Falcons’ Trufant wants another chance at championship, eager for return to Super Bowl

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — There was nothing Desmond Trufant could do.

As the Atlanta Falcons squandered a lead of historic proportions in the Super Bowl, their best pass defender was stuck on the sideline, merely a spectator.

"Obviously, it wasn't easy to watch," Trufant said after practice Thursday. "We're just trying to get better and move forward. We've got a lot to prove this year. That's really what we're focused on."

Trufant went down a year ago with a season-ending shoulder injury, sitting out Atlanta's run to the title game for only the second time in franchise history. That was hard enough to endure, but it only got worse when the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead over the Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, losing the first overtime game in Super Bowl history.

Brady led the comeback by completing 43 of 62 passes for a staggering 466 yards.

No one will ever know if Trufant's presence might have made a difference.

Maybe, just maybe, he would've knocked down one of those throws to preserve the Falcons' first championship.

"It wasn't easy," Trufant said. "I'm not going to lie."

Even though he played only nine games before his injury, the Falcons knew how valuable Trufant was to their blueprint for building one of the league's best defenses through youth, speed and aggressiveness.

In April, he signed a five-year, $69 million contract extension that

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