FLOWERY BRANCH — Records? What records?
Michael Turner is closing in on several Falcons franchise standards. He could set or tie two marks Sunday in a key NFC South game against the rival Saints. Yet the running back was, until recently, unaware that the records were within reach.
Turner has 23 100-yard rushing games in 3 1/2 seasons with the Falcons, one away from Gerald Riggs’ franchise record. He has 46 rushing touchdowns, two shy of Riggs’ mark.
“I don’t even know how far away I am,” Turner said this week. “I just go out there and play every week and let the records take care of themselves. If you go out there and play hard, the stats will build up, and they will take care of themselves.”
Riggs, who played for the Falcons from 1982-88, scored 48 touchdowns. Turner’s 46 touchdowns are fourth overall in team history, with wide receiver Terance Mathis owning the club record with 57 scores.
“That’s where I want to be,” Turner said. “I want to be up there in franchise history as far as running backs go and this franchise. It’s the reason they brought me here, to make big plays and do great things.”
Riggs said he thinks Turner’s pursuit of his records is “great.” He also said he is surprised that his marks have stood so long.
“To know that it’s been there so long, that’s kind of baffling,” Riggs said. “You have to look at what’s happened over the years. There have been coaching changes. Players have come and gone. Nobody has really been there consistently for a long period of time.”
Turner is fifth on the Falcons’ all-time rushing list with 4,633 yards. He trails the leader, Riggs again, by 1,998 yards. Turner, the shortest tenured in the top five, is 703 yards shy of Jamal Anderson for fourth place. Of Falcons runners with at least 1,000 carries, Turner’s 4.4 yards per carry average ranks second behind William Andrews (4.6).
Through eight games, Turner has rushed for 692 yards, seventh in the NFL. His team-leading seven touchdowns are tied for third in the league among running backs.
Since joining the Falcons in 2008, Turner has scored 276 points, second in the league among non-kickers during the span.
“Mike T has been running the ball really well,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. “It helps in the red zone when you’ve got physical guys and you can pound the football.”
The Falcons have been able to re-establish their running game during their current three-game win streak. They have averaged 153 yards in wins over the Colts, Lions and Panthers. Turner has run behind an offensive line that has featured four different starting units and the loss of Pro Bowl fullback Ovie Mughelli.
“The chemistry is not quite there where you need it to be,” Turner said. “But we’ve been doing a great job of making adjustments and still making big plays and still coming out with wins.”
The Saints may get a heavy dose of Turner, against whom he’s had success. In five games against them with the Falcons, Turner has rushed for 470 yards on 112 carries (4.2 yards) with four touchdowns. He said he’s comfortable getting between 20 and 30 carries a game.
“The more I touch it, the more I feel the game,” Turner said. “Hopefully I’ll wear the defense out, wear the opponent out and end up popping those big plays in the second half.”
When the Falcons get deep into the opposition’s territory, it’s hard not to hand the ball to the 247-pound back.
“I think a lot of it has to do with how people are going to try to defend us,” coach Mike Smith said of the decision on when to give the ball to the bruising back. “The first thing that you’ve got to look at is what personnel grouping do they have out there based on what personnel grouping we have and that’s going to give you an idea whether it’s going to be a run or a pass. Again, whether we’re in the red zone or we’re out in the middle of the field, we feel like we’ve got a number of options. The options that we’re going to take are going to be dictated by how people are trying to defend us. I know I say that all the time, but that’s at the crux of what we do.”
Injury report
Safety William Moore (quadriceps) missed practice again Thursday, putting his status for Sunday’s game in doubt. John Abraham, Ray Edwards, Tony Gonzalez and Todd McClure returned to practice. Brent Grimes, Julio Jones and Corey Peters were limited in practice. Sam Baker (back) did not practice but again worked with trainers on the side.
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