NFL notes: Falcons’ new coach Dan Quinn still dealing with Super Bowl pain

Dan Quinn is still trying to sort out the end of the Super Bowl, even on his first day as coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

“It was emotional at the end,” the Seahawks former defensive coordinator said Tuesday, two days after Seattle’s 28-24 Super Bowl loss to New England. “You don’t even know where to go with it, it was so hard. But I tip my hat to them.”

Quinn was hired by the Falcons on Monday, and held his first news conference Tuesday.

The Patriots sealed the win on Malcom Butler’s goal-line interception with 20 seconds left.

Quinn said Butler made a “great play on the interception.

Wilson will visit Rangers

Two-time Super Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson will again visit the Texas Rangers during spring training.

Details were still being worked out, but the Seahawks quarterback is likely to have a similar experience as last year.

“I’m still focused on thinking I still have a game on Sunday,” Wilson said Tuesday. “In terms of the Rangers, I’ll probably go down there at some point. I’m not sure when or if I do. But I’m just grateful to be on this football team.”

Weeks after Seattle won the Super Bowl last year, Wilson spent a day in Surprise, Arizona. He went through a morning workout with the Rangers and took the lineup card to umpires.

Texas selected Wilson from the Colorado Rockies in the Triple-A portion of baseball’s December draft in 2013.

Sherman surgery on hold

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman will wait until after the birth of his son to make a decision on how to move forward with his injured left elbow, according to coach Pete Carroll.

On his radio show on the team’s flagship station Tuesday morning, Carroll said that he may have been misled on what type of surgery Sherman might need to repair the ligament damage in his elbow suffered in the NFC championship game.

Carroll said a day earlier, before the Seahawks left Arizona following their 28-24 loss to New England in the Super Bowl, that Tommy John surgery was likely for the All-Pro cornerback.

Falcons faked noise

Falcons owner Arthur Blank says he has seen enough of the NFL’s investigation of fake crowd noise at Atlanta’s home games to acknowledge wrongdoing.

Blank said “I think what we’ve done in 2013 and 2014 was wrong.”

The Falcons could be fined or penalized with the loss of a draft pick if found to have added fake crowd noise during the opposing team’s huddles when trying to call a play.

Around the league

Patriots special teams coach Scott O’Brien is retiring after 24 seasons in the NFL. … The NFL has suspended Browns WR Josh Gordon for at least one year without pay for violating the league’s substance-abuse program. Last week, Gordon said his failed test was for alcohol. … Center Nick Hardwick has retired from the NFL after anchoring the Chargers’ offensive line since his rookie season of 2004. … Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says he “would love to” give the truck he got for winning his third Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award to defensive back Malcolm Butler. Butler made the game-saving interception at the goal line in the final minute of Sunday night’s 28-24 victory over Seattle.