At this stage, Freeman has a leg up on rookie Tevin Coleman for the Falcons' No. 1 running back slot, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Not surprisingly, coach Dan Quinn has yet declare a winner in that position battle, but in his second year as a pro, opportunity knocks for Freeman, with the Falcons re-tooling a backfield that bid adieu to both Steven Jackson and Jacquizz Rodgers since the end of the 2014 season. Aside from an advantage in terms of experience, Freeman's good hands and route-running help put him in a position to see added touches in 2015 after carrying just 65 times for 248 and catching 30 passes for 225 yards as a rookie.
Cobb is in almost exactly the same situation as Freeman. Sankey isn't good, but Ruston Webster spent a 2 on him and so the Titans will bend over backward for at least one more season trying to make him work.
Freeman is a Frank Gore clone. Does anyone ever talk about Frank Gore's 40 time? Or his height? Or his weight? No, because his vision is good and he knows when to run slow and when to run fast and when to hide behind his linemen.
- to stop running into the backs of his own blockers
Tevin Coleman is actually really mediocre on tape when you're not just watching his highlights. He's amazing if he has space at the second-level, because his long-speed is legit and his first-gear is crazy. But every other element of his game isn't NFL caliber.
I'm not saying it's guaranteed, and if any OC and scheme can compensate for his many flaws it's probably Kyle Shanahan, but Tevin Coleman is practically draped in bust flags as a prospect. Buyer beware.
Gore is a valid comparison to Freeman. So is Steve Slaton circa 2008 (even better, actually).
Freeman is better than people think. That's what actual tape study says, not stats. Shany's scheme is an ideal fit for him, just as it was for Slaton before his health issues ruined him.
Cog I believe you may be right on the buyer beware comment for Coleman. I would extend that to all Big 10 RBs coming out in 2015 draft- Gordon, Coleman, Langford & Cobb. The stat lines for these runners may have something to do with poor Big 10 defenses. The RBs will not get outside as often at this level for their big gains & sledding up the middle is very much tougher in the NFL.
As for the Falcons I am not sold on either runner. I also think a free agent will be signed in Atlanta just in case.
You know joegibbs Rice does know Shannahans system & may be the best fit of the available free agents. I don't believe the Falcons owner Arthur Blank will go there. If you remember he was unable to tolerate the Mike Vick situation.
My guess would be Fred Jackson if the Bills let him go. He is a one cut RB with good hands, and a good attitude. A perfect man to coach up the kids.
If the Falcons were gonna add an RB in free-agency they'd have already done it. Good options were available for relatively cheap and they made no effort to sign any of them (e.g. Mathews, Spiller, and especially Helu, who already has a history of success with Shany).
Right or wrong, words and actions demonstrate that Shany is confident in what he presently has. His scheme -- and his father's same scheme -- has a long history of productivity with middle-round and late-round draft picks.
It is relatively common for teams to wait on free agents. The early FA signed are quite expensive. Teams often wait on the draft to see their options there. Often the team decides after the mini camps to evaluate what they have in house. Especially new coaching regimes. They have to get the veterans to buy into the new system, and pump up the rookies confidence.The next 5 weeks will tell us what they really think. Out of shape players get cut. Positions of weakness will be addressed. To this point the HYPE machine is running full throttle.
Mathews & Spiller though talented have significant injury histories. Both are high risk to play on a given Sunday. Helu has been a good 3rd down back. Though maybe what KS knows about him was not a fit. He was on the team that mutinied in Washington. S Jackson, R Rice, C Johnson, S Greene are all available for a discount compared to the others. There will be more RBs available soon as well.
Freeman is from the previous staff who never really broke the rotation last year. Now he has to learn another playbook & pass block assignments. Coleman has to master these as well. You do not risk a 25 million a year QB on a RB training expedition.
hard to tolerate Mike Vick when he was well on his way to prison. he stood by Vick for as long as he could and that turned out to be a very bad PR move on his part.
Vick was not released till he was out of prison, but you are absolutely correct that it and was a PR nightmare Blank had no taste for it. It is the same issue a new team faces for signing Rice. Jerry Jones caught flack for signing Hardy for same issue. Difference is nearly everyone in the country seen the Rice punch. Plus his upside is questionable at this point. Considerably doubtful for the Falcons.
