FLOWERY BRANCH - Ovie Mughelli isn't swayed when others call Michael Turner "The Burner."
The Atlanta Falcons' fullback has his own nickname for Turner, the star running back.
"I call Mike fat whether he's heavy or not," Mughelli said Sunday. "That's just my nickname for him: 'Fatty.' "
No one else called Turner fat in the Falcons' three-day minicamp, which ended Sunday - and that's a change.
Turner heard some fat jokes one year ago when he may have weighed close to 260 pounds in minicamp. Some said the 5-foot-10 Turner looked like a fullback.
Turner said he is back at his listed weight of 244 pounds, thanks to a renewed commitment to proper diet and conditioning.
Even Mughelli is impressed.
"I definitely see a difference," Mughelli said. "He's done a lot this year working on the treadmill, the step machine. Whatever he can do to get some of that weight off, he's doing it. Mike's done a good job and I think it's going to show this season."
Turner also earned compliments for his trimmer look from coach Mike Smith, who said the running back has fully recovered from an ankle injury that forced him to miss five of the last seven games in 2009.
"I thought Michael looked very good," Smith said. "No ill effects from the ankle. I thought he was putting his foot in the ground and cutting, and that was the big thing we wanted to make sure we saw, his ability to cut.
"I think he's in great shape. He spent a lot of time this offseason with our athletic performance department working very, very hard."
Turner was beaming as he talked about his return to good health.
"I didn't finish the season last year so it just feels good, feels exciting to line up out here with the guys again and play some football," he said.
Smith and the Falcons hope Turner can return to his 2008 form, when he ranked second in the NFL with 1,699 yards rushing and 17 t
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