FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- It's been the mantra of Falcons football from the moment Head Coach Mike Smith was introduced to Atlanta.
Run the football.
Stop the run.
Subsequent moves through the off-season have shown the teams' plans for 2008 and beyond will consist of more than words. The Falcons addressed the defensive line in free agency. But before those deals, the team found its all-around running back: Michael Turner.
"He's very strong," General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said at Turner's introductory press conference. "He's one of the most feared runners in the league. He's got a very small target space; he runs behind his pads very well. He's a passionate runner."
Though he missed the team's first mini camp of the offseason, Turner did work in May. What coaches saw was a compact, quick runner. When the pads go on during Russell Falcons Training Camp, fans will get a look at a back Chargers fans are sorry to lose.
Turner was one of the biggest names to switch teams this off-season. Though he played a No. 2 role to LaDanian Tomlinson, he totaled 228 carries for 1,257 yards and six touchdowns while adding 71 receiving yards. He accounted for three of San Diego’s longest 11 rushes in team history (83, 74 and 73 yards) while boasting a 5.5 yards per carry career average.
He said he's excited to have an opportunity to carry more of the load.
"Mr. Blank was a major reason why I decided to come here," he said. "I (also) sat down with Coach Smith and (offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey) and they came up with a plan. It fit me."
The plan -- according to Mularkey and Smith -- focuses on the running game and utilizing the team's talents.
But the offensive coordinator is not tipping his hand.
"There's tons of schemes out there," Mularkey said when asked what type of offense the team may run in 2008. "They've all been successful and everybody believes in them. All I can tell you is what our staff's philosophy is and what's been successful. I believe it's asking what our players do best and let's see if we can put a scheme around their talents. That's what I'm used to doing."
Coaches are confident that third-year running back Jerious Norwood will compliment Turner's ability between the tackles. Norwood rushed for 615 yards (6.0 yards per carry) last season and broke another long touchdown run (67 yards against the Giants).
Norwood has a 6.2 yard per carry average in his career and all three of his touchdowns have been runs of 60 or more yards. How much the two split carries is yet to be determined, but stats alone indicate a strong "change-of-pace" style between the two runners.
Competing with Norwood and Turner in training camp are a trio of younger backs, including two rookies.
The Falcons selected former Georgia star Thomas Brown in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.
"I'm very excited," he said. "It’s been a dream of mine, especially coming from Georgia and being born in the city of Atlanta. Now having the opportunity to play professional football with the Falcons is like a dream come true for me."
"Thomas is a guy that will work into the rotation and compete well for one of those positions (at running back)," added Dimitroff. "We all know it's important to have a nice twist (at) running back... We're hoping that Thomas can compete for the third spot here. He also has ability as a kickoff returner."
Brown totaled 779 yards with 10 touchdowns on 148 runs (5.3 average), 84 yards on 10 receptions and 333 yards on 15 kickoff returns (22.2 average). That gave him 1,196 all-purpose yards for his final campaign.
The team also signed Jamar Bittingham as an undrafted free agent. Returning players at running back include Jason Snelling and fullbacks Corey McIntyre and Ovie Mughelli.
In seven games last season Snelling totaled 13 rushes for 43 yards and his first career touchdown against the Cardinals in Week 16. Mugehlli signed a free agent deal with the club prior to 2007 and finished the year with six rushing attempts (one touchdown) and six receptions. McIntyre contributed mostly on special teams as the units' captain.
Fullbacks and tailbacks must work as a team however to develop a new run game for the Falcons and fulfill Smith's prophecy.
New running backs coach Gerald Brown likes what he sees.
"Right now we're just looking for guys that we feel like will be good in our system with what we want to do," he said. "Coach Smith said in his initial interview that we're going to run the ball and we're going to stop the run. Those are the types of guys and bodies we're looking for... I know Coach Smith wants to put an emphasis on running the football."
MORE ON FALCONS RUNNING BACKS:
- ONE-ON-ONE: Corey McIntyre
- VIDEO: Thomas Brown
- VIDEO: Michael Turner
- BLOG: More on the Burner
- FEATURE: What They're Saying About Michael Turner
- YOUTUBE: Video highlights of Michael Turner
- AJC.COM: More opinions on Michael Turner
- NFL.com: Thomas Brown profile
- YOUTUBE: Thomas Brown in the Shrine Game
- YOUTUBE: Thomas Brown Kick Return
- YOUTUBE: Thomas Brown 53-yard Run
- WIKIPEDIA: Thomas Brown
- NEWS: Georgia Bulldog stays close to home | Quotes | Photos
- RELEASE: Falcons add undrafted free agents
- ONE-ON-ONE: Michael Turner
Atlanta Falcons 2008 Running Backs
| Name | Number | Position | Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Turner | 33 | RB | 5 |
| Jason Snelling | 44 | RB | 2 |
| Thomas Brown | 27 | RB | R |
| Jerious Norwood | 32 | RB | 3 |
| Jamar Bittingham | 40 | RB | R |
| Corey McIntyre | 38 | FB | 4 |
| Ovie Mughelli | 34 | FB | 6 |
