FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons fullback Patrick DiMarco won a hotly contested training camp battle and has elevated his play early in the season.
He flashed in the passing game against the Giants with a nice 19-yard catch down the middle of the field.
Against the Cowboys, he helped Devonta Freeman score three touchdowns. On the first one he had a bone-crushing lead-block.
“I think the mindset to try and outhit,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said of DiMarco. “Some of the blocks that he had, and he played very well on special teams and punt as well. He’s somebody that we count on a lot.”
Quinn has been impressed with DiMarco, the former South Carolina standout.
“I think two of the adjectives or words that help me describe Patrick DiMarco are smart and tough,” Quinn said. “ Those two things go a long way as a player. He knows where to be and he’s physical when he does it. He’s a really important guy to us.”
With the NFL becoming more of a passing league, the fullback position has been diminished league wide. DiMarco beat out Collin Mooney for the only fullback spot on the roster.
DiMarco’s case may be one where he’s play has been elevated because of the competition created by the new coaching regime.
“To me, we’re always trying to compete against one another,” Quinn said. I think going against the linebackers in practice, he goes against Justin Durant and Paul Worrilow day-in and day-out, and having Colin Mooney there as another guy who we think the world of as a fullback. How could you not get better from that?”
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