Atlanta Falcons: Devonta Freeman expresses concerning sentiment
Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman is looking for a new deal, but his sentiment about their Super Bowl loss is more than a little concerning.
No one is going to forget the Atlanta Falcons’ collapse in Super Bowl LI. It was historic, catastrophic and something that sticks around in the minds of fans, players and coaches. For the Falcons heading into the 2017 season, however, the key is getting past it and using it as motivation and/or trying to prevent something like that from happening again.
One key member of the Falcons, though, doesn’t seem to be wholly in that frame of mind: running back Devonta Freeman.
While talking with Sirius XM about his new contract and the Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots, Freeman expressed how hard it is to get past something like that. Sure, it’s hard. The problem, though, is that the running back is unsure that he’ll ever be able to get over it, saying:
"“It’s hard to move on from something like that,” Freeman said. “I don’t think I’ll ever move on from something like that. To be honest, I think it’ll always play in the back of my head.”"
Admittedly, Freeman went on to say that he feels like the Falcons can win the Super Bowl this year. But while he’s confident in his team — and deservedly so — the way he expressed his sentiment is somewhat concerning if you’re a Falcons fan.
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When the running back is talking about the collapse, he’s not talking about it as motivation. He’s speaking about it in a way that makes it seem like a regret and something disappointing. More or less, Freeman is talking about the loss to the Pats like it’s a shadow hanging over him. Point-blank, that’s exactly what you don’t want the loss to be.
Freeman also contradicted himself a bit when continuing about the loss, saying that they shouldn’t “dwell” on the game and what could’ve been done differently. When that’s juxtaposed with him talking about not getting over it, though, that seems somewhat disingenuous. It seems like he’s definitely dwelling on it and like it will have an impact on the 2017 season.
The mentality of the Falcons coming into the 2017 campaign is one of the most critical factors to watch, in addition to the loss of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. There’s a long history of devastating losses carrying over into the following season. So even if the Falcons have made notable improvements to their roster, the after effects of the loss can still linger.
Next: NFL 2017: 5 QBs who can be this season's Matt Ryan
So to see Freeman talk about not being able to get past it is a bit disconcerting. Perhaps it was just a poor choice of words on his part, and Atlanta isn’t actually dwelling on it. Maybe they remember, but are ready to prove themselves after it. Seeing how he expressed that, though, it’s hard to not be a little concerned about the running back and the Falcons as a whole.