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The Colts will head into the 2011 season with a new running backs coach.

Gene Huey, who’s been with the franchise for 19 years, confirmed the news to the Indianapolis Star.

We don’t know what went on behind the scenes here or if other changes are to come.

While the 63-year old Huey helped develop Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James and Joseph Addai, the run game has too often not served to supplement Peyton Manning and the pass offense.

Donald Brown, the first-rounder from 2008, has not developed into much of a threat. But I felt the Colts got reasonable work out several backs when they were healthy including Addai, Mike Hart and late addition Dominic Rhodes. Those three all averaged at least 4.3 yards a carry.

The line, more than the backs, has been the issue.

Bill Polian conceded this season that the team erred in its assessment of Rodger Saffold, the tackle who was solid for the Rams. The Colts passed on Saffold in favor of defensive end Jerry Hughes, a virtual non-contributor whose effort on a crucial kick return in the Colts' playoff loss to the Jets should be a major concern.

Huey’s been a loyal part of a culture that’s produced great success for the Colts.

It’s a cliché but correct to say that only time will tell us if his departure is part of broader changes that produce results or if he's some sort of sacrificial scapegoat.

The Colts' full injury report for Wednesday:

• DB Al Afalava, Ankle, Full Participation
• OT Ryan Diem, Back, Did Not Participate
• DE Dwight Freeney, Rested, Did Not Participate
• DB Kelvin Hayden. Neck, Did Not Participate
• DT Antonio Johnson, Chest, Limited Participation
• DE Robert Mathis, Rested, Did Not Participate
• DT Dan Muir, Chest, Full Participation
• DB Mike Newton, Hamstring, Did Not Participate
• RB Dominic Rhodes, Hip, Did Not Participate
• OG Jamey Richard, Concussion, Did Not Participate
• LB Clint Session, Elbow, Did Not Participate

At this point you'd have to guess it's unlikely to see Hayden or Session back after long layoffs.

If Rhodes can't play, Mike Hart is now healthy and ready.

Having both Muir and Johnson to go with Fili Moala in the middle of the defensive line could be big as the Colts try to slow the Jets' run game.

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A look at a player who gave his team a significant boost in Week 15.

The Colts turned all of the pregame thinking about their ground game inside-out in their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. They shut down the Jaguars' physical run attack. And they churned out over twice as many rushing yards.

For his part in that, second-year running back Donald Brown is the AFC South High Energy Player of the Week. He carried 14 times for 129 yards and a touchdown, posting his first 100-yard game in the NFL. He had an early 49-yard bolt up the middle that featured a stiff-arm to the outreached hand of safety Sean Considine, and a 43-yard touchdown run up the left side.

Brown has struggled while Joseph Addai and Mike Hart have been missing because of injuries, often looking tentative. But he ran with authority against the Jaguars, who have a pretty physical front, and it’s a development that could pay big dividends going forward. I don’t know if any doubt had crept in for him, but he knows he can do it now.

“I think that would shoot a guy’s confidence through the roof,” said Dominic Rhodes, the recently re-signed veteran running back. “Because when you see that you can do it in this league, that turns a light on in your head.”

The Colts could well be without Addai and Hart again Sunday in Oakland, and the Raiders are a big, physical running team like the Jaguars. If Brown can provide a similar boost for a second game in a row, the Colts will stand a far better chance of winning.

The Indianapolis Colts had three runs of at least 49 yards on runs between the tackles through its first 13 games.

It got a tone-setting 49-yard run up the middle from Donald Brown on the Colts’ first possession Sunday.

Meanwhile Maurice Jones-Drew entered Week 15 as the NFL’s best running back up the middle, but never found space to run against the Colts.

ESPN Stats & Info tells us Brown had 10 carries for 81 yards and four first downs between the tackles while Jones-Drew took six carries 15 yards and got no first downs up the middle.

“They stopped our run pretty good, so hats off to them,” Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis said. “But on the other hand, we gave them a two-edged sword. They were able to run and pass the ball and you can’t give Peyton Manning that.”

Terrance Knighton said after the Dec. 5 win at Tennessee that he didn’t believe anyone could run up the middle against the Jaguars. But the Knighton and Tyson Alualu interior combo didn’t dissuade one of the league’s least effective run teams from trying, and that was with Joseph Addai and Mike Hart out.

The threat of Brown up the middle opened up the rest of the field for Manning on play-action passes.

ESPN Stats & Info said Manning tied a season-high with 13 play-action pass attempts, completing six on screens and six on non-screens. The only incompletion came on a pass to Austin Collie that hit him in the chest. Collie made up for that mistake with two touchdown receptions off Manning play fakes.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Donald Brown starts at running back for the Colts tonight with Joseph Addai and Mike Hart both out, though we’re sure to see some Javarris James and maybe Dominic Rhodes in the first game of his third stint with the franchise.

