Bears: Coaches talk up Falcons' running back, NIU alum Turner

Perhaps the Bears are overstating the case a bit when they compare Falcons running back Michael Turner to Hall of Famer Jim Brown.

But Turner, the Waukegan native and North Chicago High School graduate, is leading the NFL in rushing and averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

Brown averaged 5.22 yards per carry for his nine-year career, the highest for a running back in NFL history, and he possessed a rare combination of size and speed, as does Turner.

"He's the modern-day Jim Brown," Bears three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs said. "The guy's physical. He's a guy who's not going to go down on arm tackles. We have to play physical, and we have to rally around the ball. It's a great challenge for us. It's an opportunity for us to stop one of the best running backs in the game."

But Jim Brown? While still at his peak, Brown retired in 1965 after he rushed for 1,544 yards - in a 14-game season. Brown's career rushing total of 12,312 yards stood as the NFL record until Walter Payton ran past it in 1984. At 6-foot-2 and 232 pounds, Brown was a giant running back, back in the day, and he had the speed to run away from defensive backs.

Ditto Turner, who is listed conservatively at 244 pounds and has 4 runs of 66 yards or longer on just 331 career carries.

But Jim Brown?

"I didn't say that," Briggs said. "I said that, but I didn't come up with that. One of our coaches (linebackers coach Lloyd Lee) came up with that. Since he repeated it so many times, you might as well start echoing that. He says he's 'the modern-day Jim Brown,' so strap your chinstraps up."

Lee was just trying to get the attention of the guys in his meeting room, not prepare a room for Turner at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

"How did that get out?" Lee said. "Who said that?"

After he was told it was Briggs who gave him up, Lee explained, "Hey, we all know Jim Brown is great. I want to get in these guys' heads. He's productive. He's good."

When defensive coordinator Bob Babich was asked about comparing Turner to Brown, he realized something was up.

"I don't know where you're getting this stuff," Babich said, grinning. "I don't know what you're talking about. I have no idea. Those guys are something else - the linebackers, I assume. They're classic."

The Bears defenders know the problems Turner can cause, but their mindset remains the same as it is every game.

"You want to punish," Briggs said. "You want to hit him hard enough for him to go down. I think a guy like this, you've just got to wrap him up. You've got to rally to the ball. We've faced big backs and guys who are fast. Give him a lot of praise, but at the same time, he's a running back just like every other running back."

According to Lee, the key is to prevent Turner from building up momentum going north and south by making him move laterally. The Bears' linebackers coach said that's what happened in the only two games that Turner has been held under 100 yards this season, when he got 42 against the Bucs and 56 against the Panthers.

"The one thing they were able to do is take away where he wants to go," Lee said. "Make him go laterally, but the big thing is making sure we get him down. He's more of a downhill guy who wants to find his hole. Then he could break a tackle, and now he's in the clear for another 30, 40 yards. So we've got to definitely take that away."

The Bears have held three of their first five opponents to under 55 yards on the ground, and they're No. 4 in the NFL in rushing yards allowed.