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TERRE HAUTE – Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai doesn’t want to change his game too much; he thinks that would be a big mistake.
Who could blame him? Last year, in his second NFL season, he rushed for 1,072 yards and 12 touchdowns, had 41 receptions for 364 yards and three touchdowns and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl.
“I understand what’s going on now,” Addai said after Monday’s training camp practice, at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. “But you’ve got to start over (every year) and keep doing what you’ve been doing. You’ve got to start from Day 1 and get to that point of (familiarity).”
Addai doesn’t want to overthink his style, not after he averaged 71.5 yards a game last season, the 17th best average in the league.
“That’s what people tend to do, they forget what they’ve been doing and they’re not doing what they’ve been doing over the years,” Addai said. “Having that advantage of knowing what’s going on and not having to ask this or that question or be hesitant on this, I know what’s going on. But I’m still taking it from Day 1.”
Despite Addai’s confidence, there have been moments during training camp when things have been stopped so Addai, 25, can be coached. And there have been times when Addai has been coaching some of the other running backs.
“(Addai) is a little more relaxed this year and understands he needs to be one of the leaders,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said. “We have worked on some of the little fine details, and he and (Dominic Rhodes) have made a special point of being on some of those details. Knowing you are a guy that your teammates depend on, that’s going to be a big thing for Joseph.”
Addai is aware he will have to cede some carries to Rhodes, who returned to Indianapolis after an unproductive season with the Oakland Raiders, or other running backs. The Colts have six on their roster, including last season’s backup, Kenton Keith, plus Clifton Dawson, rookie Mike Hart and rookie Chad Simpson.
“This game is rough, so you need that kind of depth, especially us,” Addai said. “We have a lot of guys who know what’s going on.”
Last year, Addai missed one game with a shoulder injury, and the Colts didn’t hesitate to look to others because of injuries or fatigue.
“We saw it last year. We had guys nicked up, and Joseph was banged up, and Kenton Keith did a great job in relief,” Dungy said. “And we had games where Clifton Dawson and Luke Lawton, different guys, filled in and played great roles. The more versatile guys you have and the more guys you can count on, the better off you are.”
Notes: Quarterback Peyton Manning, recovering from knee surgery July 21, was not on the practice field. But there was speculation he had moved from his Indianapolis home to Terre Haute to recuperate near the training staff. “I’m not at liberty to say where he is,” Dungy said with a grin. “But he’s immobile, I can tell you that.” … Quinn Pitcock, who was expected to see lots of playing time on the defensive line, remained a no-show at camp for undisclosed reasons. Asked about a www.profootballtalk.com suggestion that Pitcock has lost his desire to play, Dungy declined to comment.
jcohn@jg.net
