It was a rare occasion on a football field for Turner, who quickly caught and kept the attention of opposing defenses in 2008.

Outside the white lines, Michael Vick’s release from prison was the story that cast a shadow over the Falcons’ first organized team activity of the offseason Wednesday . On the field, the story was of a team reconvening after shocking the NFL in 2008.

Turner, a free agent acquisition last offseason, was a big part of that success. He rushed for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns — both totals ranked second in the NFL — and shouldered much of the offensive burden while Ryan, the team’s rookie quarterback, found his footing. The formula produced 11 wins and an appearance in the playoffs few saw coming.

Turner, who had never been a featured back in the NFL before coming to Atlanta, admitted even his expectations were surpassed.

"I didn’t expect all that," said Turner, who spent his first four NFL seasons backing up LaDanian Tomlinson in San Diego. "I just wanted to take it one game at a time and feel like I could play a whole season starting every game and knowing the grind that can take on you. But it went pretty well."

That’s an understatement.

Turner debuted his blend of power and speed in the Georgia Dome last year with 220 yards rushing in the season opener against Detroit. He showed no signs of wear late in the year, finishing the regular season with 208 yards in a win over the Rams.

But there were games when he struggled to get his 245-pound frame moving in the right direction. He was limited to less than 60 yards four times in the first seven games as teams focused on stopping the run and forced the Falcons to beat them through the air.

As Ryan quickly matured into the NFL Rookie of the Year, that mode of attack became less of an option for Falcons’ foes, and Turner rushed for more than 108 yards per game as the team won seven of its last nine contests.

With the addition of 1,000-yard threat Tony Gonzalez at tight end this season, Smith expects more balance on offense and more success for his 27-year-old running back.

"When Tony was coming out of college, he was considered one of the best blockers in the draft, and I think that’s often overlooked — that’s he’s an excellent blocker" Smith said. "By having him on the field it’s going to create mismatches and options for defensive coordinators. Are they going to load the box and leave one-on-one coverage? Or if they play seven-man spacing, we’re going to have an opportunity to run the football."

Added Turner, "Teams have to play us honest now. They can’t just load up to stop the run because we have threats everywhere on the field now. We should be difficult to stop."

The challenge for Turner is showing that last year wasn’t a fluke.

"I’ve still got something to prove. I can’t be a one-year wonder." Turner said. "Now that I know I can do that, I can set bigger goals. The sky’s the limit."

The only downside of taking the league by storm?

Turner won’t be going unnoticed much any more.