Published: May 09, 2008 11:44 am            

Column: Rhodes' return could be positive

ANDERSON, Ind. — If Kenton Keith isn’t sweating, he should be. Not 30-minutes-on-the-treadmill beads of perspiration, but ones born out of concern.





The Indianapolis Colts have made in-Rhodes to ensure depth at the running back position, and the news had to hit Keith, last season’s backup to Joseph Addai, like a Bob Sanders’ lowered shoulder.



Signing 29-year-old Dominic Rhodes to a one-year contract qualifies as a stroke of genius because, let’s face it, the guy was and always will be an Indianapolis Colt.



Coming off his MVP-worthy performance in Indy’s 29-17 defeat of the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI, the 5-foot-9, 205-pounder emerged as a hot commodity who would have been crazy not to stick his big toe in the waters of free agency.



It’s what professional athletes on the fringes of stardom do.



Rhodes, who rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown on the most spectacular stage in football, maybe all of sports, did just that.



Therefore, don’t go throwing sour facial expressions at Rhodes just because in March 2007 he signed a two-year deal with Oakland for $7.5 million. You would have, too, if provided the chance.



To say Rhodes’ quick spin through the Oakland turnstile went poorly would be putting it mildly, but a healthy portion of his woes were self-inflicted.



In July, he was suspended four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, not exactly the type of impact aspiring full-time running backs should be making.



This brain-fade came on the heels of Rhodes’ arrest for drunken driving 16 days after the Super Bowl, which later was reduced to a reckless-driving charge, for which he was given a suspended 180-day sentence and fined $1,000.



Rhodes, by all accounts, sounds as if he’s thrilled to be a Colt again, and why wouldn’t he?



Between Al Davis’ senility-fueled belief that his Raiders remain a factor in the NFL and Oakland’s inability to keep a head coach for more than 45 minutes, Rhodes has done his time in purgatory.



His one-and-done with the Raiders read as follows: 75 carries, 302 yards, one visit to the end zone and unlimited frustration suiting up for a 4-12 ballclub that has already been mathematically eliminated from the 2008 playoff chase.



But in acquiring the services of Rhodes, whom Indianapolis signed as an undrafted free agent in 2001, are the Colts going to get good Dom or bad Dom?



Between the lines, Rhodes will perform. He always has. What about off the field, where the enticement of performance-enhancing shortcuts and parties that break up when the roosters crow never cease to exist?



Perhaps I’m naive, but I think good Dom is the one we’ll get.





One name: Tony Dungy. Oh, here’s another: Peyton Manning. Wait, two more: Marvin Harrison and Bill Polian.



Four virtual future Hall of Fame locks. Four widely respected individuals who are going to corner Rhodes and read him the riot act if he botches this gold-plated opportunity.



Besides, Indianapolis signed Rhodes for one year, so the young man from Waco, Texas, will be performing without a net this coming season.



If uncertainty leads to urgency, Rhodes, whose pass-catching skills out of the backfield were missed by Manning and the Colts in 2007, should be able to pick up right where he left off.



As for Keith and rookie running back Mike Hart, their jobs just became that much more difficult.



Mike Beas writes for The Herald Bulletin in Anderson, Ind. He can be reached at mike.beas@heraldbulletin.com

        

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