Even as he enters his fourth season Authentic Vita Vea Jersey , Tevin Coleman is still taking notes from Falcons teammate Devonta Freeman on all the basics that go with being an NFL running back.

How to run. How to catch. How to block.

How to make teammates smile.

In training camp, Freeman's contagious personality may be one of his biggest strengths. His ever-present smile can be a mood-lifter during long, hot practice days.

"It's definitely effective," Coleman said after Saturday's practice. "Just having him here and bringing in the energy and getting other guys motivated to compete and work hard, just his presence here lightens everybody up. I like that."

Freeman is especially upbeat this camp. He is relishing his return to good health following a sometimes scary 2017 season.

Freeman suffered two concussions last year. He spent the last two weeks of the preseason in concussion protocol before suffering another concussion against Dallas on Nov. 12 that forced him to miss two games. A sprained right knee cut into his production late in the season.

Now Freeman, 26, is feeling good. He's an important part of an offense that is looking to return to its form of 2016, when it led the league in scoring.

"What more can I ask for?" Freeman asked earlier this week. "My dream job is football and I get to play. I come to work and play football every day. That's it."

Coleman said Freeman is "happy to feel good, happy to be here with his brothers, happy to compete."

Coach Dan Quinn says Freeman's tough demeanor in practice shows that he loves the game, especially in training camp.

"He's such a competitor," Quinn said Saturday. "He has the personality among his teammates. They love him. They love what he stands for on the field Joe Mixon Bengals Jersey , off the field, in the locker room. He is one of constant support. His makeup and mentality, based on toughness and competing, this is his kind of environment."

Added Quinn: "We truly celebrate guys like Free who live that lifestyle."

Quinn immediately noticed a change in Freeman early in camp.

"It is awesome to see Free back, feeling like himself," he said.

Freeman was one of the first players to catch the attention of Quinn, then a first-year coach, in 2015. The coach immediately talked about Freeman's skills as a runner and receiver, and the running back's breakout season lived up to the hype.

Freeman ranked fifth in the NFL with 1,634 combined rushing and receiving yards in 2015 and was first with 14 all-purpose touchdowns.

He added another 1,000-yard rushing season in 2016. Even while missing two games last year, he ran for 865 yards with seven touchdowns and had 36 catches for 317 yards.

Most running backs would be happy with 36 catches Authentic Scooter Gennett Jersey , but for Freeman it was a big drop from 2015, when he caught 73 passes for 578 yards.

Freeman hopes he and Coleman have more targets from quarterback Matt Ryan in the second year with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkasian.

"I think we've got enough talent to be utilized in the passing game," he said. "We need to take advantage of that."

NOTES: The Falcons had their fourth annual military day, welcoming soldiers from Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, and 24 families from the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors who have lost a loved one in the military. "It was a great way for us to pay tribute back to them," Quinn said. ... A German TV crew, on a tour of at least eight NFL training camps, visited the Falcons and plans to return when Atlanta hosts this season's Super Bowl. "It would be a perfect scenario if the home team could reach the Super Bowl," said Christoph Dommisch of 7Sports. Dommisch and other members of the crew wore traditional lederhosen 鈥?shorts and suspenders.

Memphis Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff believes he can make the franchise competitive immediately with a quick recovery from a 60-loss season.

That’s what his boss expects as well.

”We’re going into it with an optimistic view and we’re planning on success,” Bickerstaff said Wednesday, one day after having the interim tag removed from his title . ”We’re planning on a playoff run. There’s no doubt about it.”

The Grizzlies announced Tuesday that Bickerstaff would remain their head coach after he worked the last 63 games of Memphis’ 2017-18 season on an interim basis. Bickerstaff began the 2017-18 season as an associate head coach on the staff of David Fizdale Authentic Jeremy Kerley Jersey , who was fired in late November .

Memphis went 15-48 under Bickerstaff and finished the season 22-60 , posting the second-worst record in the NBA and ending a string of seven straight playoff appearances. General manager Chris Wallace said he was encouraged by Bickerstaff’s approach during a season derailed by injuries.

”You learn a great deal about people in adversity, much more than watching them while they’re winning,” Wallace said. ”J.B. was given a very difficult task this year when he took over as interim head coach and guided us through some very choppy waters. He kept the team together through very difficult times.”

Wallace also noted the Grizzlies shouldn’t have similar struggles next season.

Veteran guard Mike Conley should be healthy again after injuries to his left heel and Achilles tendon caused him to play just 12 games this year. Memphis’ poor performance this season also assures the Grizzlies an early pick in the NBA draft to join a nucleus that includes Conley and 33-year-old center Marc Gasol.

”Starting next year, we want to get back in the playoffs again and be a relevant team that’s pushing to win the Western Conference and go on,” Wallace said. ”We think we’re well equipped to get back in again. We get Mike Conley healthy. Marc Gasol still has many good years in front of him. We’ve got a number of young players that have come on to develop. We’re going to have a top-five pick. We’re going to be able to use a midlevel exception.

”We’ve got a lot of tools to work with, and a lot of the heavy lifting has already been done.”

Bickerstaff, 39, is happy to have an entire offseason to prepare for his assignment, a luxury he didn’t have in his previous head coaching stints.

He went 37-34 as the Houston Rockets’ interim coach in 2015-16 after Kevin McHale was fired. Then came the interim assignment with Memphis this season. Now he finally gets all the advantages that come with starting a season as a head coach.

”You truly can’t imagine how free and open and clear my mind is now because you have an opportunity to prepare,” said Bickerstaff, the son of former longtime NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff. ”You truly can’t imagine how free and open and clear my mind is now because you have an opportunity to prepare. In any situation that you’re going into http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-nate-solder-jersey , especially a high-pressure situation, the most important thing you want to do is have a moment to chart out your journey.”

Bickerstaff said Conley and Gasol give the Grizzlies a pair of ”All-Star-caliber bookends” that make Memphis’ roster different from the typical lottery team. Bickerstaff also praised the way forward JaMychal Green has established himself in the NBA and noted the way younger players such as Jarell Martin, Andrew Harrison and Dillon Brooks developed during a trying season.

He expects Conley to come back with something to prove after an injury-riddled season.

”People have kind of forgotten just how good Mike really is,” Bickerstaff said.

Bickerstaff Bickerstaff hopes the ball-handling abilities of Harrison, MarShon Brooks, Wayne Selden and Chandler Parsons could enable Conley to play off the ball on occasion next season. Parsons has dealt with his own injury issues, as he’s played a total of 70 games in two seasons with Memphis.

”We’d like to put (Conley) in more situations where he’s a secondary ball handler or a secondary playmaker, and the defense has shifted and all 10 eyes defensively aren’t just keyed in on him,” Bickerstaff said.

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