Young Veteran Coleman Takes Command of the Falcons Secondary

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga.—He's the oldest, but he's not that old yet. 

With the departure of safety Lawyer Milloy to New England, Falcons safety Erik Coleman is now the oldest member of Atlanta's secondary at just 27.

But Coleman hasn't been in the NFL too long, as he enters his sixth season. He began his career with the New York Jets before signing with Atlanta as a free agent.

I caught up with Coleman after the first of two training camp practices the other day and talked with him about a few things ranging from cross-training at both safety positions to which younger players he expected to make an impact this year.

Jason Butt: Early on, practice was getting fairly intense with a few scuffles breaking out. Does that happen more with a game approaching, even if it's just a preseason game?

Erik Coleman: I think we've been working so hard and so long, that some guys get testy. It's about that time to play against a different team in a different colored jersey. And you can tell by how intense it is in practice.

JB: You're now the oldest member of the secondary and you've been in the league for only six years. On the first day of training camp, Chris Owens told me you were the guy taking him under his wing. What's that like, taking that leadership role when you have only been in the league for six years?

EC: It's a tremendous honor for guys to look up to me in that sense. It's a credit to me doing things right and working hard. I try to tell guys things that I learned from my experiences playing. Although it's only been six years, I've played a lot of ball.

JB: Who were some of the guys that mentored you early in your career?

EC: My first year (on the Jets) I had guys like Reggie Tongue, he was a strong safety with me when I got into the league. As the years went by I had Terrell Buckley and Ty Law. Then last year of course, Lawyer Milloy. I've had a lot of great mentors and I've been blessed. I just try to pass on the info that I've learned from them. I try to tell these guys to find a veteran, or find somebody, it doesn't matter if they're on defense or not. Find somebody who's been in this league a long time and figure out how they do things, how they take care of their bodies.

JB: Who are some of the younger guys on this team that you feel can make an impact this season?

EC: Thomas DeCoud has been playing really good football. Chris Owens is very physical and has a lot of speed, and a lot of talent. I see him making an impact as well. As far as the whole defense, Lawrence Sidbury, he's a great talent. He's got strength, size, speed, quickness. He's got all the tools and the work ethic. We're looking for a lot of big things out of all of those guys.

JB: Now, you're doing some cross-training and playing some free safety as well as strong safety in camp. What are the differences between the two in the NFL, if there are any major differences?

EC: There are differences, but the whole time last year when I played free safety I was paying attention to what my partner was playing. You kind of know what the other is playing because you have to play off each other. Playing strong safety, you are in more run situations and you need to be a little more physical. It's not as big of an adjustment as you would think. It's just playing football and making calls. It's getting to the ball and tackling the guy with the ball.

JB: Now looking at the other side of the ball, how have wide receivers Robert Ferguson and Marty Booker looked since they arrived in Atlanta?

EC: I was telling the young guys that Booker's been one of my favorite receivers for a long time. I played against him when I was playing with the Jets and he was playing in Miami. He's a great talent. He's got incredible ball skills and great routes. And I think Ferguson's a physical, strong player who can run. I think they fit into the offense well and what they can bring to the table. We already have a lot of weapons and we added two more. I don't know if our offense can be any better, as far as on paper.

JB: Speaking of Ferguson, I was watching some of the receivers in blocking drills. In those drills, he was dominating. Have you ever been blocked by Ferguson?

EC: I can't say I have but from what I see in practice he's an extremely physical player. He's talented. He can hit you, he can run, run past you and catch the ball. All the things you ask for out of a receiver he can do.