has put up more than 4,500 passing yards with 33 touchdowns and just six interceptions while being named a Pro Bowl alternate. No one would ever question Ryan's preparedness, even in the tough times.

Here's how a typical week of film preparation breaks down for Ryan, including the 4.5 hours spent as the passenger in the SUV. (Oh, he does talk to his driver, by the way. It's just not long, drawn-out conversations that would distract from the task at hand. "I'm trying to work, man," Ryan said with a smile.)

Monday

"To me, Monday morning is a quick review of what we did the day before and making note of when we see this team again, what we're going to do. And then it switches to who are we playing the next week, and then going through and watching game film of just how the game flows, just getting a feel for who the defense is that we're going against. I'll watch [that past Sunday's] game film once on my own and once with the staff. Then, I'll usually watch three or four games of the next opponent just to get an overall feel for what they do and who they are."

Tuesday

"For me, it's the first day to jump into cut-ups. And I try to do like a half-day, because I also think getting away and getting mentally recharged is important and having time to be able to spend with your family -- get away from it and disconnect. But for me, it's down-and-distance cut-ups [of the opposing defense], which would be first-and-10, second-and-7 or less, and then second-and-7-plus. Yes, I watch them at home."

Wednesday

Matt Ryan, 33, has put up more than 4,500 passing yards with 33 touchdowns and just six interceptions while being named a Pro Bowl alternate. Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports

"On Wednesday, we install first-and-second-down stuff. We also do third-and-2 to -6. I start with protections. For me, that's the No. 1 thing. But safeties will tell [you] what to do with protections. So, protections could be safeties. It could be fronts. It could be backers. It could be a lot of different things. That's what we kind of work through early in the week is to find out what our keys are going to be. And a lot of times, it is safeties. But then, in terms of coverage, absolutely it's about seeing safety tilts, safety rotations, and seeing the shell of the defense to give you an indicator of, 'OK, this could be what we're getting. We've done the preparation. This is what they play in this down and distance.' And then you make the best decision possible with the information that you have. Wednesday night going home, I start third-and-seven to -10."

Thursday

"Thursday morning on the ride in is the red zone, starting from down bottom and working our way out. Tendencies: What are they playing, coverage-wise? What are their pressures in this down and distance? Just getting yourself to [a] place of, 'All right, what to expect on this down and distance with the play call that we have. Here's X, Y, Z -- things that they could do.' But it gives you a comfort level.

"Obviously, you can't be stuck in that, whatever the situation. You've got be able to adapt and adjust and see what you see. Against [Ravens safety] Eric Weddle, I had to call a timeout. He was the only guy that got me this year that I had to burn a timeout because I had us in the wrong play. And I knew it, and we didn't have a good play. Timeouts are sacred, too. And so I had to burn one. I felt bad about that one. He's good, man. And he's very good at disguising things."

Friday

"For me, it's where I go back, and Dana Bible, my offensive coordinator in college, always kind of taught me: 'It's about them early in the week. And then the shift happens, and it becomes about you later in the week.' I've always tried to do that, and it works well for me. I try and put the film to bed and really start to focus on us and our plan.

"I'm done [with film study] on Friday, for the most part. There will be a handful of things, maybe a cut-up or two, that I go through that might be unique that week. Two-minute comes up on Friday, so two-minute situations, that's kind of what I go through on Friday. But by the time we're into meetings Friday morning, that's typically when I'm done with film of who we're going against. And it starts to become reviewing our plan and going through different possible scenarios that we might get."