As usual, the sequel won’t match the original for Rhodes

By Anthony Bialy  |   Monday, May 19, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

Indianapolis Colts
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Larry Brown and Desmond Howard both tricked the Raiders into issuing contracts the year after each respectively won a Super Bowl MVP award, and, while Dominic Rhodes was only a should-have-been co-award winner, the fact is that playing for Oakland while being weighed down by a million-diamond ring proved to be a disastrous move for him.

While a lousy environment may have limited him during his time based in Central California, the inverse is also true: Rhodes can be seen as having achieved success beforehand largely thanks to residing in a lush Indianapolis environment. It goes without saying that his return to the Colts is an attempt to once more conjure the magical chemistry that led simultaneously to individual and team success, but recapturing the past won’t be as easy as getting Al Davis to throw bundles of cash.

Rhodes’ production tailed off as a Raider, as he ran for a meager 302 yards last season; not helping the matter was that he only started two games while missing six altogether because of a substance-abuse suspension along with a pair of games spent on the inactive list. On top of that, trying to elbow ahead of Justin Fargas and LaMont Jordan into the backfield must have proved to be a rueful experience: Just the season prior, he shared the workload with fellow XLI MVP Joseph Addai, who is more impressive than either. At least he won’t have to cope with Darren McFadden bumping him down another notch on the depth chart.

To bring to mind happier days, Rhodes only has to remember back two calendar years ago, when his 187 attempts for 641 yards during the regular campaign partially sparked the Colts’ nonstop playoff run. Even though he only advanced the ball 3.4 yards on average every time he ran that year compared to 4.0 a carry last season, Rhodes was a cog serving an important function in a productively worthwhile attack. A bigger gain per carry can’t alleviate the futility of life as a present-day Raider.

He must have missed catching the ball, too. While of course fans remember Rhodes as option 1B for handoffs during the Colts’ Super Bowl season, it’s important to also recall that he demonstrated proficiency as a receiver that year, too, snagging 36 passes. While he only went for 251 yards in the game’s aerial aspect in 2006, an average of 7.0 yards each catch, Rhodes nonetheless served as an important safety valve.

Meanwhile, Kenton Keith, his replacement last season, is about as good catching passes as he is convincing cops that he doesn’t need to be arrested: His 13 grabs last season won’t help his case to stay in second. Rhodes has to think he can pick off a player who’s looking more and more like a temp.

But the real obstacle to Rhodes winning a roster spot is the new Wolverine in the cage: Draftee Mike Hart caught 67 passes in college when he wasn’t busy setting Michigan’s all-time rushing record. While his questionable speed kept him from getting selected for quite some time over draft weekend, Hart has the both the proper build and attitude to collide with prospective tacklers and rushers, and his physical edge should make both defenders and his competition for work wary.

It would be nice to think that the Midwestern State product’s return will obey a script, and that he’ll step right back in and get around 45 percent of the carries as he did during Indianapolis’ finest season. But re-establishing that groove is as hard as smashing your G.I. Joe guys with a hammer and trying to Superglue them back together.

No free-agent contract offer from another squad could have been worth more than how well things were going for Rhodes as a Colt, and, just like any other attempt to rekindle a relationship, nothing seems the same after enduring a breakup. Can the now-29-year-old regain his form and surpass both an eager rookie and his troubled yet somewhat able replacement?

Passing two players just to get his old job back is going to be a tough task, which is a flawless example of why pro athletes should treasure fabulous situations. It’s not only because it’s too easy to take them for granted until they’re gone: More importantly, they’re virtually impossible to replicate.
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