The Colts have three other subs, who are not surprises: Kavell Conner starts for Clint Session at weakside linebacker, Jacob Lacey starts at left corner for Kelvin Hayden and Justin Tryon starts at left corner for Jerraud Powers, who went on IR this week.

For the Titans Dave Ball (concussion/ hip) is inactive and will be replaced at right end by Jacob Ford.

The whole list of inactives:

Titans: QB Rusty Smith, S Robert Johnson, T Troy Kropog, CB Ryan Mouton, LB David Thornton, DT Sen’Derrick Marks.

Colts: WR Austin Collie, CB Kelvin Hayden, RB Joseph Addai, RB Mike Hart, LB Clint Session, OG Jacques McClendon, DT Ricardo Mathews.

The Colts clearly are not planning on Joseph Addai returning to the lineup and have enough issue with injuries to Mike Hart and Donald Brown that they’ve dug into the past for a replacement.

Here’s the news release they just sent out:

The Indianapolis Colts have signed free agent running back Dominic Rhodes and placed defensive back Jerraud Powers on injured reserve with an arm injury, the club announced Tuesday. Rhodes spent seven seasons with the Colts from 2001-06 and 2008 after originally signing as a free agent out of Midwestern State. He spent 2007 with Oakland and this past season with the UFL’s Florida Tuskers.

Powers, a second-year veteran, started 10 games in 2010 and had 53 tackles, two interceptions and a team-best nine passes defensed.

In eight NFL seasons, Rhodes has totaled 777 carries for 3,114 yards and 26 touchdowns and 146 receptions for 1,021 yards and four touchdowns. His Colts career totals include 702 rushes for 2,812 yards and 25 touchdowns, including five 100-plus-yard games. During the Colts’ Super Bowl title run following the 2006 season, Rhodes rushed 62 times for 306 yards and one touchdown, including 21 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown in the team’s Super Bowl XLI victory.

We wrote about Powers earlier here and here.

They wouldn’t be signing Rhodes if he wasn’t fit. I’d expect the Colts think they can get more out of him outside of the red zone than they can from Javarris James. But Rhodes may be strictly insurance. There is no telling what their plan will be and they will still be figuring it out.

It would be great for them if they could find some semblance of a running game as the Titans are beat up up front and clearly susceptible to it.

The Colts just sent out their weekly Tuesday injury update. Here it is in its entirety:

"Defensive back Bob Sanders (biceps) will be out this week against Dallas. Wide receiver Austin Collie is improving and his practice role will be determined as the week progresses. Collie suffered a concussion at Philadelphia on November 7. After being cleared medically to participate at New England on November 21, he encountered symptoms from his previous injury, though there was no recurrence. Running back Joseph Addai progressed to practice last week for conditioning purposes. Addai will do so again, but a timetable for a full return to action is uncertain. The club has waived wide receiver Brandon James and signed wide receiver Taj Smith. Linebacker Cody Glenn will be placed on injured reserve after suffering a neck injury last week against San Diego."

The lack of a mention of Gary Brackett and Clint Session suggest the linebackers could have a chance to return, which Bill Polian indicated in his weekly radio show. Same for Mike Hart, who practiced some last week.

The Colts could have some big players back in the mix for Sunday’s home game against the Dallas Cowboys. Mike Chappell reports that Colts president Bill Polian said on his radio show that linebackers Gary Brackett and Clint Session, as well as running back Mike Hart, could be back.

Others, including Joseph Addai and Bob Sanders, are likely further off.

But as Chappell points out, while Hart and Addai could provide a boost to the run game, none of the injury returnees is going to help the offensive line, which has been insufficient as a run-blocking group and increasingly leaky in pass protection. (Sacks remain low, but pressure is up.)

“I think oftentimes, you guys are driven by what you see on TV," said coach Jim Caldwell at a news conference Monday. "They can highlight a certain couple of areas, and you think that was the way the entire game went. I think they can sort of prejudice your opinion a little bit.

"What we do is we take a look at it. We think we have the right people in there, but we are always trying to jostle it around, trying to make adjustments, trying to make certain that not only do we have the right people, but also are we doing the right things with the folks that we have in there? That’s up for critique, and we challenge ourselves in those areas and we try to find a way to improve. That’s the important thing.”

Polian identified the offensive line as a position of concern after last season, really singling out the effort in the Super Bowl. They were comments several players bristled at. (Greg Easterbrook hit on some of this here in his weekly Tuesday Morning Quarterback column.)

Longtime line coach Howard Mudd was known for molding players who were not high draft picks or top free agents into effective contributors. He retired and passed the torch to Pete Metzelaars, a transition that seemed smooth.

But in a move that was a stunner then and is baffling now, Polian let right guard Ryan Lilja go. Lilja has received good reviews for his play in Kansas City, while the Colts have played two ineffective right guards.

