Falcons not surprised by success Devonta Freeman is enjoying

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman did not show up overnight. It just seems that way.

He played on a 6-10 team in 2014 and was injured (hamstring) in training camp this year, which helped put him under cover.

But his coach, teammates, and Freeman himself saw his burst of six touchdowns and 209 yards rushing in two games coming even if you didn’t. Freeman is not a pop-up shower, a fluke, a sudden revelation for the 4-0 Falcons.

“I don’t know if it was a revelation or not … I knew it was there,” said Dan Quinn, the Atlanta coach. “Maybe the first game or two we didn’t get to see it enough and now it’s like, OK, that’s the style we love and expect to see out of him.”

“You can kind of tell they’re like, 'Who is this guy, where is he coming from,' " fullback Pat DiMarco said when defenses get their first dose of Freeman.

“He’s as talented as it gets. I’ve known him for two years, and what he is doing now isn’t surprising me.”

Freeman isn't shocked, either, even if others are.

"I have always been an underdog, an underdog my whole life," he said, "but when I did have opportunities, I made the best of them.”

Freeman had 22 carries for a mere 43 yards in the first two games of the season, victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants. Waiting for his hamstring to heal, plus the emergence of rookie runner Tevin Coleman, put Freeman in a reserve role.

Coleman had his own strong start with 80 yards against the Eagles. But when he suffered a rib injury against the Giants, Freeman became the featured back in the Falcons' new zone-run scheme.

Freeman is the first player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to rush for three touchdowns in each of his first two starts. He had 68 yards rushing and 81 yards receiving against the Houston Texans last Sunday, and 141 yards rushing on 30 carries and three touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3. Freeman's seven touchdowns lead the NFL.

“It’s been a fun ride. Nothing has changed, I’m the same person, practice hard every day,” Freeman said.

He was a 1,000-yard rusher in 2013 at Florida State and picked in the fourth round of the following spring's NFL draft. He is excelling behind new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s varied offense and a rebuilt offensive line.

The NFL can be a hard-hearted existence, but it routinely produces players who fit nicely into a storybook. Players like Freeman.

He grew up in poverty in Miami and said, “I kind of had to cut from my childhood” because he was “manning up” in the house as a 12-year-old with his mother and grandmother.

Published reports said Freeman was snubbed by the University of Miami (Fla.) in recruiting because of his height (5-8). So he ended up with the Seminoles and became an All-ACC back. Quarterback Jameis Winston absorbed most of the spotlight at FSU, but Freeman was accustomed by then to being an afterthought.

“Everyday life just growing up in certain neighborhoods prepare you for certain things,” Freeman said.

“I can grind all day long and fight because of the circumstances I grew up in.”

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