You can't blame the Falcons. They know they have to move on from Super Bowl LI. And different people will have different approaches in terms of shifting all of their focus to the upcoming season.
Matt Ryan initially watched the film of his team's 28-3 lead melt away over and over again. Now he seems to have gone full Belichick.
"We're on to 2017," he told AtlantaFalcons.com. "You know, you learn from it, like we did. You deal with it, like we did. And then you move forward and you start preparing to try and be the best football team that this group can be. And that’s where we’re at."
The Falcons return many of the key pieces from last year's club, including franchise wideout Julio Jones, running back Devonta Freeman, and defensive end Vic Beasley. They added defensive tackle Dontari Poe via free agency and they drafted UCLA defensive end Takkarist McKinley in the first round.
They should be back in the hunt as one of the top teams in the NFC if they can avoid the hangover that often seems to impact teams that lost the Super Bowl the year prior. Ryan said that offseason workouts in Florida, which included about 40 Falcons players, have helped them start 2017 on the right foot.
"Every year is different," Ryan said. "I think the group of guys that we had down there was a little bit different than we had the year before. But I think the camaraderie is the No. 1 thing you take from situations like those. When you get the chance to get everybody away from here -- to get some work done on the field, but also to spend some time together, you know, relaxing, just hanging out -- those times are important."