As one of the team's captains, Sean Weatherspoon took a turn with the media along with his head coach, Mike Smith, on Monday following the season-ending loss in the NFC Championship game. While still disappointed about the loss, Weatherspoon was already beginning the process of looking to the future. The third-year linebacker said his approach wouldn't change if he finds himself in another pivotal game, but he understands plays must be made on the field to turn the tide in close playoff games.
"Work hard throughout the entire week, work hard throughout the entire year actually so when you get a chance you've got to seize the moment," Weatherspoon said. "That's something we didn't do. We were set up to win. Everything is designed to go out there and win. We had our chances. Just a few plays here and there."
The Falcons truly were a few plays short in Sunday's loss and Weatherspoon said the loss stings because they gave themselves the quickest road to the playoffs and it didn't work out. But he says the goals haven't changed for next season.
"We put ourselves in position and that's one of the main things you talk about in the beginning," Weatherspoon said. "We definitely want to continue to do that so next year we'll be striving to do the same thing. Just when we get to the moment, we've got to go out there and execute."
Weatherspoon said the only message he had to his teammates is to come back when offseason activities begin later this year in shape and ready to do it all over again. The taste of defeat didn't sit well with Weatherspoon and he's excited about the talent surrounding him to make another run.
"I definitely feel like we're a team that's on the up and up," Weatherspoon said. "We have a lot of great players on this team and the main thing for us right now is to try to keep the cohesiveness and move forward and work hard in the offseason to get this sour taste out of our mouths."
