Samsung Falcons Game Ball: Michael Turner

I hereby declare Tuesday, October 18 to be Michael Turner Day. You might have noticed.

I'm handing off the game ball to Burner because he had a truly awesome game, one that evoked the best performances of his career. It's an open secret that Turner's straight-line speed is starting to wane after well over 1,000 carries in the last five seasons and several leg ailments, but the drive he can generate from those two sequoias he perches on is formidable.

So it was against the hapless Panthers, who saw Turner smash through their young defensive tackles, elude them around the end and plow through linebackers and cornerbacks who seemed to be half his size. By the time all was said and done, he had close to 30 carries, well over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It was classic Turner.

It was also the second time this season that Turner has topped five yards a carry. The first came in Week 1 against the Bears, when he got 100 yards on only 10 carries. I maintain that he's a bit boom or bust—he loses yardage on carries more often than any of us would like—but when he has a game like this, he's the offensive catalyst for the entire team.

So there's your game ball. Do you agree?