Atlanta Falcons: Devonta Freeman tops team grades after bye week
Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons players reacts with cornerback Desmond Trufant (21) (in group) after a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the second quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive backs
Desmond Trufant
Trufant is undoubtedly a top-5 cornerback in the league. To the blind fan, they would go to straight to the interception column to judge a defensive back’s performance, but it’s hard to record interceptions when they’re not even throwing to your side.
He has 18 tackles, two fumble recoveries, and seven passes defended on the year but also has 34.9 quarterback rating when thrown to his side. The Falcons have something truly special in number 21.
Grade: A
Robert Alford
Love or hate him, Rocky is going to compete. It’s been a long time for us waiting for Robert Alford to emerge as a great corner to support Trufant on the other side. After the Giants, where he was having trouble, I think he gradually got better as there went on.
Yes, he still gambles on passes like Asante Samuel but he learns from his mistakes amdna aggressive player. Alford is steadily growing into a good corner day by day.
Grade: B-
Jalen Collins
I admit that I was not on the Jalen Collins bandwagon when he was drafted and thought there were better corners out there like Quinten Rollins. Early on, concerns were justified. Now I’m having a change of heart; the rookie has improved his play the past couple of games and look to emerge into the starting lineup.
Grade: C-
Philip Adams
Adams was originally the starting nickelback, but as Jalen Collins started to emerge in the past couple of weeks his need went down. Robert Alford has been banged up so lately so Adams may be in play of some action.
Grade: C
Ricardo Allen
I had the chance to go out to Flowery Branch during the offseason to see the hype building around safety Ricardo Allen and I have to admit that I was very impressed. I thought that he would have trouble with communicating with others, reading offenses, being vocal at the point of the snap and just the overall feel of playing a different position. I was completely wrong.
He showed great awareness, excellent communication and willingness to make a tackle. He started off the season with a game-winning interception against the Eagles and got to a hot start from there.
Grade: B+
William Moore
So far on the year, Moore has 29 tackles, two interceptions and one forced fumble. He fits Dan Quinn’s scheme and doesn’t look out of place on the defense but father time is catching up with the hard hitting safety.
Grade: C+
Kemal Ishmael
Dan Quinn did not turn a blind eye to Ishmael and help formed a few packages including the third-year pro. He has 20 tackles on the year and don’t forget that he is still a valuable asset on special teams.
Grade: C
Robenson Therezie
The undrafted rookie from Auburn surprised me during camp and had a great outing in the preseason but I didn’t think he was going to make the team. This just goes to show that the coaches can tell the difference in players who can play and who can’t. So far in the year, he has 19 tackles and one key interception against Tennessee.
Grade: B
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