By Tom James
INDIANAPOLIS — Without looking at film or videotape, Nick Saban is quick to acknowledge that he knows about all that he needs to know about Indianapolis Colts rookie running back Joseph Addai.
In fact, there’s a pretty good chance that Saban — now in his second season as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins — most likely knows and understands Addai as well or better than anyone in the NFL. And for good reason. The pair forged a pretty good friendship and working relationship when Saban was the head coach at Louisiana State and Addai was one of the Tigers’ top players.
The former college coach, who guided LSU to the 2003 BCS national championship, gets to meet one of his former student-athletes when Miami faces the Colts this afternoon (4:15 p.m.) at the RCA Dome in what will be the 2006 regular-season finale for both teams.
Saban’s bond with the Colts’ first-year runner began when Addai was a senior at Sharpstown High School in suburban Houston, Texas. An option-style quarterback in high school, he was better suited to play running back or receiver at the major college level.
Addai’s senior year statistics were impressive. He had 1,429 yards on 159 carries and 26 touchdowns while also completing 37 of 91 passes for 425 yards and returned eight kickoffs for 380 yards for an average of 47.5 yards per return.
As a member of his high school track and field team, Addai was clocked at 10.7 in the 100 meters and 22.1 in the 200 meters. The tools were definitely there and Saban found a way to utilize all of them at LSU, using him as a running back, fullback and wide receiver.
When playing running back, Addai often split duty with a group of talented runners that has populated the Tigers’ offensive backfield the last several seasons. He never had more than 187 carries in a season and never rushed for 1,000 yards during his collegiate career.
Still, the talent was evident.
“We did [use Addai at several positions], but it was because he had good hands and he was a good receiver,” the Dolphins coach said in a teleconference last week. “I’ve always been a guy that likes having two running backs like the Colts have used this year and kind of rotate them.
“It keeps both guys fresh and you don’t get one guy beat up and wore down. I think it’s a great change of pace, a strategy relative to the defense, having to adjust to those guys.”
Which is why Saban isn’t at all surprised at the success that Addai is having this year. He leads all NFL rookies with 1,017 yards rushing (with seven touchdowns) despite being the fourth running back taken in last year’s draft (behind Reggie Bush, Laurence Maroney and DeAngelo Williams). He has also caught 37 passes for 296 yards (and a TD), which ranks Addai fourth on the team.
“I think that’s one thing [Colts team president] Bill [Polian] has done a good job of and [coach] Tony [Dungy], when they select their personnel. They get guys that fit what they want to do and I think that’s extremely important. That’s probably one of the reasons that he’s had so much success this year. He’s a great fit [with Indianapolis],” he said.
When the Colts initially took Addai last April, and several times since then, Dungy has pointed out the rookie’s even temperament and how that trait has allowed him to adjust rather seamlessly to playing and contributing to an offense that has so many key veterans.
“Joseph’s doing very well. Every week he gets a little bit better. He has made very, very few mistakes, which has been good for us. And he’s running more comfortably every week,” the Colts coach said recently.
“We’re getting just about what we thought. A guy who can run inside and outside and is a strong runner and a good pass protector and receiver. We thought that he was going to be a versatile guy who could do a little bit of everything and that’s what he has shown.”
Addai’s personality was one of the first things Saban noticed during the recruiting process nearly six years ago.
“First of all, he’s a great person. He works hard, he’s very conscientious, plays hard, and he has a lot of toughness,” he said. “He played very well for us [at LSU]. I remember when we recruited him and going to his high school. I’m not looking forward to having to play against him.”
