Addai Focusing On Being Ready For Regular
Season
INDIANAPOLIS – He does not worry about how many carries he receives or if they come during practice or in preseason games.
All Joseph Addai is thinking about is being ready for the upcoming season.
So the fact that he has rushed the ball only four times through two preseason games is not much of a concern. Actually, it is a revelation.
"That's it?" Addai asked.
The Colts' Pro Bowl running back was all smiles Thursday and said he feels good about how the team's running game is progressing.
"I like what is happening out there," Addai said. "Everyone is coming together as one, everyone is on the same page, and the good thing is, when we do make mistakes, we correct them. It's not one of those things we can't do anything about. I feel good about where the team is at right now."
In limited action this preseason, Addai has looked sharp. In the preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings, he took his first rush down the right side of the field for 14 yards, looking as elusive and agile as ever. In the second game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he caught a ball downfield for 15 yards and a crucial first down.
And games are not the only place Addai is getting his touches this preseason.
"I feel that within the game and in practice, I'm getting enough work," he said.
Every NFL player has his own preseason regimen he goes through in the weeks leading up the regular season. Addai said his does not revolve around a set number of touches. Rather, it depends on whether or not he feels football-ready – something he thinks he is feeling more and more every day.
"I'm trying to play as much as I can," Addai said. "I think this game (at Detroit on Saturday), I might play a little bit more. But whenever (Head Coach Jim Caldwell) feels I need to come out, it probably is for the best."
Caldwell said he was pleased with how much work Addai has received this preseason, calling it "ample."
"We'll try to increase that a little bit, but we're not overly concerned about that area," he said.
The two-time 1,000-yard rusher said he is not getting caught up too much in how that work comes. And he is not concerned how he and rookie running back Donald Brown will split carries this season. He is quick to point out the Colts won the Super Bowl after the 2006 season when he came off the bench as a rookie.
"To me, it's whoever is in the game has to get the job done," he said.
After going back and watching tape of the team's first two preseason games, Addai said he is excited about how the team's ground attack is taking shape, but does not think it is a finished product. It could be Week 15 of the regular season, Addai said, and he still would feel "there is something we could be better at."
"We are working towards what we want to get to, but we are not there yet," he said.
