Terre Haute News, Terre Haute, Indiana- TribStar.com - Colts hope Addai is ready to shoulder most of running load
excerpt:
TERRE HAUTE — The Indianapolis Colts backfield will likely revert to historic form at the running back position this season.
Since 1993, the Colts have had more than one running back carry the ball 100 or more times just twice. In 2001, Dominic Rhodes and Edgerrin James split carries when James was injured. In 2006, Rhodes and then-rookie Joseph Addai split time as the Colts’ first-round draft pick out of LSU got accustomed to the NFL. Of course it helped that the Colts had Marshall Faulk and James through most of those seasons, though Roosevelt Potts started the trend in 1993.
Addai amply demonstrated he could re-establish the Colts’ tendency to feature one back with his productive rookie season. Addai averaged 4.8 yards per carry, rushed for 1,081 yards and had 40 receptions. With Rhodes gone, Addai is the undisputed feature back the Colts have historically desired.
So do the Colts alter some things offensively to take advantage of Addai’s combination of good footwork, field vision and explosiveness? Addai himself declined comment after Wednesday’s afternoon practice, but based on the thoughts of teammates and coaches, Addai’s skills fit in well with what the Colts have always done.
“We haven’t changed up anything with our techniques or gameplan. We expect whoever is back there to take the same approach,” Colts tackle Ryan Diem said. “I’m sure he can handle the load of carrying the ball 35 times if he needs to.”
Though one back might get the lions’ share of the carries, Colts running backs coach Gene Huey cautioned that the Colts don’t necessarily make that emphasis implicit.
“We kind of arrived at the idea last year that whoever was out there — whether it was Rhodes or Addai — was the featured back when they were on the field,” Huey said. “We want everyone to realize that when they’re here, they’re not in a back-up role, he’s there in a feature role because he’s one-eleventh of an offense unit that has to produce.”
More playing time means obviously means more carries for Addai. He averaged 14 carries per game in 2006. His workload could double this season.
“He’ll certainly play more than he did last year, he’ll probably have more reps,” Huey said. “There’s been no dropoff in the way he approaches things from last year to this year. We’re looking for some good things out of him as well as other backs who are competing to try and climb the ladder a little bit.”
Among those who should spell Addai are DeDe Dorsey and Clifton Dawson. Though it’s unlikely either will unseat Addai to get significant carries.
Colts hope Addai is ready to shoulder most of running load
Colts hope Addai is ready to shoulder most of running load
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