Quarterback Matt Ryan, who guided the Atlanta Falcons to Super Bowl LI, didn't quickly block the game from his mind despite the team's 25-point lead that turned into a 34-28 overtime loss to the New England Patriots.
Instead of taking time to decompress, Ryan jumped right back into things as if he were preparing for a game the following Sunday. That meant watching the game film.
And watching it some more.
"I watched it the day after. I watched it two days after. And then I watched it three days after," Ryan told WCNN-AM in Atlanta during an interview before his charity golf tournament earlier this week. "For me, it was one of those things, I think; you kind of want to be able to deal with it appropriately. Maybe that's different for everybody. Some people bury it away. ... For me, it was 'All right, let's watch.'
"Does it feel the same way it felt as we were going through it? I think everybody is going to be really hungry to get back there because the one thing I'm proud of is we have a young team. We were ready to play. I thought we played well. And we were right in the mix and fell a little bit short. But we should have every bit of confidence that we're going to be right back there next year and getting a different outcome because we're going to be more experienced."
A key for Ryan and his teammates will be shaking off how the game ended. While many have questioned the playcalling of then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan -- who opted not to run the ball in key fourth-quarter situations, Ryan isn't pointing the blame at anyone.
"You play," Ryan said. "As a player, you play. And your focus, I guess, is always on, 'All right, what's coming in? How do I do the best job with what's coming in?' That's what [you're] like in those types of situations.
"Now on the sideline, it's a different story. That's where you talk about stuff before going out. ... That's the time when you can kind of discuss those things. But when you're on the field, whatever comes in, you're trying to execute it as best [as] you can."
Although the focus is getting back to the Super Bowl, Ryan still feels the sting of the gut-wrenching loss -- just like he felt immediately after the game ended.
"There's no getting around it. It's not a fun night," Ryan said. "You're disappointed. You're kind of numb, too, for the most part. You're numb to how it goes. I don't think you quite process it that night."
Maddening
Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster and video game mogul John Madden said he was "jolted" and "shocked" by his former team, the Oakland Raiders, winning the vote for relocation by a 31-1 margin last month and had a plea for the team before it moves to Las Vegas.
"Maybe this is just me being oversensitive, but doggone it, if you're going to go, that's really tough, but leave us something," Madden said Wednesday night on SiriusXM's NFL Radio. "Leave us something here in Oakland. Please."
Raiders owner Mark Davis plans to move the Raiders to a $1.9 billion, 65,000-seat dome stadium with natural grass in 2020, while playing in Oakland for at least the next two seasons.
Madden, who turned 81 on Monday, said he was "surprised" by how quickly the vote came to fruition.
"I'm not sure they have the whole deal together yet," Madden said. "I'm not sure that they even know exactly what the stadium is, how many, where it's going to be and all those things. For some reason, they jumped into that thing quickly."
Sports on 04/14/2017