Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman are a lot alike, but don’t confuse one for the other

Atlanta Falcons running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman are arguably the best tailback tandem in the league. The two players each possess game-changing speed and have the ability to break off big plays, leaving defenders in the dust.

They also take the same approach to the game.

“They both run really hard. They’re always finishing with their shoulder pads forward. They’re always trying to gain every yard they can,” Falcons left guard Andy Levitre said. “They’re some of the hardest runners I’ve been around. They’re fun to play with and they’re fun to watch running down the field in front of me.”

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick sees a number of common themes in Freeman and Coleman’s games, and he says their skill sets make the Falcons offense more difficult to defend.

“They’re fast, they catch the ball well, they’re hard to tackle,” Belichick said. “They catch the ball down the field. They’re certainly dangerous on catch-and-run plays — checkdowns, screens, things like that.

“And they’re great running backs. They can get outside, they can run inside, they do a great job of breaking tackles. They make people miss in space. They run over guys, they run through them, they dodge them, and they don’t fumble.”

Freeman and Coleman are similar in a number of ways, and because of this, it may be a little challenging for people outside of the Falcons’ fan base to differentiate between the two backs.

We’re here to help.

Size is one of the main contrasts between the two. Freeman is 5’8 and 206 pounds. Coleman’s taller, 6’1, and about the same weight at 210 pounds. Freeman’s size complements his skill set, which centers around quickness and lateral speed.

Freeman was drafted by the Falcons in the 2014 draft, and the fourth-rounder out of Florida State demonstrated early on that he has preternatural vision. If there’s a hole, he’s going to find it and hit it and make defenders miss.

“Devonta can make you miss in a hole that you don’t think he can make you miss in,” fullback Patrick DiMarco said.

He was also pretty well-rounded for a young back, exhibiting not just a willingness to pass block, but an affinity for it as well.

He also was able to incorporate into the passing game right away, contributing almost as many receiving yards as rushing yards in his rookie season. In his second year in the league, the Pro Bowler finished with 1,061 rushing yards and 578 yards through the air. Freeman put up similar numbers this season on the ground, 1,079 yards, and through the air, with 462 yards in Atlanta’s dynamic passing game. He had 13 total touchdowns.

Freeman can find a hole both on the ground or through the air. We saw it in the Divisional Round, when Freeman made Seattle Seahawks safety Steven Terrell miss for a 53-yard gain.

“Devonta, he’s real agile, as you’ve seen this whole season,” Falcons right tackle Ryan Schraeder said. “He can cut on a dime, and he’s real jukey. He runs physically hard. I think he’s a pit bull, man. He’s ready to take on whoever comes after him.”

Freeman’s lateral speed is one thing that separates his game from Coleman’s, but Coleman’s strength lies elsewhere.

While Freeman is quick in his own right, Coleman boasts superior straight-line speed.

“Tevin’s a speed guy. Tevin can run with anybody in this league,” DiMarco said.

Schraeder said that while Freeman is evasive, Coleman is happy to just run a defender over.

“Tevin — you give him one cut, and he’s gone,” Schraeder said. “And Tevin, he’s super-quick. Lightning quick. And he also runs super-hard. He tries to run through people bigger than him.”

That speed was certainly an attribute that the Falcons coveted when they selected Coleman out of Indiana in the third round of the 2015 draft. Coleman won the starting tailback job heading into his rookie season, but Freeman took over when he went down with cracked ribs early in the season.

Freeman kept a hold on the starting job after Coleman returned, partly because he was a more effective receiver out of the backfield, but that’s all changed. Coleman has become a real threat as a receiver, just like Freeman.

“We found out like the Denver game, Tevin, I know he had a bunch of receiving yards,” Schraeder said. “Linebackers can’t keep up with him, so he’s a big mismatch, and Devonta — he has just as much speed, and he’s a heck of a receiver out of the backfield.”

Coleman went from 14 receiving yards in 2015 to 421 this season. He added 520 yards on the ground for Atlanta, and 11 total touchdowns.

Coleman thinks that he’s more powerful, while Freeman is shiftier.

“We’re both competitors,” Coleman said. “Devonta, he more has fast feet, you know what I’m saying? Quick feet, and I’m more a speed guy, I’m more explosive.”

Their differences are subtle, and their skill sets are varied and comprehensive. They’re not just impressive runners, and they’re not just good receivers out of the backfield. Freeman and Coleman contribute to the Falcons’ top-scoring offense in other ways.

“Both extremely intelligent, and they’re both tough as nails,” DiMarco said. “That’s kind of where they blend together and you don’t miss a beat with those guys is in pass protection. They’ve got another responsibility, and they’re going to go up there and hit them in the mouth.

“So it’s definitely big when you can have two backs that are really good with the ball in their hands, be good without the ball in their hands as well.”

Atlanta has a powerful one-two punch in its backfield, and Freeman and Coleman may be the difference against a stingy Patriots defense in Super Bowl 51.