Atlanta Falcons season preview 2014: Backfield
By Brad Rowland
The 2014 NFL season is almost here, and it is time to preview this season’s edition of the Atlanta Falcons. In part five, we took an in-depth look at the team’s offensive line. If you missed it, be sure to check out our defensive line, linebacker, defensive back, special teams, offensive line and pass-catching previews.
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With the majority of focus on the New Orleans Saints in week one, we will wrap up our positional previews with an in-depth look at the backfield. There are certainly question marks, though thankfully not at starting quarterback, and it will be interesting to see the personnel deployment, especially early in the season. Let’s get to it.
Fullback
The fullback position has basically evaporated in the world of the NFL, and as such, the Falcons are carrying only Patrick DiMarco on the opening day roster. He will be utilized in goal line and short yardage situations, but as a general rule, he will certainly be on the field for less than half of the team’s snaps.
The 25-year-old DiMarco played 196 snaps last season while grading out as an above-average player at the position, and it is rare to see him miss an assignment. Other than long-snapper, fullback may be the most thankless position on the squad, but DiMarco should be solid.
Running Back
Steven Jackson, Jacquizz Rodgers, Antone Smith, Devonta Freeman
This is going to be something to monitor.
Steven Jackson appears (repeat: appears) to be healthy in advance of week one, and that is a positive thing. However, Jackson is entering his 11th season at 31 years old, and that generally spells trouble at the tailback spot. In 2013, he battled injuries on the way to just 3.5 yards per carry, and if that level of production continues this season (and/or he suffers another injury), we will see a steady diet of the backups. Jackson is the best runner between the tackles on the roster, but aside from goal line work if he’s healthy, nothing is certain.
Rodgers is the incumbent backup, but as you may remember, the 5-foot-7 running back doesn’t exactly profile as an every down player. The 24-year-old Rodgers averaged just 3.5 yards per carry last season, and his best trait is certainly as a receiver, where he snatched more than 50 receptions despite being low on the list of options for Matt Ryan. At the moment, Rodgers should be expected to play in passing situations.
Antone Smith is a special teams maven, and that is what guarantees him a roster spot. However, he was used often as a ball-carrier in preseason, and he had 5 carries for 145 yards (!) last season. It would be fairly surprising to see Smith in a prominent role as a running back, but I’d expect to see more than seven offensive touches this season.
Lastly, rookie Devonta Freeman has garnered high expectations in some circles (especially in the fantasy community), but he is currently listed as the fourth-string running back. That is largely due to issues in pass protection, but Freeman doesn’t have ideal size (5-foot-8, 205 pounds) as a “featured back”, and he’ll probably need an injury to rise into a prominent role. Still, the pure talent is there for Freeman to be a quality player in the league, if only in a platoon situation, and the draft investment could prove fruitful.
Quarterback
Matt Ryan, Sean Renfree, T.J. Yates
Matt Ryan is one of the top ten quarterbacks in the NFL by any measure. Admittedly, the now 29-year-old Ryan did have a “down” season in 2013, with 17 interceptions and a four-year low in quarterback rating, but given the injury issues with Roddy White and Julio Jones, it is borderline amazing that he completed 67.4% of his passes for more than 4,500 yards. With a full compliment of weapons, Ryan falls into the category of players that no one should be worried about on this roster, and if everything goes to plan, he could have his best statistical season in 2014.
Behind him, the battle between Sean Renfree and T.J. Yates is unsettled, as Mike Smith went out of his way to list them as co-backups for week one. It is a mild surprise that Yates didn’t win the job outright, but frankly, Renfree was far better in preseason, and if Yates didn’t have experience under his belt, he likely would have been released.
The moral of the story? An injury to Matt Ryan would be devastating.
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There you have it. The 2013 Atlanta Falcons boasted one of the game’s worst rushing attacks (31st in rushing yards), but the talent is there to be better than that (while certainly not elite), and the passing game is in quality hands with Matt Ryan. Offensively, a great deal of the impetus is on health for both the offensive line and wide receiving units, but on paper, this is one of the more talented offenses in the league.
Stay tuned.