Atlanta Falcons: Tevin Coleman earning high praise
By Derek Snyder
Pro Football Focus is quite complimentary of Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman.
The Atlanta Falcons drafted Tevin Coleman a few years ago out of Indiana University, knowing that he would bring a certain big-play ability to their football team. He struggled a bit in his first season as a Dirty Bird, but he exploded onto the scene in 2016-17. Coleman cleaned up his fumbling problem and became one of the most dangerous backs in the league.
Matt Ryan did a fantastic job of getting Coleman the football in space last year and the former Hoosier rewarded the NFL’s 2016 MVP by making defenses pay. According to Pro Football Reference, Coleman finished 2016 with 31 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns.
That’s pretty darn good for a player that only had two receptions the year before. As if impressing fans wasn’t enough, Coleman earned the praise of the folks over at Pro Football Focus as well.
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Take a look at what Bryson Vesnaver from PFF had to say about what Tevin Coleman accomplished in the passing game last season:
"Coleman averaged 2.58 yards per route run, which led the league among backs and ranked third even among wide receivers. Despite running the 36th most passing routes among running backs (166 routes) he had the seventh-most yards at 428 receiving yards. Much of that can be attributed to his league-high 12.3 yards after the catch per reception, which means he averaged a first down every single time he caught the ball. He was also one of just ten backs to average catching the ball at least one yard downfield. While Freeman may get the notoriety, Coleman deserves credit as one of the best receiving running backs in football."
As it turns out, Coleman led the NFL in yards averaged per route run in 2016. No wonder it felt like he couldn’t be stopped once he got his hands on the football. I know the defenses in the NFC South are still not looking forward to seeing him in the backfield this season.
If you stop and think about it, there is no other team in the NFL that has two running backs as talented as Coleman and Devonta Freeman. These two guys complement each other’s games, so well and they are even better teammates.
When one succeeds, the other is ready to go back out there and fight for playing time. However, you’ll always see them excited for one another. Thomas Dimitroff has done a great job of indentifying team-first guys.
Next: 3 Reasons Why The Falcons Will Win The NFC South In 2017
Having two players of this caliber is such a great thing to have on a football team. With Freeman taking the majority of carries and Coleman getting opportunities in space, this Falcons rushing attack will be extremely dangerous again in 2017.