Quinn on Supe loss: ‘past it ... not over it’
INDIANAPOLIS — Dan QQuinn knew the question was coming, so he gave the answer before it even could bbe asked.
The Falcons c coach met the media at the NFL Scouting Combine and knew what wwas on everyone’s mind: How has he dealt with blowing a 28-3 lead in Super BBowl LI against the Patriots?
“One of the questions yo u may ask: Have you watched the game? Yeah, I have a lot,” Quinn said. “You have to own that — the calls, the things you could do differently. That’s not unlike most Sunday nights for me where I wrestle in all three phases, could there have been something different? As a head coach, those are the moments I do have to own.”
Quinn has taken a beating since the 34-28 overtime loss to New England in Houston. The main criticism has centered around why the Falcons were throwing the ball with an eight-point lead at the New England 22 and four minutes left. Quarterback Matt Ryan ended up losing 12 yards on a sack then tackle Jake Matthews was called for holding, moving the Falcons out of f ield-goal position.
“We’re an aggress i ve team and we’re going to take our shots,” Quinn said. “The reason we were able to play in the Super Bowl is because we are aggressive. We’re not going to back off of challenges. Do-overs? Would you like to have some? Yes. Is that every game? It is.”
Quinn acknowledged how painful the loss was.
“I am past it. I am not over it,” Quinn said. “I don’t think I ever will be, and that’s a good thing. Sometimes those kind of experiences propel you to have the types of offseasons that you’d like to have.”
The Falcons now must learn from the brutal loss, Quinn said.
“Number 1, you’ve got to own it,” he said. “There’s consequences, good and bad, when you make plays and when you don’t. Owning those decisions, knowing can we nail the execution on this play better?
“End-of-the-game ones are always fluid and always changing. What I can tell you is that being in that experience and battling for it at the highest level, you can’t duplicate that. We actually had on-the-job training. There’s something you totally gain from that.
“We’ll be stronger for it. It’s tough and painful to go through when you have a difficult loss. But it doesn’t define us. We have a team that is totally on the rise.”
As they turn the page to 2017, the Falcons must figure out a way to put the Super Bowl behind them.
“The analogy I’ve used for my team is we’re fighters,” Quinn said. “For those who cover our team on a regular basis, you know we talk about boxing quite a bit. We got our ass knocked down on the canvas. You get back up and you go fight again. That’s kind of what this offseason is about for us.”