Michael “The Marta” Turner ready for Carolina

Flowery Branch — Defensive end John Abraham has taken to calling running back Michael Turner, “The MARTA.”

“That’s just a joke that’s going around the locker room that Abe has been spreading,” Turner said. “He said they already had [Jerome] ‘The Bus’ [Bettis] so they had to come up with some other sort of transportation.”

Turner knows that Carolina defense has held San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson (97 yards) and Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson (77 yards) under 100 yards rushing.

“Carolina has always been known for having a pretty tough defense,” Turner said. “They got those big guys up front. It’s a really big defensive line.”

Stewart impressive

Linebacker Keith Brooking is impressed with Carolina’s rookie running back Jonathan Stewart, the 13th overall pick in the 2008 draft.

Stewart is a big powerful back with the speed to return kickoffs, and he’s sharing carries with DeAngelo Williams.

“These guys can do it all, both of them,” Brooking said. “They are very good in between the tackles. They break a lot of tackles, and they can also bounce the ball and beat you with their speed.”

Boley recovered

Linebacker Michael Boley said he was recovered from the neck strain that limited his action against Kansas City.

Coy Wire played in Boley’s strongside spot in the team’s base defense. Boley played in passing situations.

“It’s feeling pretty good, no problems,” Boley said.