Dorsey Who?
By Staff
Last year, between running backs Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai, Colts fans were in for a treat. They may not have seen this rookie LSU workhorse so poised to earn his keep. But that’s exactly what happened and by the end of regular season football, this kid not only beat Rhodes’ (the feature back at the 2006 start) rushing yards but total-eclipsed it, doubling the veteran Colt rusher’s yardage.
Joseph Addai was in the feature back role by the postseason.
And Rhodes, having courted the likes of New England and Buffalo, is now putting on a Raiders helmet. A testament to Addai’s ability to make serious waves in the NFL, and that was his rookie year!
But now Addai will have his own protege. Late-comer Dede Dorsey, signing in September 2006, was brought on after the start of the season as a special teams specialist.
Dorsey, out of nowhere, without a single offensive snap in his NFL career (this season being only his second), is touted by owner Bill Polian and Coach Dungy as a serious candidate to backup the Super Bowl Champion RB, Addai.
At Lindenwood College, Dorsey played some defense racking up 7 career interceptions. During his senior year at running back, he ran for 841 yards with 9 rushing touchdowns. Don’t count Dorsey out just because you haven’t heard his name. Rhodes was an undrafted rookie in 2001, and Addai, again, expected to be the backup, lead the Colts rushing game to a Super Bowl title.
At 5-foot 10-inches and a compact 194 pounds, Dorsey is considerably smaller than Addai. In a league with few starting RBs under 5-foot 11-inches and 205lbs, this seems like a problem. But take a look at the last four starting Colts RBs:
Joseph Addai – 5’11”, 214lbs.
Dominic Rhodes – 5’9″, 203lbs.
Edgerrin James – 6’0″, 220lbs.
Marshall Faulk – 5’10”, 210lbs.
If you remember, Rhodes always seemed bigger than he was, not afraid to pound the ball up the middle. Dorsey may play the same way, we just don’t know yet. The Colts have always had a strong and exciting rushing game (let’s not forget ole Eric Dickerson!) with smaller rushers, so this shouldn’t even be a concern heading into the 2007 season.
Keep your eye on Dorsey. Time and time again, Colts backup players at every position on the field have proven their worth in really big ways.