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QUESTION: Please explain to my why Warrick Dunn gets more carries than Jerious Norwood? Norwood is getting more yards than Dunn. When will the Falcons utilize Norwood more? Is Petrino holding back because of Crumpler's statement that Petrino is focusing on younger players? - Sharell

This is a topic I have struggled with for a few weeks now. I touched on it a little bit in a column last week, so this question will give me an opportunity to go a little more in depth.

I wish I knew why, exactly, Warrick Dunn is getting more carries than Jerious Norwood. It doesn't seem to make any sense on the surface. As you said, Norwood is more capable of more yards, so it seems like an obvious choice to hand over most of the carries to Norwood at this point. Dunn is getting older - there's no secret there - and what exactly he offers the team at this point other than leadership is debatable. I think Dunn has really helped Norwood since Norwood was drafted three years ago. Most veterans have the ability to make younger players better, and I definitely think this is the case here.

But let's be fair here. First of all, the offensive line is horrible. I don't care if LaDainian Tomlinson is your running back, if you can't block for him, he does you no good at all. Holes are collapsing all over the place, if they're even forming at all. Dunn did a decent job yesterday of scooting up through some holes before they caved in and showing that he does still have some speed and power at the position. My problem with Dunn is that he looks so tentative once he has the ball, especially on toss plays. To the untrained eye it looks like he's just sitting 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage, waiting to be tackled. That's not the case at all. Most of those plays have been run behind a zone blocking scheme up front. Zone blocking is when the offensive line moves left or right, depending on which side the play is called to, and picks up any "trash," or defenders if you prefer, that might come into their view without breaking their direction. You need time for that type of scheme to work and running backs don't know where the holes are actually going to open up. They could open up between the right tackle and guard or one could open up on the left side on any given zone blocking play. The problem I see is that, for the type of offensive line the Falcons have, Dunn is waiting far too long for that perfect hole when there isn't going to be one. He should be all over the first sliver of daylight he sees ahead, and he just hasn't been. I sure hope I didn't confuse anyone.

Now, here's the thing with Norwood: He's young, it's true. And he definitely provides a great big-play ability whenever he has the ball. But can he be consistent? That's what the Falcons are lacking right now is consistency, especially in the running game. Teams that can't get first downs by running the ball can't keep drives going and can't win games. It's that simple. It's one of the most overshadowed problems the Falcons are facing. Yeah, most fans see that Dunn isn't doing anything this season and Norwood has broken a few big plays. But what most fans skim over on their way to talking about the quarterbacks is the fact that the running game can't provide any sort of element that opposing defenses would feel they need to watch out for. It's consistency in the running game that wins ballgames. And when your team is dead last in the league in red zone efficiency, look toward the running game for the reason why. Not only can't the running game get the Falcons inside the red zone, once they do happen to get there, it can't get the offense any closer than the 15-yard line. That's an enormous problem.

I digressed a bit there, so forgive me. I think the time is now to start using Norwood as the feature back and putting Dunn in more of a supporting role. What can it really hurt? I think Dunn will be released at the end of the season and Norwood is the best candidate to take over at the position, so why not get Norwood used to the bulk of the carries now and see how he reacts? Some people don't seem to think he's ready or that he has the ability to be a feature back in the league, but from my vantage point, he looks as ready as any other feature back in the league. It's time to give him a shot.

As far as your last question goes, I don't know. Crumpler's comments about Petrino favoring the younger players were shocking. And if he spoke the truth, it would be even more surprising. I can't see why any coach would want to phase out some of the very good veterans on the team, especially after Atlanta went to such lengths to bring in a guy like Joe Horn, who is obviously a No. 4 receiver at best right now, even for a team like the Falcons. I don't think Petrino is trying to disprove Crumpler's claims by keeping Dunn as the starting running back. The chances of Petrino getting fired after this season are slim to none, so he has that security to play around if he wants to. I just don't see him as that kind of guy. I think he, more than anyone involved with the organization, wants to win. Keeping Dunn in the backfield for spite wouldn't exactly lead to wins. Although, I don't know. Stranger things have happened. I just think Petrino looks at Dunn as the leader of the offense on the field, especially with the team not able to rally around Joey Harrington. Dunn's numbers don't lie. He's a great running back, but he can't seem to do anything in this current system. But I don't think Petrino would keep him in or pull him out simply for spite in either case.

If you want your questions answered right here, either leave a comment or send me an e-mail at the address listed on this blog. If you have specific questions for any member of the Falcons, get those to me and I'll try to get you an answer straight from the player's mouth.