FORT WORTH, Texas — Matt Ryan was one of “those quarterbacks,” and he’s well acquainted with the rhetoric that hounds passers who have been slapped with the label of “Good, Not Good Enough.”

It’s the same tag Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has been unceremoniously given by irrational fans, and a lot of the talking heads who shape much of the discussion about pro football.

The retired veteran of 15 NFL seasons, 14 with the Atlanta Falcons, Ryan is now a commentator for CBS. He’s seen it. He’s heard it. He’s read it. He’s lived it.

“When (Dak has) been healthy he’s been incredibly consistent,” Ryan said in a phone interview with the Star-Telegram this month. “But being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys is different than other places. It’s very different than being the quarterback in Atlanta. The pressure cooker. There’s a microscope to it that’s just different.”

Ryan can see that now a bit more clearly thanks to what he calls the “telescope” lens that is used as a national broadcaster.

Ryan, 39, is coming to Frisco for The Pro Rivals Open, a golf tournament featuring mostly retired pro football players, including Jerome Bettis, Marshall Faulk, Tim Brown, Brian Urlacher, John Elway, Dwight Freeney, etc. The event is scheduled for March 21-23, at the PGA Frisco.

Ryan retired after the 2022 season, and he is now a part of the CBS studio NFL coverage.

There are a lot of similarities between Ryan’s career and now Prescott’s; Pro Bowl quarterback who have played well for a long time, won plenty of regular-season games, and never quite reached the level of postseason success that ultimately defines the position.

“It’s about getting more shots in the playoffs. They have to give themselves more opportunities. Just getting back,” Ryan said. “If he gets those opportunities, he’s completely capable of winning a Super Bowl.”

That thought has become a point of great debate, and now increasing disgust, with the Cowboys, whomever their quarterback. For now, Dak carries that burden.

“They have to add pieces to help him, too. They don’t play in a vacuum,” Ryan said. “You are depending on a lot of different variables. Does the line block? Do they have the players that will help in the passing game? You are depending on the defense getting stops.

“It will be interesting with (new head coach Brian Schottenheimer). The continuity will help Dak.”

Ryan was 31 and in his ninth season as the starting quarterback of the Falcons when he led them to the Super Bowl. He had been to the playoffs in four of his first five seasons, and reached the NFC title game, in 2012.

That was followed by three straight years of missing the postseason, at which point Ryan became the face of all things wrong with the Falcons. They were “never going to win a Super Bowl” with Ryan as the starter.

In 2016, Ryan and the Falcons led Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 28-3 in the middle of the third quarter of Super Bowl LI, and ... you probably know the rest.

The Falcons reached the playoffs in 2017, the last season they have had a winning record. Ryan left the Falcons after the 2021 season and finished his career in 2022 with the Colts.

A dramatic difference between Ryan and Prescott is that the latter has started to rack up injuries that have forced him to the sideline, starting in the 2020 season. Whereas Ryan was a portrait of availability throughout his entire career, Prescott of late has suffered serious injuries.

Ankle. Calf. Thumb. Hamstring.

“He’s (31), and that’s still young. I felt really good in my early 30s. The recovery gets harder. Where it really changed for me was when I was 35,” Ryan said. “It was a little bit different. The key to longevity is knowing how to get the ball out of your hand, and avoid the number of unnecessary hits. That’s where the experience really helps you is knowing when you can ditch it, and get the ball out of your hand.”

Prescott will turn 32 this summer, and because of his contract with the Cowboys he’s going to be their guy for at least the next two years.

Ryan’s opinion about Prescott may not be popular with the Cowboys fans, but he’s lived the life of the “Good, Not Good Enough” quarterback.

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