A couple guys who could fit well in Atlanta. One cut RBs with good hands and skillful pass protectors- P Thomas & A Bradshaw.
If you wait you may be to late. If you got a spot I would lend it to AB. Just for the possibility he could land in Dallas.There are other places he could land too(Atl,AZ,SD,NE,Car,49s) but AB in Dallas is a difference maker. He would certainly help the Cowboys & the fantasy owner who lands him.
It *isn't* common to wait on signing free-agents until after both OTAs and mini-camp if the team is planning on giving the guy a significant role.
One because it delays their learning of a new offense/playbook, two because there's usually nobody actually desirable left on the market.
P. Thomas has never been a lead-rusher (and the Falcons already have an RB pass-catcher they reportedly love), Bradshaw is suspended for a game and hasn't stayed healthy for a season in half a decade, and Rice was just plain terrible the last time he played football (nevermind the PR baggage). These guys are all unsigned right now for a reason.
I wouldn't bet a bent penny on any of these guys happening in Atlanta unless Freeman or Coleman gets injured.
As for Ryan's pass-protection, the Falcons picking up both Moeaki and especially Tamme suggests Toilolo will revert to pure blocking duty in more two TE sets (also consider Harry D. leaving in free-agency creating an uninspiring Devin Hester shaped hole at the WR3 spot). Offenses that rely too often on an RB to block linebackers are asking for sacks/pressures regardless of the RB's proficiency at it; optimally, you only ask them to pick up blitzing DBs.
Besides, Freeman was noted by scouts as being an effective pass-protector in college; his struggles last year in that capacity have the feel of typical rookie-year growing pains. The Falcons can reasonably expect him to have improved in this area for year two.
I would bet that bent penny that most of the teams I mention sign another RB before the season starts. I would bet another that most the FA RBs mentioned above find homes prior to opening day. You will see just how common it is as teams start signing these guys. The #1 downfall of good RBs (not just rooks)at the NFL level is the learning curve. The playbook is far more complex than most colleges put on the kids. Pass blocking is the hardest part for them to comprehend. Until they get it their role in the offense is limited at best.
I am not saying Freeman or Coleman will get it or if they won't. I do not have any confidence in either, but they may grasp the the assignments. It is a new language just to understand the play calls. Then pass blocking presents a bunch of "what ifs" to consider for each play. There is a different pick up for every blitzer, and a dump off route when none come. It is a lot to ask of a rookie. Most rookies take some time to get it. Some never do!
As I mentioned earlier- the spring is full of hype & coach speak. Everyone is wonderful. Everything is on track. The next 5 weeks we find out what they really think. Then for 16 weeks we get to say who shoulda, woulda, coulda!
One of the biggest functions of the spring practices is evaluations. They introduce the rookies to the team & the playbook. They evaluate how well they fill the need they were drafted to fix. Injured players from the previous year are looked at to see if they will return to form, and the entire squad is appraised for being in shape. Once this evaluation is completed head coaches will sit down with the coordinators for input, and then the teams will again try to fix obvious deficiencies. Some short comings may not become apparent till they are putting on the pads (or after). There will be numerous signings between the 4th of July and August 1st to shore up the rosters. There will be another flurry of signings as injuries happen and new players come available when teams cut their rosters down to 53. These are annual events.
Comments
C_GuffMon 6/22/15 9:16 PM
Freeman or Sankey or D Cobb?
cogwheelTue 6/23/15 9:02 AM
Freeman > Cobb > vast chasm across space and time > Sankey
TrenchWarrior1Tue 6/23/15 7:44 PM
At this point Cobb is the only choice. A Top 10 WR or 2 RBs likely sharing their job?
cogwheelWed 6/24/15 2:16 AM
@TrenchWarrior1
Cobb is in almost exactly the same situation as Freeman. Sankey isn't good, but Ruston Webster spent a 2 on him and so the Titans will bend over backward for at least one more season trying to make him work.
cogwheelWed 6/24/15 2:31 AM
Oh I understand now, you think he's referring to Randall Cobb.
Maybe he is, I don't know. I'm assuming he means David Cobb.
