AJC > Sports > Falcons > Blog > Archives > 2008 > July > 28
Monday, July 28, 2008
Rookie Douglas, RB Turner deliver hits
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flowery Branch — It was the Falcons’ first day in full pads and there were definitely some guys eager to bang. The linemen really got after each other and on more than one occasion, safety Lawyer Milloy had someone sized up for a KO blow.
Amid it all, something totally unexpected happened.
Rookie Harry Douglas, one of the smallest players on the team, swung and connected with Milloy after the pair got locked up on a failed running play. A dust-up wasn’t unexpected but one where someone went after Milloy certainly caught everyone off guard. Milloy is the resident enforcer but he’s also the ultimate professional who carries more locker room juice than anyone on the team. So he seemed untouchable, literally.
Milloy opted not to retaliate right away but you can bet that at some point during preseason, Douglas is going to get a reminder from Milloy that he’ll probably never forget.
Still, Douglas’s refusal to back down scored him major points with his teammates, coaches and front office staff. As someone with the team told me, if you don’t take any mess as a rookie, you won’t ever take any mess. That little incident could set the tone for Douglas’s entire career.
In some interior running and team drills, tailback Michael Turner provided an early glimpse of his running style and for what offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey wants to do, he could be a great fit.
Turner can really get to the hole - or crease - in a hurry and he attacks the line of scrimmage so aggressively that even there isn’t any room, he’s going to move the pile. If there is some room, by the time he gets to the second level of the defense, his momentum is so fierce that there will either be a big collision or room for him to blast into the secondary.
Besides his speed and power, Turner can also cut to evade — although that might be a second option since he doesn’t mind engaging contact. Turner said that his style is part innate, part experience. Some of the ways he goes about gauging big hits or finding open space was learned over four seasons backing up LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego.
Coach Mike Smith said rookie running backs frequently try to bounce plays outside when the sledding gets tough. Not Turner, which is why they feel that signing him in free agency instead of drafting a tailback best suits this system. Turner is going to take it between the tackles with ferocity, which is what the Falcons want.
Services »
