Check out my most recent Action Sports Report (or ASR) on espnthemag.com, which posted today, and will post every Tuesday from here until eternity.

While you’re on the site, take a minute to vote for 2008 NEXT athlete of the year. Not that I’m trying to influence your voting (I would never do such a thing), but I am writing about Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan. And if Ryan wins the fan voting, he (and my story) make the cover. Seriously, vote for anyone you want. Racecar driver Joey Lagano, pitcher david Price, basketball prodigy Ricky Rubio … or rookie sensation MATT RYAN, who is in the process of lifting the suffocating Atlanta Falcons from the depths of the NFC South to the mountaintops of the NFL post-season.

The (blatantly obvious) choice is yours.