HOUSTON — Tevin Coleman pondered the question for a moment.
Is two better than one?
“As of right now, two is definitely better than one,’’ he said Tuesday, and isn’t that the truth.
Nothing good lasts forever, but for now, the running back tandem of Coleman and Devonta Freeman has the potential to give the Patriots fits in Super Bowl LI. It is unlikely this will be a long-term situation for the Falcons — sooner, rather than later, one of the two backs is not going to be content to split a job, a spotlight and, for all intents and purposes, a salary.
Freeman’s agent, Kristin Campbell, told NFL.com the Falcons need to make his client a priority this offseason and that he deserves to get paid “like the elite running back he is.’’
Freeman’s bargaining power will grow exponentially if he comes up big Sunday and helps the Falcons claim their first Lombardi Trophy.
The way the Falcons handle their running game is not unique — the days of one back hogging the ball and the playing time are long gone, mostly — but it does appear they have perfected the sharing process. Freeman, 24, has the moves and Coleman, 23, has the speed. They both have a nose for the end zone, and they have combined for 24 touchdowns, as well as 2,482 total yards from scrimmage.
Used in perfect harmony, Freeman and Coleman allowed the Falcons to balance out their prolific offense and take the pressure off Matt Ryan. The Falcons finished the season as the No. 5 running team in the NFL, averaging 118.2 yards per game.
“Man, we work together so well,’’ said Freeman, the more outspoken of the duo. “I remember last season when I was taking all the pounding, I was getting all the carries. I didn’t know how important it was to have someone to come in when you’re tired or when you’re banged up or when you need an İmajbet extra blow. To have Tevin here to come in when I get tired and stuff Bonus veren bahis siteleri like that, it’s tremendous. We share. He can do some of the same great things that I can do: catch out of the back, run routes. He can run you over, make guys miss. We work so well together.”
Opposing defenses have to account for the Falcons’ backfield versatility. Freeman and Coleman can run it between the tackles or to the outside. What makes them especially difficult to deal with is both are skilled pass-catchers and at times will line up wide, asked to run routes normally designed for receivers.
Freeman caught 54 passes during the regular season. Coleman caught 31.
“I had to learn a lot of routes, it was real difficult, I had to learn a lot of spots,’’ Coleman said. “I was willing to have the workload. It’s been very fun to contribute to my team, being out wide and being in the backfield.’’
Coleman also has learned to cope with having inherited the sickle cell trait from his father. It is far less severe than having full-blown sickle cell anemia, but it can — and has — affected Coleman when his body is under extreme physical stress. While in college at Indiana, Coleman was participating in a team-bonding tug of war competition when he became so dehydrated he nearly passed out.
“I really didn’t know what was going on because I was not that educated about it,’’ Coleman said.
He now recognizes the warning signs, which can be exacerbated in extremely hot weather or in high altitude. Coleman not only handled the altitude this past October in Denver, but also he caught four passes for 132 yards in a 23-16 victory over the Broncos.
“It was tough out there, but I wanted to play so I just had to keep on top of my body all week and keep myself hydrated, things like that,’’ Coleman said.
The Super Bowl will be played in climate-controlled NRG Stadium, and the Falcons figure to rely heavily on their two-headed backfield monster.
“Competing with Devonte is very fun. We really just feed off each other,’’ Coleman said. “He makes a play he’s like, ‘Go in there, go get you one, bro.’ We’re both great, and together we’re greater.’’
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