Last year at this time, Colts running back DeDe Dorsey was getting ready for
his first NFL training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free
agent out of Lindenwood College. But in the span of one year, he switched teams
-- after the Bengals unsuccessfully tried to sneak him through waivers to add
him to their practice squad -- earned a Super Bowl ring with the Colts, and is
now heading into this year's camp as the heavy favorite to pair up with Joseph Addai in Indy's tandem-back rushing offense.
But getting a Super Bowl ring and having the opportunity to hit the field for
the first time as a pro running back instead of a special teams player hasn't
changed him at all on a personal level.
"You should be who you are, no matter what the situation is," he
said during a recent Scout Radio interview. "I was taught as a young
person not to let my circumstances change my character or my personality."
But as a player, he feels there have been big changes as he used his first
year on the Colts' 53-man roster to refine his skills and technique.
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"I've really tried to work on all aspects of being a running back,"
he said. "Playing with the Indianapolis Colts, we're a big passing
team, so you have to be on top of your game, especially with pass protection and
your pass blocking. So I worked on making sure I was solid in my schemes as well
as in the act of pass blocking. There are monstrous linebackers to deal with out
there, so I'm going to continue to work on that in training camp.
"The other big thing is knowing your assignment. Having as complex of an
offense as we do, it's vital that you know what you're doing on every
play."
With Dominic Rhodes' departure to Oakland via free agency during the
offseason, Dorsey is the most likely player to step into Rhodes' spot sharing
carries with Joseph Addai. But don't expect Dorsey to step into the role of
being the north-south power-runner that Rhodes handled so well during the
playoffs and in the Super Bowl. At 5-foot-10, 196 pounds, it's his quickness and
breakaway speed that has drawn comparisons to another undrafted free agent who
has made quite a name for himself with the Pittsburgh Steelers -- Willie Parker.
"I'm definitely a smaller guy running the ball, so I try to use speed more
than power," Dorsey explained. "When you watch me, I think you'll see
that any time I get the choice between speed or power, I'll be more likely to
use speed."
And Dorsey has already been doing some offseason lobbying to have an
opportunity to use that speed to Indy's advantage more often.
"I've definitely put in the special teams coach's ear that I wouldn't
mind being back there returning kickoffs," he said with a laugh. "So
hopefully during training camp I'll get to work on it a little bit."
Listen to the rest of this exclusive interview with this 5-minute audio clip where DeDe talks about his role in offseason workouts and minicamps, the similarities between him and Addai, joking around with Peyton Manning, some insight on rookie Michael Coe, and his camp essentials as he prepares to pack his bags for training camp. Scout.com subscribers can click this link: Listen to Audio
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| A member of the Professional Football Writers of America, Ed Thompson's NFL and college football player interviews and features have been published across the Scout.com network and syndicated through FoxSports.com's NFL team pages. |
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