Michael Turner is a big running back, listed at 244 pounds on the Falcons’ roster. But Turner admits he was bigger than that a year ago.
“If you go back and look at some pictures of me from last year at this time, I probably looked big -- a lot bigger than normal,” Turner told Jim Trotter of SI.com. “I was heavy, too heavy. It was hard for me to overcome.”
Trotter reports that Turner was “well past” 250 pounds in 2009, and that he struggled to pull his practice jersey on over his gut. But Turner is down to 250 now and says he’s in good enough shape that he should be able to match his stellar 2008 season, when he ran for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns.
“I feel great,” Turner said. “I’m out there running around and feel like I can run all day. I’m definitely out to prove that I’m not a a one-year wonder. I don’t want to be one of those guys that people say, ‘Oh, yeah. He had one good year, but what happened to him after that?’ I want to keep putting back-to-back seasons together.”
To get back to form, Turner will focus on his diet.
“I have to watch what I eat,” Turner said. “I have to cut out all the greasy foods. I didn’t do that.”
