AP

Last season, veteran Steven Jackson was the Falcons’ primary ball carrier, while rookie Devonta Freeman was the No. 2. This season, Freeman thinks the starting job is his.

Freeman told ESPN that he expects to be the Falcons’ starting running back this year now that Jackson has been jettisoned.

“Personally, I want to be the man. I want to be the guy,” Freeman said. “I want to make my own name with the Atlanta Falcons. I want to go really, really far. I want to set the bar high. I just want to win a Super Bowl and maybe be the MVP one day. You just never know. I feel like I’m hungrier right now. I don’t know what’s gotten into me this offseason. I just feel like a whole new monster. And I ain’t just talking.”

Freeman may be getting a little ahead of himself when he talks about being an MVP. Last year he showed some promise, but he had just 65 carries for 248 yards and one touchdown. He has a long way to go before he’s a star.

But he probably will be the man who gets the bulk of the carries in Atlanta this season. If Freeman takes a big step forward in his second season, that will go a long way toward helping the Falcons turn things around.