To understand Michael Turner's true value, you have to set aside numbers. At least temporarily.

It's easy to understand and easier to forget that football players are human beings, albeit exceptionally powerful and tough ones. Taking hits over and over, having to drag down heavy backs and running constantly—these are the things that wear out defenses, no matter how strong. And that's why Turner is so valuable.

Take the Bucs game. His numbers aren't impressive—24 carries for 88 yards—but the key turned out to be the carries. Turner was able to break some decent gains late in the game, including an 11-yarder, because he's such a load that eventually, defenders slip a little. And they were literally slipping thanks to the field condition, which didn't hurt.

Sure, Turner's best when he's cracking 100 yards on 15-20 carries and carrying eleven defenders into the end zone like Katamari Damacy. But that's not going to happen every week, and Mularkey tends to limit those totals by sending Turner up the middle over and over again, sort of like he's acting in the coaching version of Memento. But even in those off weeks, Turner's powering through, weakening the defense and setting up the pass.

That's why we're honoring the big guy this week. Weigh in.

You could almost see his eyes lighting up.

Eric Weems had an open path for perhaps the first time all season. He made some judicious cuts, the team opened up some holes for him, and he was on his way past the 50. Beyond that was the end zone, and Weems was heading there.

If you're Matt Wilhelm in that situation, you face a difficult choice. You can try to tackle this dynamo and likely fail, given his head of steam and the juke he's about to put on your Packer jersey-wearing self, or you can go for the penalty and get the stop. Wilhelm wisely chose the last one, grabbing ahold of Weems' helmet and twisting it, a move that put the Falcons on the 50 yard line.

It's a testament to Weems that he was able to put the Falcons in a position where he would've either scored, gotten most of the way down the field or draw a penalty that gives the team the ball at midfield. He powered through, and that's why we're recognizing him this week.

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Curtis Lofton is a familiar name on the team's weekly injury reports.

It seems our star linebacker is banged up, beat up, smacked up and screwed up nearly every week thus far in 2010, and yet there he is each and every gameday, wreaking the familiar havoc that Curtis Lofton so loves. It's consistency you can count on.

I've been impressed by the number of players who have returned early from injury or powered through it—Roddy White's sheer dominance against the Ravens despite his aches springs readily to mind—but it's especially gratifying to see one of the defense's quiet leaders doing it. Lofton hasn't putting up eye-popping numbers in 2010, but he's a tackling machine and every running back's worst nightmare when he gets a head of steam. Doing so with a host of minor leg injuries? More points from me!

So our sponsor likes Lofton. Got a player you think deserves credit for gritting it out?