Addai’s determined run from behind

By Randy  |   Monday, February 05, 2007  |  Comments( 1 )

Indianapolis Colts
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Even the greatest of Bourbon Street soothsayers - like Bruce the Almighty, for example- - could not have foreseen the excellence of Joseph Addai on that January night three years ago in New Orleans.

Addai's LSU Tigers were winning the BCS national championship with a 21-14 victory over Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. Addai was being overshadowed by freshman teammate Justin Vincent, though. Vincent ran for 117 yards and took home the MVP trophy, while Addai managed minus-1 yards on the ground and a pedestrian 12 yards receiving.

Earlier in the day, Edgerrin James had 115 total yards as the Indianapolis Colts routed the Denver Broncos, 41-10, in a first-round playoff game.

Vincent seemed destined for greatness in Death Valley. Addai seemed destined for a career as Vincent's understudy. James seemed destined for a few Super Bowl wins in Indy.

What a difference a few years can make in the insane and unpredictable world that is football.

Freshman Vincent would never again dazzle LSU fans with the brilliance he displayed that night in New Orleans. Addai would emerge as LSU's star in the backfield, finishing his college career with 130 yards rushing in a 40-3 Peach Bowl victory over Miami. And James, the Colts' all-time leading rusher, would take the money and run west, signing a four-year, $30 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals.

After an impressive Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine, Addai's draft stock skyrocketed, leading Colts general manager Bill Polian to select him with Indianapolis' first-round selection (30th overall) in last year's draft. Neither Polian nor head coach Tony Dungy expected Addai to surpass 1,000 yards rushing in his rookie season. He did. Addai added 1,081 ground yards and caught 40 passes for 325 more yards. Not bad for a guy the Colts thought they would have to slowly ease into their high-octane offensive attack.

On Sunday night in Miami, both Addai and backfield mate Dominic Rhodes turned in MVP-like performances in leading the Colts to a 29-17 Super Bowl XLI victory over the Chicago Bears. Addai kept Chicago's 'D' guessing all night as he ran for 77 yards on 19 carries and caught 10 passes for 66 yards.

What made Addai and Rhodes' performances even more impressive were that they came from an offense noted for its aerial pyrotechnics. The Colts aren't exactly your father's run-it-down-their-throats kind of team. Addai and Rhodes finished the night with 190 rushing yards combined in the relentless rain of south Florida.

"We knew it was probably going to rain and we were going to have to take advantage of the short stuff, short passes and the run," Addai told the Chicago Tribune Sunday night. "Me and Dominic (Rhodes) were able to get them in space and make them miss. I was telling Peyton, 'Look, those short passes are open and we can take advantage of that,' so he's been sticking with that and he understood that he had other players around him make it happen too."

It was a determined run from behind this season for the rookie Addai. He started the year as Rhodes' backup and did not make his first start until the wild-card round against the Kansas City Chiefs. Addai ran for 122 yards in that one. And, lest we forget, it was Addai's game-winning, three-yard burst up the middle with 1:00 remaining that gave the Colts their first lead of the game in a 38-34 AFC Championship win over longtime nemesis New England late last month.

"I've got the ball," Addai told The Times-Picayune's Peter Finney, "And I'm going to paint it up and put it in a special spot in my trophy case." Can't blame him. It's not everyday that you defeat Belichick, Brady and one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history.

Safe to say, Addai will be adding more than a few more footballs to his trophy case before his NFL career comes to and end. Addai stepped into some awfully big shoes in Indy, and he has filled them admirably.

"It's been a dream, all right, a long dream," Addai told Finney. "Counting the Super Bowl, this is 24 games for me, like two college seasons. Being a rookie, playing in a bowl game, then going to the Senior Bowl, then on to the combine. Then to training camp. Then on to the Super Bowl. Sort of non-stop. A few days rest helped. I plan to hit the ground running."

NFL teams, take notice. NFL teams, beware. Addai has many more miles to travel before his journey is complete. The genesis came in a Sunday night purple rain in Miami.

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