Expect pressure like against Vick

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is 2-5 as a starter against the New Orleans Saints.

Ryan won his first meeting against them, a 34-20 victory in his rookie season of 2008. He also engineered a 27-24 overtime road victory over the Saints in 2010.

He didn’t play in the second game against them in 2009 because of a turf-toe injury.

To prepare for the 35 Saints, Ryan watched them throttle Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles on “Monday Night Football.”

“Then, I got back in here on Tuesday and watched on the coaches’ copy on film,” Ryan said. “They blitzed and did a really good job of creating pressure. It’s something I expect we’ll probably see a bit of this week.”

Here’s a brief Q&A involving Ryan and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter. Q: Do the Falcons have to run the ball successfully against the Saints to win? A: I think it’s just how the game shakes out. Anytime that we can run the football and get (Michael Turner) going and our offensive line going, it helps us play well. Q: How do you rate the Saints safeties Roman Harper and Malcolm Jenkins? A: Roman Harper is a physical guy. He’ll come down (into the box). He likes to mix it up in the run game. They do good job of blitzing both of those guys, actually. In coverage, they are both athletic. Q: Did defensive end Cam Jordan flash at you during your film study? A: I think he has like six sacks. I think he had three last week. He’s a guy that is playing well. I think he’s coming into his own, a younger guy who is probably becoming more confident.