He has rushed for 786 yards. Going into today’s games, only two NFL running backs have more catches than Addai’s 51. Only three have scored more than Addai’s 12 touchdowns — and he has thrown for another, a 22-yarder to wide receiver Reggie Wayne that beat San Francisco 18-14. Addai is 9-of-12 on third-and-1 and running with uncommon violence.
He has become what Faulk has been through his 12 seasons with the Patriots: a complete football player.
“There are a lot of similarities,” Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. “They both catch the ball extremely well. They both can line up in the backfield and line up as wide receivers and be equally effective. And they both get a lot of hidden yardage for their team that’s extremely valuable.”
Faulk never has been a “feature” back in the NFL. He has never rushed for more than 638 yards in a season. But he’s New England’s “Mr. Clutch” on third down. He’s a runner, a receiver, a blocker, a kick returner, a football player.
Addai has done things Faulk hasn’t. Addai rushed for 1,081 yards in 2006 and for 1,072 in 2007. He has played in the Pro Bowl. But after running for only 544 yards during a season of nagging injuries in 2008, he re-evaluated. He made a determination.
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