FalconMama Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 LinkSo far, it's tough to quibble with the Falcons' move to sign LaDainian Tomlinson's former understudy to a lavish six-year, $34.5 million contract. In Turner's first two preseason games as Atlanta's No. 1 back, the fifth-year vet has run nine times for 135 yards, which works out to a tidy 15.0-yard average. In his homefield debut Saturday night against the Colts, Turner rolled to 113 yards on just four carries, the highlights of which were gains of 63 and 52 yards, both of which set up Jason Elam first-quarter field goals in the Falcons' 16-9 loss.Setting aside Turner's rare blend of power and speed for the moment, I've heard plenty of folks question whether he could possibly produce big numbers this season while running behind an Atlanta offensive line that will be average at best and makeshift at worst. I can't tell you if Turner will have as many holes to run through as he should this season, but I'm confident he'll hit the ones that are there fairly frequently, and he'll pop his share of them for defense-gashing chunks of yardage.New Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey knows exactly what he has in Turner, and he's not going to under-use Turner's ability to both run over people and run away from them. Atlanta fans can count on that. The Falcons want to employ third-year rusher Jerious Norwood as a change of pace option in tandem with Turner, but after waiting four years for his chance to carry the offensive load for a team, Turner won't lack for work."All I know is that when he went in there, people couldn't tackle him,'' said Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who played with Turner in San Diego in 2004-05. "Mike was a bruiser, but he's going to give more punishment than he takes. I knew at some point he was going to get an opportunity to be a No. 1 back in this league.''Turner first opened mine and a lot of other folks' eyes back in mid-December 2005, when he helped the Chargers knock off the 13-0 Colts in Indy with that memorable game-clinching 83-yard touchdown burst with just over two minutes to go in the 26-17 San Diego upset. Brees was the Chargers quarterback that day, and he still can't believe someone so big (5-foot-10, 244 pounds) could move so fast."No one really knew he had that top-end speed, even though we had all heard of Michael 'The Burner' Turner,'' Brees said. "It was like one of those moments where you go, 'Oh, man. Where did that come from?' ''I'm convinced there are going to be more of those moments for Turner in Atlanta this season. Suspect offensive line and all, the Falcons made the best move of the year in enticing Turner into their backfield. After the debacle of Atlanta's 2007 season, it was the right call for a team in desperate need of something or someone to count on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gritz Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Nice read.....A positive article about the Falcons? I'm checking the skies for Jesus on a horse......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danishfalcon Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Nice read.....A positive article about the Falcons? I'm checking the skies for Jesus on a horse.........Seriously, that was a great article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jatchisv2 Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 A positive article about the Falcons? I'm checking the skies for Jesus on a horse.........They'll print a retraction tomorrow .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absolute Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Great article. I hope he has a great season because I have read a couple places from "experts" that he will not have a good season due to our weak line. I hope he proves them all wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashy Fletch Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Good Stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brakshere Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Nice read.....A positive article about the Falcons? I'm checking the skies for Jesus on a horse.........I thought that would be Gandolf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerosmith67 Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 They'll print a retraction tomorrow .... They're due for one on Reggie Bush... when college hype meets the NFL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanboy3000 Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Can't let a positive article slip off the first page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobkowski Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 okay, so I'll bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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