What a whirlwind half a year, roughly, has been experienced by the Ryans in general and specifically their middle son, Matt, a 2003 Penn Charter graduate.

It was exciting enough when the 6-4, 220-pound Matt was selected third overall in the NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. That feeling has yielded to exhilaration, seeing as how Matt is drawing praise from anyone/everyone for how he has performed through the first six games.

Coming off a 4-12 season and the Michael Vick public-relations nightmare, the Falcons are 4-2. Ryan, who won the starting quarterback job, is 93-for-161 for 1,164 yards, five touchdowns, three interceptions and an 82.9 passer rating.

Could things get any better? Well, since you asked . . . Yes!

Ryan's next game will come against his hometown team. It will take place Sunday, 1 p.m., at Lincoln Financial Field as the Falcons test the Eagles.

His dad, Mike Ryan, will be easy to spot . . . Um, check that.

"I'll be in some nondescript clothing. Sitting quietly. Anonymously," he said. "But as you look around the stadium, you might see a handful of people wearing Eagles jerseys with Falcons hats. At least that's the word getting back to me."

The Ryans are not exactly a small family. Mike is one of four. His wife, Bernie, is one of six. One recent day, the absence of a calculator, not to mention a flow chart, prevented him from nailing down the number of nieces, nephews, cousins, etc.

He did know this, though. Approximately 50 tickets have been scored.

"They've been coming from more directions than I can even comprehend," Dad said. "We didn't have to search too hard. Lots of people just called and, knowing how important a day like this will be, made them available to us.

"We have them in a couple different boxes, and in other locales throughout the stadium."

And the process has been completed.

"I'm done," he said, laughing. "Anyone not covered by now is on their own."

This family and QBing were made for each other.

Matt's uncle, John Loughery, starred at Penn Charter (class of '78) and was Doug Flutie's predecessor at Boston College. Matt's older brother, Mike, was a 2-year starter at Malvern Prep, then played briefly at Widener en route to claiming his current job as a PC assistant.

The Quakers' QB as this season began was Ryan Brother No. 3, John, a senior who's being eyed by Ivy League schools. When he suffered a season-ending injury, his replacement was a sophomore first cousin by the name of . . . John Loughery. Yup, that John's son.

Mike the Dad, whose one daughter, Kate, played volleyball at Bishop Shanahan, in West Chester, said Matt was very much an Eagles fan as a kid.

"He even followed them pretty diligently through college,'' he added. "And continues to do so. The Eagles and the Phillies.

"We were never season ticketholders, but any opportunity that came up, we took it. We always made it to a bunch of Phillies games and hit the Eagles maybe twice a season. We were in [Veterans Stadium] many, many times.''

There's also a pretty cool link to the Linc.

In 2004, after redshirting for one season, Ryan served Boston College as Paul Peterson's backup. On Nov. 20, against Temple, in what would be the Owls' final Big East appearance, Peterson suffered a broken hand late in the first half. Ryan replaced him and, in his first shot at extended duty, passed 8-for-15 for 121 yards and his initial collegiate touchdown.

Ryan finished his BC career with 807 completions in 1,347 attempts for 9,313 yards and 56 TDs. The completions/attempts numbers are school records and his 31 TD tosses in '07 broke Flutie's 1984 school mark of 27.

(One of Flutie's prime targets - and snagger of the famous Hail Mary pass, which provided a 47-45 win over Miami - was Gerard Phelan, a former running back out of Archbishop Carroll. Had to throw that in.

(Speaking of Philly guys, this also will be a homecoming for Falcons cornerback starter Brent Grimes, a product of Northeast High and Shippensburg. In his first NFL game late last season, following a promotion from the practice squad, all he did was rack up 11 tackles!)

While at Penn Charter, Matt Ryan was also a prominent basketball forward and baseball shortstop. His football coach was Brian McCloskey, himself a former PC quarterback and now an assistant to first-year boss Jeff Humble.

McCloskey foresees this week being "a very exciting time for me, my family and the Penn Charter community.''

He added, "I am not surprised by the success Matt has had thus far this year. He has always been a fierce competitor and passionate about being the best at his craft. Matt is deserving of all the success and attention he is receiving. He is an outstanding young man, who has made us all very proud.''

By way of Jack Rogers, head of PC's development department, McCloskey reports that a gathering of the school's Young Alumni Society will be held at the Urban Saloon, in Fairmount, as the game unfolds.

"Rumor has it,'' McCloskey said, "that one of the attendees will leave with a signed Matt Ryan jersey.''

Hey, Mike Ryan can get his mitts on one of those any time he wants.

Meanwhile, has Dad yet come to grips with Son's meteoric rise?

"Well, I don't want to say it's 'unbelievable' because it is happening," he said. Pause. "But I do realize it's a storybook kind of thing." *