INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Colts running back Mike Hart doesn’t gauge progression simply by numbers.
He prefers to watch it on tape.
What Hart is seeing these days in the Indianapolis film room is better blocking, harder runs and a distinct tilt toward a more balanced offense – all promising signs for the Colts (3-2).
“I think it is improving,” Hart said Monday when asked about the ground game. “Everybody knows how great Peyton is, but we have to be able to run the ball, especially when we get in the red zone.”
Hart provided a perfect example Sunday of how it’s supposed to work.
On his final carry of the game, Hart ran through three Chiefs defenders and stretched his 5-foot-9 body as far it could go to break the goal line and seal Indy’s 19-9 victory.
For Hart, it was a joyous moment in a breakthrough game.
For the Colts, it could have a longer-lasting impact, starting with a game at Washington next week.
“Oh yeah, you can definitely see it (the running game) coming along,” defensive tackle Dan Muir said. “That’s a credit to the offensive line and the offensive line coaches getting their guys in position to make blocks. It’s definitely important to the defense, too, because it let’s us know we can control the clock.”
And Hart played a bigger role in that than anybody expected over the weekend.
In his first two-plus seasons with the Colts (3-2), Hart had just 32 carries for 79 yards and six receptions for 72 yards. He had actually been cut more times (two) than he had been in the end zone (one).
So when Joseph Addai went down with a right shoulder injury in the third quarter and backup Donald Brown was out with a hamstring injury, the Big Ten’s career rushing leader trotted onto the field with a sore knee and took advantage of the biggest opportunity of his pro career.
Hart ran for a key first down to help set up the tie-breaking field goal and later scored the decisive touchdown against the NFL’s last unbeaten team.
His final numbers – 11 carries, 50 yards and a 4.5-yard average – were all career bests, and he may have to do it all over again this week.
Colts coach Jim Caldwell did not provide any updates Monday on the injuries to Addai or Brown.
With Peyton Manning and his receivers uncharacteristically out of sync and the Chiefs content to play exclusively with two or three down linemen, the backs were repeatedly asked to do the heavy lifting.
Addai touched the ball on 18 of the Colts’ first 32 plays, finishing with 17 carries for 50 yards and five receptions for 39 yards. When he left, Hart gave the Colts a new spark with his hard inside running.
Indy spent the entire offseason working on solutions for its rushing game, which was dead last a year ago.
The Colts replaced both starting guards. They promoted Pete Metzelaars to offensive line coach. They established a goal of adding 0.75 yards per carry to last year’s average of 3.5, and they expected more productivity from a rejuvenated Addai and a healthier Brown.
Five weeks into the season, the Colts are ranked No. 28 in rushing at 60.4 yards per game, and they’re starting to produce when the Colts need them most.
Indy ran four times on third down Sunday, picking up three first downs including Hart’s powerful 6-yard run on third-and-4 late in the third quarter to help set up Adam Vinatieri’s 42-yard go-ahead field goal.
“I thought that was a bigger run than the touchdown run because that really got us going and swung things our way a little bit,” Hart said.
The running backs were tackled for losses four times, losing just eight yards and keeping Manning out of long down-and-distance situations.
And when they needed a punch at the end, well, Hart delivered with the kind of crushing, final blow that the Colts’ have been looking for since they won the Super Bowl after the 2006 season.
“He gave us a lift because of the fact that he was pretty tough in his runs,” Caldwell said. “I mean he converted a number of second downs to first downs, third downs to first downs and then, obviously, the run at the end of the game on the last drive was significant. He did a lot of things really well for us.”
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