"I'm pretty sure it is behind us now," running back Michael Turner said. "It's over. There are going to be questions every now and then. We'll handle it when the time comes."

--Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford are likely to be forever linked.

After Ryan's spectacular rookie season, Stafford, who's likely to be the top quarterback selected in the draft, will be expected to excel immediately, too.

Both are represented by agents Ben Dogra and Tom Condon. At the NFL scouting combine, Stafford said he was impressed with Ryan's work and will reach out to him.

Ryan will be ready to offer some advice when things slow down for Stafford, who went through a private workout for the Lions in Athens on Tuesday. Ryan, who was selected with the No. 3 pick overall last season, knows what Stafford and USC quarterback Mark Sanchez are going through.

"My advice to them would be to go in and work as hard as you possibly can," Ryan said. "At times, you're going to need to keep your mouth shut. Just keep your mouth shut, go out there and work hard."

--The Falcons know they won't catch any team off guard next season, after going 11-5 and reaching the wildcard round of the playoffs.

"We're not going to sneak up on people," Quarterback Matt Ryan Said. "Anytime that you go 11-5 the NFL rewards you with a tougher schedule.

So that makes things a little more difficult. With that said, teams are going to understand what we are capable of. But at the same time, we also know what we are capable of."

--Different Falcons groups played the storied Augusta National Golf Course over two days, with general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who's new to the sport, making a hole-in-one on No. 2 off the par-3 course. He used a sand wedge.

Ryan did not do as well, but shot a respectable 88 on the main course.

"I got out and played there, which was pretty unbelievable experience," Ryan said of his first time playing at Augusta National. "I just feel fortunate to be here kind of in the Mecca of the golf-course world. I've just been trying to take full advantage of it."

Ryan, who claims a 12 or 13 handicap, was proud of his 88.

"It's not really hard off the tee and it's not hard off to the sides, but I must have three-putted 15 holes over there out of the 18," Ryan said.

Ryan compared the majestic nature of Augusta National to the site of one of his rookie-season conquests.

"Just going up to Lambeau Field was special when you get to see the history that that place has," Ryan said. "It has a very similar feel. You step out there, with all of the history."

--Falcons coach Mike Smith addressed his team Monday for the first time this offseason. Most of the players who surprised the league last season with an 11-5 record and a playoff appearance heard Smith deliver a sermon-styled speech about staying "humble and hungry."

It resonated with Ryan.

"We have to understand that we can get better," Ryan said. "We have to understand that we can do a lot of things better individually and as a team. We've got to be hungry."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We are comfortable with the moves they are going to make. We're happy that we've kept a bunch of the guys that we have kept. We had Michael Jenkins deal done during the season. He's a target that I like to throw to. He made a huge impact for our team last year. We got Babs (Jonathan Babineaux) back, which is huge and we picked up Michael Peterson in the offseason. He's going to shore us up at linebacker." -- Falcons QB Matt Ryan on the team's offseason moves.