Donald

Brown

It’s about as strong an acknowledgement that a first-round pick was a bust as you’ll get from a head coach. NFL.com’s Week 1 gamebook shows that Brown was active for the Colts’ opener, but he didn’t receive a touch or play a single offensive snap. He’ll be passed by undrafted rookie Darren Evans in short order.

“Depending upon what happens with Joe,” said Caldwell, "(Brown’s) role could become a bit more intense these next couple weeks.” Brown and Delone Carter formed a rotation after Addai’s injury in Week 5, and Brown was more effective in terms of yards per carry. It’s interesting to note that Caldwell’s “next couple weeks” comment hints the Colts fear Addai will miss multiple games.

Brown entered the game without a carry all year, but his role increased when Joseph Addai strained his hamstring and did not return. The former first-round pick outplayed Delone Carter, who managed just 34 yards on 14 touches. Should Addai miss Week 6 against the Bengals, the Colts would likely go with an even, two-way rotation of Brown and Carter. Carter scored a three-yard touchdown in Week 5 and would figure to be the favorite for goal-line work.

Addai knew he pulled his hamstring right away on a first-quarter run, pumping his fists in disgust. “Sometimes you feel it tear,” Addai said. “This was a little grab. Really won’t know till we get the scan [today].” Delone Carter ended the day with 14 touches while Donald Brown recorded eight.

The Colts don’t speak openly about injury situations, so we’re left to guess about Addai’s chances of playing on Sunday Night Football. The full practice certainly suggests he’s got a shot. It was previously assumed Addai wouldn’t be active for the game. Due to the late start, Delone Carter and Donald Brown now become much very risky bye-week fallback options. Addai also won’t be start-able, even if he’s active. His injury was supposed to be a multi-week deal, so there’s little telling how effective he’d be in the game.

“We want to be tough,” said Pagano, “We want to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, specifically up front with the offensive line.” Donald Brown is coming off his best season, but he could be the skill-position player most affected by the change in philosophy. The strength of his game has never been between the tackles.

Pagano is transitioning the offense to a more physical, ground-and-pound approach which suits Carter’s running style more than Brown’s. Carter was severely outplayed by Brown last season, though, struggling with fumbles and failing to show elusiveness. We anticipate steering clear of the Colts backfield by the time fantasy drafts roll around this summer.

Coach Jim Caldwell said Addai is still limited, “not quite 100 percent,” with the hamstring injury. He’s heading toward the same route as the past two weeks, suiting up but not playing. Delone Carter and Donald Brown will likely split touches against the Jaguars.

The coaches rewarded Brown’s career performance in the Colts’ first win by demoting him to Joseph Addai’s caddy. Despite the 3.2 YPC, Brown showed better tackle-breaking and play-making ability than Addai and remains the best back on the team in a breakout year. As long as the Colts are deferring to Addai, though, Brown isn’t close to RB2 status versus the Jags in the finale.

Addai isn’t mailing in the rest of the season. While most of his teammates are getting away from the nightmare of their 0-10 campaign for a week, the veteran back appears focused on his rehab. It’s impossible to predict a running back depth chart right now in Indy.