Flowery Branch — Falcons running back Jerious Norwood spends a lot of his down time wearing camouflage, trying to blend into Mother Nature's tapestry while hunting.

For two NFL seasons, his Falcons uniform unwittingly — and to Norwood, curiously — served the same purpose.

Though the biggest game-changer on the roster, Norwood has been used as little more than an accent piece. He has stood out on occasion with 60-plus yard touchdown runs. They lead to the same unanswered question: Why isn't he playing more?

Now, under a new coaching staff that is committed to the run, Norwood will have a bigger role.

Heard that before?

"Hopefully everything goes as planned," Norwood said. "I'm going to continue to work and do the best I can. Like they say, they plan on getting me on the field and I hope for the same."

While Norwood looks forward to more touches, so does Michael Turner, the $35 million free agent acquisition, who spent four years as LaDainian Tomlinson's backup in San Diego. Turner, the starter, expects to get 300 carries or more this season, which seemingly would leave little for Norwood.

Yet Falcons coaches said Norwood's versatility would allow him to be deployed in a variety of ways, from wide receiver, to tailback, to being used in the same backfield with Turner. Norwood's willingness to play all roles makes him even more valuable, coaches said.

"He's showing the speed and explosiveness that you know that he has," coach Mike Smith said. "He's going to be an exciting guy. When you put him in there in a rotation with Michael Turner, you've got two guys that really can cause some problems."

A sign that this coaching staff plans to increase Norwood's offensive role is the possibility of relieving him of his kickoff return duties. Norwood averaged 25.3 yards a return last season but rookie running back Thomas Brown, rookie wide receiver Harry Douglas and veteran wide receiver Adam Jennings are being tried as potential returners in training camp.

For his part, Norwood, who averages a 6.2 yards per carry, isn't concerned. Instead, he is making it hard for coaches to allow him to collect dust by having his best training camp in three seasons.

"He is motivated," center Todd McClure said of Norwood. "He knows his potential. He's got two years under his belt and he's ready to roll. We were talking the other day, I don't know about what, but something came up about the Pro Bowl. He said, 'I just want to go one time.' I think he's got that drive. He wants to be one of the elite backs in the league.

"He's got a shot if he plays like he's been practicing."

Safety Lawyer Milloy offered this theory as to why Norwood has been so impressive heading into Saturday's preseason opener at Jacksonville.

"Last year he was out here taking all the reps because Warrick Dunn was pretty much injured throughout the course of the preseason," Milloy said. "I think he got worn down. Right now he looks fresh to me. It's tough for our defense to get used to the change of pace he provides. Hopefully, it will be the same way when we play other teams."

At this point of his career, Norwood was supposed to have been set to take over the starting role. He was drafted in the third round in 2005 as Dunn's heir. Two coaches and a new franchise tailback later, he's still No. 2 — and not mad about it.

Maybe that's because, as odd as it may seem, he's been twice as busy as Turner. In four years, Turner averaged just four touches a game. Norwood has averaged just more than eight.

"In the NFL I know that you've got to have two backs," Norwood said. "We're going to work together and get things done together as a running back group, as a team. It's good that Mike is here."