Terre Haute News, Terre Haute, Indiana- TribStar.com - Colts sticking with two-back ground attack
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts had plenty of success with their two-pronged running attack en route to the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship last February. So much so that Colts coach Tony Dungy is intent on keeping the system in place despite the free-agency loss of Dominic Rhodes to the Oakland Raiders.
Yes, 2006 first-round draft pick Joseph Addai is back and will continue in his role as the team’s first-team runner. But the question still remains as to just who will fill the sizable gap created by Rhodes’ departure.
Will it be second-year pro DeDe Dorsey, who spent most of the 2006 season splitting time as the Colts’ third-string running back and on special-teams duty after he was picked up off the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad at the end of training camp last summer.
Or could it possibly be former Canadian Football League standout Kenton Keith, who is the oldest of the running backs (26) but is in his first year with Indianapolis. He has spent the last four seasons playing with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, where he rushed for 3,811 yards and 21 touchdowns in 54 career games.
A pair of undrafted rookies — Clifton Dawson, who played collegiately at Harvard, and Chris Morgan from Indiana University-Pennsylvania — are also in the mix and may have a shot of earning a spot on the roster this fall. Veteran James Mungro, who missed all of the 2006 season with a knee injury, is a restricted free agent but remains unsigned. He could be brought back at a later date.
For the time being, though, the battle is expected to come down primarily to either Dorsey, who gained valuable experience a year ago in learning the Colts’ intricate offensive system, and Keith.