If you’re an Indianapolis Colts fan, the name Joseph Addai should ring a bell.
Addai was an underrated running back who helped the Horseshoe win its first Super Bowl title since the team moved to Indy in 1984.
It’s been more than a decade since he hung up his cleats.
It’s about time we bring back memories of this forgotten Horseshoe hero.
Addai Broke Into The NFL At The Height Of The Colts’ Success In The Mid-2000s
The Colts made Addai the 30th overall selection of the 2006 NFL Draft.
Colts head coach Tony Dungy wanted the team to draft UCLA Bruins running back Maurice Jones-Drew back then.
However, Colts president and general manager Bill Polian overruled him.
Polian wanted Addai, a running back from LSU.
Indy’s AFC South division rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars, selected Jones-Drew 30 slots after Addai.
Little wonder MJD terrorized the Colts whenever they squared off against Jacksonville in ensuing years.
Although Jones-Drew eventually nearly doubled Addai’s career yardage total, the former never earned a Super Bowl ring.
Addai did.
In fact, Addai was instrumental in Indy’s Super Bowl run during his rookie year in 2006.
He took over as the Colts’ No. 1 running back after Pro Bowl running back Edgerrin James bolted for the Arizona Cardinals several months earlier.
Addai had a decent start to his NFL career – he even had four touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles in November 2006.
With Addai splitting carries with Dominic Rhodes, the Colts were locked in during the postseason.
He ran for 122 yards and a touchdown in Indy’s 2006 AFC Wild Card victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
One of Addai’s signature moments was receiving the handoff from Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in the waning moments of the Colts’ improbable 38-34 comeback win against the New England Patriots in the 2006 AFC title game.
#TBT Joseph Addai scoring the game winning TD in the 2006 AFC Championship Game! #Colts pic.twitter.com/N9frIHtbn0
— Tim (@tnf_ii) June 12, 2014
Addai’s touchdown run caught the Patriots off guard – he reached the end zone unscathed to give the Horseshoe a lead they never relinquished.
The Colts eventually beat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI several weeks later.
Addai exploded for a career-high 12 touchdowns and his second straight 1,000-yard season in 2007.
He also became the first-ever Colts player to rack up 100 receiving yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game.
To nobody’s surprise, he earned his lone Pro Bowl berth that year.
Addai’s NFL career began to slowly tail off in ensuing years.
He never surpassed the 1,000-rushing-yard mark again.
Addai had a combined 15 touchdowns from 2008 to 2009.
The Colts made another Super Bowl run in 2009 – the year after Dungy stepped down as Indy’s head coach.
Unfortunately, the Colts lost to Drew Brees‘ New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV, 31-17.
Addai had a rough 2010 NFL campaign.
He sustained a serious shoulder injury in a game against the Washington Redskins and had to sit out half of the season.
Addai’s production continued to dip – he had a combined five touchdowns in 2010 and 2011.
Sadly, the Colts fell on hard times in Addai’s last season with the Horseshoe in 2011.
Indy won just two games after Manning sat out the entire 2011 NFL season with a neck injury.
Addai retired from the NFL after the Patriots released him in the summer of 2012,
He finished his six-year pro football career with 4,453 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns on 1,095 carries.
He wasn’t in the same stratosphere as Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, and Edgerrin James – three of the best running backs who ever wore the Horseshoe.
Remember that time Joseph Addai did a front flip over a guy for a touchdown?#FlashbackFriday pic.twitter.com/H3DaMbNodg
— Collin Telesz (@CT_Colts) April 6, 2018
Nonetheless, Addai had flair – he once somersaulted into the end zone against the Houston Texans.
Addai certainly made an indelible mark during his time with the Colts from 2006 to 2011.
NEXT: Remembering The Colts Career Of QB Jim Harbaugh
