Atlanta Falcons RB Competition Heating Up
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons RB competition is already heating up. Both second-year player Devonta Freeman and rookie Tevin Coleman see themselves as the guy to beat atop the running back rotation. And let’s not forget about Antone Smith who seems to have a breakaway play every game he plays in for the Falcons. This competition between the RB corps might be the most crucial element of getting the 2015 Atlanta Falcons over the hump and into the playoffs.
“Whoever is the starting running back, they don’t have to work. I’m coming in and working right away.” – Atlanta Falcons RB Tevin Coleman
If you look back to the most successful Atlanta Falcons teams of the last fifty years, there is usually one common thread that each playoff team has: an offensive game predicated on moving the chains with the run. From Willie Andrews to Gerald Riggs to Jamal Anderson to the DVD Falcons (Warrick Dunn, Michael Vick, and TJ Duckett) to Michael ‘The Burner’ Turner, when Atlanta can run the football with the best teams in the league, The Falcons often find themselves in the playoff mix.
When Turner started to decline in 2012, Thomas Dimitroff took a gamble on a perennial All-Pro RB Steven Jackson, formerly of the St. Louis Rams. Though Jackson will end up in Canton someday soon, it’s not because of his forgettable two-year tenure with the Atlanta Falcons. He rushed for roughly 1,000 yards combined in 2013-14 for Atlanta after eclipsing that threshold every season but his rookie year while with the Rams.
Live Feed
Blogging Dirty
It seems that Atlanta will play youngsters in their backfield this year. Coleman and Freeman are both under 24 years of age. Smith’s minimal usage has made him a commodity even in his early 30’s. Overall, there isn’t a lot to wear and tear on the Atlanta Falcons running backs. And the team won’t have to feed the rock to one guy exclusively as all three backs can take it to the house in a blink of an eye.
I’ve seen Falcons teams win with sub par offensive lines and defenses. Great QB play doesn’t guarantee on-field success for the Falcons. Steve Bartkowski, Chris Chandler, Michael Vick, and now Matt Ryan have all quarterbacked sub-.500 teams in Atlanta despite playing well personally.
“I never had a dream to come to the NFL and play second to (any) man.” – Atlanta Falcons RB Devonta Freeman
It seems like every team in the NFL has this one area that most correlates to the team’s success. And it’s not strictly quarterbacking for some teams. Chicago has to have a great defense, Carolina has to have good linebackers, Dallas needs an offensive line of road graders, and Washington has to run the football with authority. Yes, Coach Quinn has to and will improve the Falcons porous defense in 2015. But how Kyle Shanahan organizes the running game will decide if Atlanta makes the postseason or not.
By having a healthy intrasquad rivalry between Coleman, Freeman, and Smith, Atlanta might have a Hydra in its backfield this fall. Luke Kuechly, Lavonte David, and Danell Ellerbe will have to put forth Herculean efforts to keep the Dirty Birds RBs from soaring into the end zone. This RB competition will be something to keep an eye on all summer during OTAs, Mini Camp, and Training Camp in Flowery Branch. I expect Atlanta to run the football better than it has the last three seasons. Rise Up, ATL!