The Falcons running backs rushed the ball 402 times last year. Turner rushed the ball 75 percent of the time. Rodgers rushed the ball 14 percent of the time. Snelling rushed the ball 11 percent of the time. The AJC's Dawson Devitt thinks those percentages will change. Significantly.
[A]nyone arguing that Turner hasn’t slowed down after hitting the 30 year old wall hasn’t been paying attention. He hits the hole much slower than he used to and goes down much easier than when he first came to Atlanta.
It's not as simple as Devitt would like it to be. I tried to cover every angle earlier in the off-season. Turner is a proven pass blocker - arguably the best in the league - and that's not something you easily replicate. Unless we're shooting for predictability, he will likely be on the field more often than not. Sure, he thrived against weaker teams and underperformed against stronger opponents in 2011. Notwithstanding that fact, he's still a beast. I'm not saying he hasn't lost a step. He has. But he still breaks tackles better than anyone in the league. That alone will keep him on the field.
I have no doubt his carry percentage will drop. The question is "how much?"
What do y'all think? Discuss!