Rhodes signs deal to return to Colts
By MICHAEL MAROT,
AP Sports
Posted: 2008-05-07 22:30:10
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -The Colts have put their tag-team runners - Joseph Addai
and Dominic Rhodes - back together.
The tandem that helped Indianapolis win its first Super Bowl title has been
reunited after Rhodes agreed on a one-year deal to return to the Colts. Rhodes'
agent, Mike McCartney confirmed the signing Wednesday in an e-mail to The
Associated Press although he did not disclose financial details.
The move means Indy will have two 1,000-yard runners in its backfield next
season.
What fans will remember most about the two runners is their impressive 2006
playoff run.
As they split carries, Addai and Rhodes combined for 190 yards rushing in a
23-8 victory over Kansas City, closed out a 15-6 victory in Baltimore when Indy
settled for five field goals and then helped wear down New England's defense in
the AFC championship game. Addai scored on a 3-yard run with a minute left to
give Indy a 38-34 victory over the Patriots.
In the Super Bowl, they were even better. Addai ran 19 times for 77 yards,
while Rhodes finished with 113 yards rushing and one touchdown in a 29-17
victory over Chicago.
The transition should be smooth for Rhodes.
He spent his first six NFL seasons with the Colts, rushing for 2,274 yards.
Rhodes set the league record for an undrafted rookie with 1,104 yards rushing
in 2001. He also was the starter for all 16 regular-season games in 2006 before
losing the job to Addai in the playoffs.
Then, last spring, Rhodes became a free agent and signed a two-year deal
with Oakland. He was hoping for a chance to start, but after serving a
four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, his
opportunities dwindled. He finished with 75 carries, 302 yards and one TD.
Shortly after the NFL draft, the Raiders released him.
The addition of Rhodes means the Colts will have added more depth to an
already talented backfield.
Addai, the starter, topped 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons.
Indy also drafted Michigan running back Mike Hart in the sixth round and still
has last year's primary backup - Kenton Keith.
Keith was arrested last month, six days before the draft, after police said
he refused to leave the parking lot of a nightclub. He was charged with
criminal trespassing and has pleaded not guilty.
Rhodes also has a legal history in Indy.
He was pulled over by an Indiana state trooper in February 2007 for driving
81 mph in a 55-mph zone. He was originally charged with operating a vehicle
while intoxicated and operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol level above the
legal limit, but later pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
In 2002, Rhodes was charged with domestic battery in connection with a
disturbance at his home involving his child's mother, Latrina Moore. He avoided
prosecution and was placed in a diversionary program and underwent mental
health counseling.
Rhodes sat out the entire 2002 season after tearing the anterior cruciate
ligament in his right knee, which occurred during training camp.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
05/07/08 21:29 CDT