<p>Jim Mora says Warrick Dunn's latest 1,000-yard season was a surprise even to the Atlanta Falcons.</p><p>"He ran for 1,100 yards and really, if you look at his season, they kind of sneaked up on you," Mora said Tuesday. "They kind of sneaked up on me. I don't know, it just seemed like it was a quiet 1,100 yards."</p><p>Dunn says he has heard that a lot in his eight-year NFL career, even though he now has three 1,000-yard seasons and has topped the 900-yard mark two other times.</p><p>"When I have a 100-yard game and have a great game, it's not talked about, but when you have other backs who have been out there a lot and have been expected to do it, they're more glorified," Dunn said. "As long as the people around me know, I'm good. But it's frustrating at times."</p><p>Dunn started all 16 games for the first time in his career and set career highs with nine rushing touchdowns and 265 carries. His 1,106 yards rushing fell just below his personal best 1,133 with Tampa Bay in 2000.</p><p>Every year, Dunn says he has to convince more doubters that even though he's only 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, he is at his best when he has 20 or more carries.</p><p>Similarly, Dunn says year after year it seems to be a surprise for some to learn he is at least as effective when running between the tackles as when he has the ball in more open space.</p><p>But Dunn says that after a slow start this season, when he was still recovering from a 2003 foot injury, he is at the top of his game for the playoffs.</p><p>Dunn said his message for Mora for the playoffs is simple: He wants the ball.</p><p>"I'm not tired, you're not going to wear me out," Dunn said. "Just give it to me and I'm going to make it happen."</p><p>The Falcons, the No. 2 playoff seed in the NFC, led the NFL in rushing, setting franchise records with 2,672 yards and 5.1 yards per carry.</p><p>Dunn needed three 100-yard games in the last four weeks to pass quarterback Michael Vick (902 yards rushing) for the team's rushing lead. Running back T.J. Duckett added 509 yards and eight touchdowns.</p><p>"A running back always wants a running back to lead the team in rushing," Dunn said. "A guy like Mike gets a lot of yards because he's going to scramble. Those plays are not always designed."</p><p>Vick's 7.5 yards per carry led the Falcons, and Mora says he knows that without the unusual talents of the quarterback, Atlanta would not have led the league in rushing.</p><p>"But you know what? It counts," Mora said. "It counts. So we'll take it. I think it's pretty neat."</p><p>Although Dunn says he wants to be a workhorse back, he wasn't able to accept the heavy load of carries earlier in the season. His 2003 season ended in Week 12 with torn ligaments in his left foot. He was averaging a career-best 5.4 yards per carry before the injury and says he has only recently returned to that peak form.</p><p>"It was just a matter of getting into football shape," he said. "I've been able to really get into football shape. They ask me if I feel OK. I am great. This is how I felt before I got injured last year."</p><p>Dunn's overall average of 4.2 yards per carry includes an average of 4.5 yards since the start of November.</p><p>Mora said the West Coast offense is a perfect fit for Dunn and Duckett.</p><p>"I do think it fits a guy like Warrick and T.J., really to a T," Mora said. "It's, 'Here we go and boom, hit it down the field.' I think the misimpression people have about Warrick ... is that because of his size, he's an outside runner. But he's not. He's so good between the tackles because he can find that crease and he can hit it quickly. I think that's why he's so effective."</p><p>Mora noted that the Falcons led the league in rushing despite having lost fullbacks Justin Griffith, Stanley Pritchett and, this week, George Layne, to injuries. Late-season pickup Fred McCrary is the starting fullback for the playoffs.</p>
