Falcons Dunn with veteran


Warrick Dunn should have seen this day coming since the end of the regular season, but that couldn’t have made it any easier for a player so readily identified with the Atlanta Falcons and universally lauded as the one component the franchise could count on amid last year's turmoil.

The Falcons released the 11-year veteran running back on Monday, one day after signing free agent Michael Turner to a six-year contract.

While the 33-year-old Dunn ranks fourth among the NFL’s active running backs with 10,181 yards, the Falcons’ decision was as necessary as it was unfortunate. The organization requires radical reinvention and reassembly with new pieces.

The diminutive Dunn gained 720 yards last season, but averaged a mere 3.2 yards per carry behind a patchwork offensive line. Under new offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, the Falcons will require a bruising between-the-tackles back to complement speedster Jerious Norwood. In signing Turner, who averaged 5.2 yards per carry as a backup in San Diego, the Falcons picked up a younger, more powerful back who could have another 10 seasons left on his career clock.

The only real downside for the Falcons is what they lose off the field by unloading Dunn. He represented a quiet, community-minded presence that seems all too rare in professional sports. While Dunn enjoyed three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in Atlanta, he conducted himself with humility and did everything possible to avoid the spotlight.

Here's what will endure about Dunn: In 2004, he received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. His charity work, which included the ''Home of the Holidays'' program that helped single parents become first-time home owners, stands as a testament to what he's about.

As good as Dunn's career numbers are, he may be a borderline candidate for enshrinement in Canton. However, there's no questioning his credentials as a hall of fame-caliber person.