The Atlanta Falcons and Super Bowl LI really aren’t on speaking terms.
The Falcons, who famously blew a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots, are having a tough time dealing with the most brutal loss in franchise history. As they look to avoid suffering from the dreaded “Super Bowl Hangover,” the Falcons are saying all the right things.
“Once we get into training camp, our focus is all on this team right here,” running back Tevin Coleman recently told The Ringer’s Jordan Ritter Conn.
“I don’t really like to talk about that,” (safety Keanu) Neal told Conn. “This is a new training camp. This is about us.”
That’s all true. The 2017 training camp is not the 2016 training camp, and the Falcons are about the Falcons. But dig a little deeper, and it’s clear the team still is wrestling with some inner demons.
“They don’t even refer to it as the Super Bowl,” Conn wrote. “They call it ‘the last game.’ ”
Again, tough to knock the Falcons here, as the Feb. 5 matchup in Houston was in fact the last game of their season.
Now, avoiding direct reference to the game that smashed all your hopes and dreams is perfectly reasonable. But what Falcons linebacker De’Vondre Campbell is doing to cope is much more alarming.
Thumbnail photo via Eric Seals/USA TODAY Sports Images