TrenchWarrior1Wed 6/24/15 4:10 AM
Your probably right on it being the RB. The WR was who came to mind as Cobb. Gotta use them initials. LOL
jLadubSun 6/21/15 6:53 PM
coleman needs to learn how to use his right hand first anyways
[Deleted User]Sun 6/21/15 8:23 PM
It's not even training camp. Coleman is a far superior talent to Freeman? Freeman should be a solid 3rd down back though.
[Deleted User]Sun 6/21/15 8:59 PM
Freeman is a Frank Gore clone. Does anyone ever talk about Frank Gore's 40 time? Or his height? Or his weight? No, because his vision is good and he knows when to run slow and when to run fast and when to hide behind his linemen.
joegibbskins07Sun 6/21/15 10:15 PM
true story
[Deleted User]Sun 6/21/15 10:23 PM
I don't see the comparison between the 2. Gore could also run through tackles and was at 1 point the best pass blocking rb.
jLadubSun 6/21/15 11:58 PM
gore?
[Deleted User]Sun 6/21/15 11:59 PM
aha Gore is the sucess story not the prototype imo!
cogwheelTue 6/23/15 9:08 AM
He also needs to learn how
- to break tackles
- to elude
- to stop running into the backs of his own blockers
Tevin Coleman is actually really mediocre on tape when you're not just watching his highlights. He's amazing if he has space at the second-level, because his long-speed is legit and his first-gear is crazy. But every other element of his game isn't NFL caliber.
I'm not saying it's guaranteed, and if any OC and scheme can compensate for his many flaws it's probably Kyle Shanahan, but Tevin Coleman is practically draped in bust flags as a prospect. Buyer beware.
cogwheelTue 6/23/15 9:12 AM
@Chris_Fryer
Gore is a valid comparison to Freeman. So is Steve Slaton circa 2008 (even better, actually).
Freeman is better than people think. That's what actual tape study says, not stats. Shany's scheme is an ideal fit for him, just as it was for Slaton before his health issues ruined him.
TrenchWarrior1Tue 6/23/15 7:58 PM
Cog I believe you may be right on the buyer beware comment for Coleman. I would extend that to all Big 10 RBs coming out in 2015 draft- Gordon, Coleman, Langford & Cobb. The stat lines for these runners may have something to do with poor Big 10 defenses. The RBs will not get outside as often at this level for their big gains & sledding up the middle is very much tougher in the NFL.
As for the Falcons I am not sold on either runner. I also think a free agent will be signed in Atlanta just in case.
joegibbskins07Tue 6/23/15 11:09 PM
the wife beater maybe?
TrenchWarrior1Wed 6/24/15 1:52 AM
You know joegibbs Rice does know Shannahans system & may be the best fit of the available free agents. I don't believe the Falcons owner Arthur Blank will go there. If you remember he was unable to tolerate the Mike Vick situation.
My guess would be Fred Jackson if the Bills let him go. He is a one cut RB with good hands, and a good attitude. A perfect man to coach up the kids.
cogwheelWed 6/24/15 2:26 AM
If the Falcons were gonna add an RB in free-agency they'd have already done it. Good options were available for relatively cheap and they made no effort to sign any of them (e.g. Mathews, Spiller, and especially Helu, who already has a history of success with Shany).
Right or wrong, words and actions demonstrate that Shany is confident in what he presently has. His scheme -- and his father's same scheme -- has a long history of productivity with middle-round and late-round draft picks.
TrenchWarrior1Wed 6/24/15 4:32 AM
It is relatively common for teams to wait on free agents. The early FA signed are quite expensive. Teams often wait on the draft to see their options there. Often the team decides after the mini camps to evaluate what they have in house. Especially new coaching regimes. They have to get the veterans to buy into the new system, and pump up the rookies confidence.The next 5 weeks will tell us what they really think. Out of shape players get cut. Positions of weakness will be addressed. To this point the HYPE machine is running full throttle.
Mathews & Spiller though talented have significant injury histories. Both are high risk to play on a given Sunday. Helu has been a good 3rd down back. Though maybe what KS knows about him was not a fit. He was on the team that mutinied in Washington. S Jackson, R Rice, C Johnson, S Greene are all available for a discount compared to the others. There will be more RBs available soon as well.
Freeman is from the previous staff who never really broke the rotation last year. Now he has to learn another playbook & pass block assignments. Coleman has to master these as well. You do not risk a 25 million a year QB on a RB training expedition.
joegibbskins07Wed 6/24/15 11:32 AM
hard to tolerate Mike Vick when he was well on his way to prison. he stood by Vick for as long as he could and that turned out to be a very bad PR move on his part.
