FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. --- As much as Pro Bowl running back Michael Turner appreciates his five offensive linemen in Atlanta, Harvey Dahl and Tyson Clabo have a special place in his heart.
Dahl and Clabo, a pair of undrafted free agents, play with a nasty edge that can wear down the Falcons' opponents over four quarters.
What Turner loves is knowing their eagerness extends into the secondary, so it was no coincidence that the majority of his 1,699 rushing yards -- second last year only to Minnesota's Adrian Peterson -- came from holes Dahl and Clabo opened from the right side.
"One of the biggest things we focus on here is playing till the whistle," Turner said Monday. "That's the whole thing behind it, really."
A primary focus in training camp this year for left guard Justin Blalock and left tackle Sam Baker is to match the intensity of Dahl and Clabo.
Several factors contributed to the Falcons' offensive overhaul that helped Atlanta surprise the league with an 11-5 record and a wild-card playoff appearance:
- Matt Ryan excelled as a rookie quarterback and followed offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey's mandate to get the ball out of the pocket quickly. Enforcing that mind-set resulted in just 17 sacks.
Atlanta gave up 47 sacks in both 2007 and '06.
- The stocky, durable Turner ran over opponents for 17 rushing touchdowns, a single-season franchise record, while leading the NFL in carries (376) and gains of 10 yards or more (45).
"I don't think you want to limit the carries Michael gets or all the touches Jerious (Norwood) gets, but if they're going to get hit five yards downfield by those little DBs, that means we need to hustle a little bit harder, then that's five less hits they're going to have," line coach Paul Boudreau said. "As far as yards after first contact is concerned, he's the best that there is around."
Dahl believes he and Clabo struck a chord with Boudreau by doing exactly what they were told.
Play nasty football, not dirty football.
"Yeah, I think that's fair to say," Dahl said. "I try to take it to those guys and be as physical as I can, so if you want to call it that, it's great."
Boudreau strongly disfavors verbal confrontations with opponents because they usually lead to unsportsmanlike penalties and damages the offense's rhythm.
"We're trying to establish something here," he said. "We haven't arrived. We've got a lot more to prove."
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
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