FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, who is the league's concussion protocol program, was declared out of Sunday's game by Falcons head coach Dan Quinn on Friday.
Rookie Tevin Coleman, who opened the season as the starting running back, will take over for Freeman, who leads the league in rushing touchdowns with nine. Coleman will be backed up by another rookie, Terron Ward.
“He’s had a really good week, ” Quinn said of Coleman. “We have so much trust and belief in him, we know he has the speed to break the big ones. But for this game, it’s how much can you pressure the blocks and go.”
Freeman attended the team meetings on Friday.
“He’s doing really well now, but he’s not going to be able to participate in the game,” Quinn said.
Also, kicker Matt Bryant (quadriceps) and wide receiver Leonard Hankerson (hamstring) were declared out.
The Falcons signed kicker Shayne Graham and released linebacker Joplo Bartu on Thursday. Graham attended his father’s funeral and was not a practice on Friday.
Losing Freeman is a blow to the Falcons, who have dropped four of the past five games and are averaging 17.3 points a game on offense over that span despite piling up yardage. Turnovers have marred their efforts.
Freeman, after rushing for 43 yards on three carries, suffered the injury in the first half of the lost to the Colts on Sunday at the Georgia Dome. He stayed in the game for two more plays before leaving for good after being blasted by Colts safety Clayton Geathers.
There is no timetable for Freeman’s return. The protocol dictates that Freeman must return to baseline status of cognitive functions before he is cleared by the team doctor and an independent neuropsychology consultant. At that point, he would be eligible to gradually return to practice and play.
Freeman had the Falcons’ longest play from scrimmage against the Colts, a 39-yard run. The run game stalled without him as Coleman and Terron Ward combined for 50 yards on rushing on 19 attempts.
Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said earlier in the week that he was not planning to have Freeman against the Vikings.
“Just as a coach, you move on,” Shanahan said. “You hope for the best. But it’s just an area that you don’t want to mess with. You wait to see when they get cleared. When they do, you’re definitely happy.”
Coleman, who played at Indiana in the Big 10, fell to second on the depth chart after he suffered a fractured rib injury against the Giants on Sept. 20.
Freeman took over and rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns in a 39-28 victory over Dallas on Sept. 27. After rushing for 68 yards on 23 carries against Houston, he put together a string of three straight 100-yard games by rushing for 153 against Washington, 100 against New Orleans and 116 at Tennessee.
Coleman rushed for 80 yards on 20 carries in the season-opening 26-24 victory over the Eagles. He had 32 yards on nine carries against the Giants before leaving with an injury.
“From (Freeman) being hurt and me being the main guy, you just have to step up and do your job and do the same things he was doing,” Coleman said. “You’re always going to have that mental focus and confidence to play the game. (I have to) go out there and preform the best that I can.”
Coleman said since he and Ward have been playing together behind Freeman for most of the season, they’re ready for a bigger shot on the field.
“(I’m) learning how the defense plays and watching more film and just doing more on my part and I’m getting prepared to play,” Coleman said.
Ward, who made the team as an undrafted rookie from Oregon State, has rushed 21 times for 74 yards and one touchdown this season.
“I feel like as young guys like me and Tevin, we can bring all we can do to help our offense finish,” Ward said. “When you’re on the field, plays last longer than you’d think and runs last longer than you think so finish every block, finish every catch, finish every run hard going forward.”
Graham, who's 6-foot, 197 pounds, has kicked mostly for the Saints and the Bengals. He's spent time with eight other teams. The Falcons will be his 11th team. Graham has made 266 of 311 (85.5 percent) field goals over his career.
Graham, who played in college at Virginia Tech, has made 14 of 29 (48.2 percent) of his field goals of more than 50 yards. He’s made 67 of 85 (78.8 percent) of his field goal between 40 and 49 yards.
Graham has been to one Pro Bowl, back in 2005 when he was with the Bengals.
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