TrenchWarrior1Wed 6/24/15 6:53 PM
Vick was not released till he was out of prison, but you are absolutely correct that it and was a PR nightmare Blank had no taste for it. It is the same issue a new team faces for signing Rice. Jerry Jones caught flack for signing Hardy for same issue. Difference is nearly everyone in the country seen the Rice punch. Plus his upside is questionable at this point. Considerably doubtful for the Falcons.
A couple guys who could fit well in Atlanta. One cut RBs with good hands and skillful pass protectors- P Thomas & A Bradshaw.
joegibbskins07Thu 6/25/15 11:53 AM
i agree with Bradshaw. they guy is a beast when healthy. if he was signed, i would pick him up in a heartbeat.
TrenchWarrior1Thu 6/25/15 1:35 PM
If you wait you may be to late. If you got a spot I would lend it to AB. Just for the possibility he could land in Dallas.There are other places he could land too(Atl,AZ,SD,NE,Car,49s) but AB in Dallas is a difference maker. He would certainly help the Cowboys & the fantasy owner who lands him.
cogwheelThu 6/25/15 4:38 PM
It *isn't* common to wait on signing free-agents until after both OTAs and mini-camp if the team is planning on giving the guy a significant role.
One because it delays their learning of a new offense/playbook, two because there's usually nobody actually desirable left on the market.
P. Thomas has never been a lead-rusher (and the Falcons already have an RB pass-catcher they reportedly love), Bradshaw is suspended for a game and hasn't stayed healthy for a season in half a decade, and Rice was just plain terrible the last time he played football (nevermind the PR baggage). These guys are all unsigned right now for a reason.
I wouldn't bet a bent penny on any of these guys happening in Atlanta unless Freeman or Coleman gets injured.
As for Ryan's pass-protection, the Falcons picking up both Moeaki and especially Tamme suggests Toilolo will revert to pure blocking duty in more two TE sets (also consider Harry D. leaving in free-agency creating an uninspiring Devin Hester shaped hole at the WR3 spot). Offenses that rely too often on an RB to block linebackers are asking for sacks/pressures regardless of the RB's proficiency at it; optimally, you only ask them to pick up blitzing DBs.
Besides, Freeman was noted by scouts as being an effective pass-protector in college; his struggles last year in that capacity have the feel of typical rookie-year growing pains. The Falcons can reasonably expect him to have improved in this area for year two.
TrenchWarrior1Thu 6/25/15 8:43 PM
I would bet that bent penny that most of the teams I mention sign another RB before the season starts. I would bet another that most the FA RBs mentioned above find homes prior to opening day. You will see just how common it is as teams start signing these guys. The #1 downfall of good RBs (not just rooks)at the NFL level is the learning curve. The playbook is far more complex than most colleges put on the kids. Pass blocking is the hardest part for them to comprehend. Until they get it their role in the offense is limited at best.
I am not saying Freeman or Coleman will get it or if they won't. I do not have any confidence in either, but they may grasp the the assignments. It is a new language just to understand the play calls. Then pass blocking presents a bunch of "what ifs" to consider for each play. There is a different pick up for every blitzer, and a dump off route when none come. It is a lot to ask of a rookie. Most rookies take some time to get it. Some never do!
As I mentioned earlier- the spring is full of hype & coach speak. Everyone is wonderful. Everything is on track. The next 5 weeks we find out what they really think. Then for 16 weeks we get to say who shoulda, woulda, coulda!
TrenchWarrior1Thu 6/25/15 9:29 PM
One of the biggest functions of the spring practices is evaluations. They introduce the rookies to the team & the playbook. They evaluate how well they fill the need they were drafted to fix. Injured players from the previous year are looked at to see if they will return to form, and the entire squad is appraised for being in shape. Once this evaluation is completed head coaches will sit down with the coordinators for input, and then the teams will again try to fix obvious deficiencies. Some short comings may not become apparent till they are putting on the pads (or after). There will be numerous signings between the 4th of July and August 1st to shore up the rosters. There will be another flurry of signings as injuries happen and new players come available when teams cut their rosters down to 53. These are annual events.