I would like to see this article rec’d up. And I loves me some Joe Addai!

This coming from the guy who said we were better off with Bob Sanders being hurt all year.

While I agree with your conclusion that Addai is playing well and did not deserve much of the criticism he was receiving earlier this year, you were just as guilty of going too far when you were making statements like “I’m kinda glad Bob Sanders is done for the year.” Remember that? So don’t act like you’re the football criticism police enforcing what’s right and what’s wrong.

I also thinks it’s a stupid statement to say it’s a lock that Addai will be re-signed next season. Bill Polian didn’t use a first round draft pick on Donald Brown so he could be Addai’s career backup. I’d re-sign Bethea, Brackett and Charlie Johnson before I did Addai.

I’m not saying I don’t want to re-sign him, but just because he’s having a good year doesn’t mean it’s a given that Polian will re-sign him. Polian has been forced to let a lot of good players go because there were cheaper alternatives on the team.

Not that I’m an expert, but, since we do have Brown, I’d think letting Addai walk and then signing an O lineman and maybe drafting an O lineman would be the better way to go. It seems we can all agree that it’s the line’s fault, not so much the running backs fault.

Addai wasn’t the one most bashed this past off season, it was CJ.

of Addai breaking THE Ray Lewis’ ankles on that touchdown run. :)

And I don’t often, but since you brought him up, guess who he picks to go 16-0 and claimed on NFLN that he’s been saying it for 6-7 weeks now.

really? I thought he hated us….

I wasn’t one of the ppl in the off season, and I admit that he does do a good job in everything EXCEPT running. But I STILL, believe, from my own eyes and HD DVR usage that Addai runs INTO piles. There will be holes left, holes right and he’ll run straight into the pile. He’s good in open space, no doubt, but he can’t find a hole to save his life. But as long as we keep winning and he keeps blocking I could care less.

Because people keep judging him by the yards he picks up, and fail to include what he does when it’s a passing play. Remember: He’s stayed as the starter over Brown because Brown hasn’t yet gotten the blocking aspect of his role down yet. And Addai does well in that area.

Rushing yardage will always be the primary metric by which to measure a running back, but differences in teams philosophies will also have an effect on how players should be measured. Sure, Addai doesn’t get the long yards like other backs do. But like Edge before him, he is trusted with blitz pickup responsibilties more times than other running backs on other teams (the Colts use running backs a bit more in protection because they’re more pass heavy than most other teams), and also he fills the checkdown-outlet pass role admirably. My point is that people need to consider the whole picture, not just the rushing yards.

  I think what we are seeing is that when Addai dances at the line he usually gets little or no yardage. This tends to make people think he does it too much. This is probably partly him not having great vision for the holes, but it probably is also the line not opening the holes as well as they should, or the hole not opening where he expects it.

Yes is a good competent running back, but not an excellent one. He needs to see holes and where they are developping better to be that.

I would agree he is by far the best blocking back around, and is also very good out of the backfield.

In that sense he is well suited to our offense.

You like him. We get it, already.

is you’re speaking so ‘in your face’ that you’re basically forcing people that even slightly disagree with you to be as equally in your face and making them, in some cases, move to a more extreme position than they (normally) have just to match your level of extremeness. This sounds like a tongue-in-cheek statement, but I’m serious. Addai has run well the past 2 weeks. He’s a wonderful pass blocker. He’s normally a good pass catcher, although I think he’s more hurt than letting on because I think he has 0 targets since hurting his hand in NE.

The point would be this: I believe Polian’s heat of the moment emotional outburst bitching about Addai more than I believe his well thought out thanksgiving dinner he feeds to fans. Read his past 2 Polian Corners, he’s very careful about setting a timetable on the praise for Addai.

Anyhow, I like Joe. I cheer for him. I want him to do well. But he has really poor vision and has made some really bad decisions at the line over his career. This is fine for a RB, but when you’re spending 1st round picks on them, you expect a little more, and thats not unfair. Now, you can say, ‘that pick is gone, you can’t get it back, you can’t judge him based on his draft position’, and, OK, thats fine, if you compare him to Laurence Maroney, he’s Jim Brown. But I don’t think its wrong if you don’t slurp his big toe.

That said, and I’ve said this for the past 2 weeks now, Joe has run REALLY hard. He’s hit his holes. He’s been decisive. He’s avoided the sidelines (except for one real unfortunate play against the Ravens). Part of it is him. Part of it is DeVan. Part of it is scheme. The Colts are clearly better at running behind Lilja – Saturday – DeVan than they are running wide. Maybe Santi fixes that, I don’t know.

My final thought would be this: If Addai is so good, why do we need an article every time he has a good game saying ‘the issue is put to rest’? The fact that we need an article every two weeks on it clearly suggests to logic and reason that the issue isn’t even in bed, let alone resting.

Drafted just ahead of Joseph Addai was Laurence Maroney. In fact, wasn’t it likely the Colts wanted Maroney and settled for Addai?

How’s that worked out? Pretty well, I’d say. Addai has been a thousand-yard rusher and a Super Bowl champion. He’s a vital cog on an undefeated team this year. Maroney, on the other hand, is hurt almost as much as Bob Sanders. When he plays, behind a line that has trouble run-blocking just like the Colts, he’s average at best. Would you trade Addai even up for Maroney now? Hell no.

Look, let’s appreciate what we’ve got: Joseph isn’t the best back in the league, for sure, but he’s valuable for all the reasons Polian was saying. I would submit, off the cuff, he’s in the top third of backs in the league. If he can be brought back after ’10 for a reasonable number, I hope the Colts do so.

If Addai could improve on his field vision at the start of running plays….that is, if he knew how to cut back across the line and explode across the backside of the play instead of always running in the same direction as the blocking scheme, he could be great. There were a couple of plays in that Ravens game where there was nothing but air on the backside of the line but Joe ran into the line for a 4 yard gain that could have been broken for 20+. IMO that is the reason why the Colts go for about 85 ypg instead of 105…

For now, I am happy with his play and most of all happy that he hasn’t been “injured” this season so he can be a constant contributor.

Is not the same as “good”. He fits our scheme, no doubt, and he’s a good receiver and a good blocker.