Why not give Jerious Norwood the ball more?

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, October 18, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

Atlanta Falcons
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Here's a couple of interesting quotes from Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino in the Oct. 5 Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The subject was second-year running back Jerious Norwood.

""He's shown that he's able to make big plays for us," Petrino said. "We have to give him more opportunities and more touches. I think we're still waiting for him to have that breakout game."

"Against Houston last week," the story continued, "Norwood was a step or two away from busting a few big plays. The Falcons believe he's close."

"I think it's just the number of touches," Petrino said. "He needs more touches."

Oh, really? The Sunday after those quotes appeared, Norwood carried the ball six times in a loss to Tennessee. Most recently, in a 31-10 Monday night loss to the Giants, he also had six touches -- only two in the second half -- despite bursting through for a 67-yard touchdown prior to intermission.

The odd thing about this is that Norwood made a name for himself as a second-half back last season. In fact, the rushing yardage he amassed in the fourth quarter was second only to Kansas City's Larry Johnson.

After the Giants' game, though, the Mississippi State product had 41 carries for 234 yards, a 5.7 average, and a single touchdown. That's about a game and a quarter's worth of work for Johnson or LaDainian Tomlinson.

The problem, of course, is that the Falcons are continually playing from behind. That's why they're 1-5. But when you consider the lack of production from the quarterback position, it's easy to wonder: Why not do more running in the second half?

And, more specifically, why not give the ball more to Norwood and less to Warrick Dunn?

Dunn, coming off a back injury in preseason practice, has run for 30 more yards than Norwood (264) in exactly double the carries (82 to 41). Statistics are sometimes deceiving, but not in this case. Sure, the veteran is a more experienced blocker and pass receiver out of the backfield, but Norwood has shown promise catching the ball, too.

Nor has Petrino made much use of fullback Ovie Mughelli, one of the Falcons' most trumpeted free-agent signings. Mughelli was an unsung hero for the Baltimore Ravens last season. In Atlanta, he's not only unsung but unused -- three receptions, one carry in six games.

If nothing else, running the ball more after intermission may give the other team's offense less time to run up the score.
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