FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Although Dan Quinn said long ago he's ready to move on from the Super Bowl, the Atlanta Falcons head coach can empathize with fans who have been unable to get over the colossal collapse.
Quinn was asked Wednesday how much it bothers him that the Falcons remain a punch line on places like social media and even on billboards after blowing a 28-3 lead in a 34-28 overtime loss the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
"It's more for the fans," Quinn said of the constant chatter poking fun at the Falcons' failure. "Honestly, I don't get too far down that line in terms of those kinds of things. For me, I worry about our team. When we came back, I knew there were going to be questions, 'OK, how much more work do we have to do to talk about last year?' and I got my answer pretty early in training camp when I saw us go for it in the biggest way. But past that on terms of the fans' side of things, I love our fans. So for them to get pissed about it, like, that's cool to me."
NFC South rival Tampa Bay joined in on the criticism of the Falcons via the organization's social media team, and the joke led to an apology from Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter.
A fan of another division rival, the New Orleans Saints, has attempted to fund a billboard reading 28-3 to put down by the Falcons' new $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Falcons hope to avoid a Super Bowl hangover and put themselves in position for another title run starting with Sunday's regular-season opener in Chicago against the Bears. Reigning MVP Matt Ryan leads an offense that scored a league-best 33.8 points per game last season. And Ryan has a healthier top receiver with Julio Jones now fully recovered from March foot surgery. Not to mention new offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian plans to utilize Jones more in the red zone and take more advantage of his dangerous two-back tandem of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.
Quinn's defense is expected to be improved -- or at least much faster -- with the additions of first-round draft pick Takk McKinley, third-round pick Duke Riley, two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dontari Poe, and versatile defensive lineman Jack Crawford. The Falcons also have one-time Pro Bowl cornerback Desmond Trufant back from last year's season-ending pectoral injury.
Ryan was asked the same question about still being the target of jokes following the Super Bowl implosion.
"I don't pay too much attention to it," he said simply.