The Atlanta Falcons got a win in their first game of the season and rookies played a huge part in it. The Falcons started two rookies on the field while at least three others saw time on the field and made an impact. The biggest of them all was Tevin Coleman who got the nod as the starting running back and really made it presence known. With an emphasis being put on the ground game, Coleman looks every bit like a star in the making.
Coleman's rookie debut was capped off with 20 carries in the run game that went for 80 yards. Falcons' fans likely cannot remember the last time a running back carried the ball 20 times in their offense. Coleman came in as a player considered to be the steal of the draft and he proved why. He might not have put up 100 yards, but he certainly showed speed and agility that the run game has lacked in recent years.
"Things went real good for my first game," Coleman said, via the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "I was real excited with my play, the offense's play and the defense. It was real exciting being out there with my team. Everything came together and all coach (Dan Quinn) said was just finish. Just play fast and finish. That's what we did. I was real excited about that."
Fantasy owners should be cautious when trying to take Coleman because the Falcons are planning split carries for the rookie and Devonta Freeman which showed on Monday night. Freeman is still healing from a preseason hamstring injury, but made big impacts in both the run and passing games for the Falcons. Freeman only had 18 yards on the ground while adding another 29 in the air off three catches. That type of production has Matt Ryan excited.
"I thought when Devonta was in there ... both of those guys finished runs tonight," Ryan said, via AJC.com. "They showcased what they are all about. I think it's one of those things where we can continue to get better with it. That's part of the deal. That's one of the things that comes along with the zone-read scheme, kind of getting outside the pocket as a quarterback. We did a lot of that earlier in my career.... I feel good doing it and those were big plays for us tonight."
Freeman and Coleman proved they can be a nice compliment to the receiving game that feature Julio Jones adding two touchdowns in the first half. Roddy White looked healthy while Leonard Hankerson came up big as both a receiver and blocker for the team. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan preached this would be a new-look Falcons offense and he was right.