Mike Pollak was benched in favor of undrafted rookie tackle Jeff Linkenbach three games ago.

Left guard’s hardly been solid either, with Jamey Richard getting displaced by Kyle DeVan.

There should be more options.

After Lilja was released, the Colts brought in a couple low-level free agents in Andy Alleman and Adam Terry. Neither stuck. Fourth-round rookie Jacques McClendon has been inactive or worked on special teams.

Polian and the Colts identified a problem, but they really didn’t do anything to fix it, unless we count the Tony Ugoh resolution and release as addition by subtraction.

In the past five drafts, the Colts have taken eight offensive linemen, five in the fifth round or later.

Charlie Johnson is a scrappy left tackle who’s been better than many expected but still might be ideal as a third, swing tackle. Ugoh, Michael Toudouze and Steve Justice are gone. Pollak has been benched. McClendon is a reserve as are seventh-rounders Jaimie Thomas and Richard.

However this season plays out, the offensive line must be the primary concern in the offseason.

It’s time to hit on value picks -- plural. Quality guys and the team’s draft slots may not line up. The Colts may need to maneuver to change that.

It’s critical to Peyton Manning’s chances for another Super Bowl in his remaining years.

The banged up Colts had some good injury developments on Thursday.

Four of the key players on the injury report were upgraded:

• Joseph Addai (neck) went from out to limited.
• Austin Collie (concussion) went from limited to full.
• Reggie Wayne (knee) went from out to full.
• Blair White (shoulder) went from limited to full.

That’s great news for the offense of a team getting ready for a trip to New England.

Not as good: Gary Brackett (toe), Brody Eldridge (rib), Mike Hart (ankle), Clint Session (elbow) and Justin Tryon (foot) remained out.

We’ll get another update after Friday’s practice. Saturday the Colts will tell us who didn’t make the trip.

For the Patriots on Thursday, quarterback Tom Brady (right shoulder, foot) went from not practicing to limited participation.

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

FALLING

1. The Titans' second-half adjustment and the Texans out of the gate: In the Titans’ last two games, losses at San Diego and Miami, the Titans have been outscored 39-14 in the second half. They are getting outplayed and outcoached after intermission and need to do better adjusting. The Texans, meanwhile, have fared poorly from the start in two of their last three games. They trailed both Jacksonville and Indianapolis 17-3 at the half.

2. Jacoby Jones, Texans receiver: He was supposed to challenge Kevin Walter for the No. 2 slot and be an explosive piece of the offense. But he had one catch for five yards in Jacksonville. His 25 catches have produced an average of 9.7 yards, same as running back Arian Foster. Last year that average was 16.2. And according to ESPN Stats & Info, he’s got four drops in 38 targets.

3. Bo Scaife, Titans tight end: His early fumble in the Titans’ end set up the Dolphins offense and got a bad day started. He also had a drop. Kerry Collins and Vince Young threw to him nine times and his six catches gained just 51 yards. It’s not his fault they are throwing short stuff to him, but he didn’t feel like a threat with the ball in his hands. Surely on some of these plays Jared Cook could offer a more dangerous change up, no?

RISING

1. Role playing tight ends: We’re heard a lot about the contributions they could make, but we’re finally seeing something out of Houston’s James Casey and Jacksonville’s Zach Miller. Casey’s caught five passes for 66 yards in the Texans’ last two games. And Miller had four catches for 79 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown in the win over the Texans.

2. The Colts’ health: I’m being a bit presumptuous here. But Joseph Addai said last week he was targeting the New England game. And in their weekly Tuesday announcement, the Colts ruled out only Bob Sanders. That means of a big group who didn’t play against the Bengals, there is a chance for guys like Austin Collie, Clint Session, Gary Brackett, Justin Tryon and Mike Hart to be back. The team hopes for many happy returns in New England.

3. Andre Johnson, Texans receiver: He’s topped 100 yards in three of his last four games. While his ankle may still qualify as an issue, he’s certainly found a way to play and play effectively with it. And the Texans and Matt Schaub need to keep feeding him. With Johnson and Arian Foster, the Texans have to find an offensive rhythm and score big knowing the defense won’t do a lot.

Houston Texans

A Chargers rally left the Texans at 4-4, says John McClain.

Jerome Solomon rips Gary Kubiak's too-quick quarterback sneak call on a giant fourth down.

The offense wasted too many chances, says Dale Robertson.

Kareem Jackson got torched by Seyi Ajirotutu, says Jeffrey Martin.

Kubiak was confused by a crucial intentional grounding call, say the Chronicle’s crew.

It was a loss filled with familiar storylines, says Richard Justice.

The report card from John McClain.

Same old Texans, says Lance Zierlein.

Alan Burge takes a shot at what Bob McNair is thinking.

Indianapolis Colts

Michael Vick and the Eagles snapped the Colts’ three-game winning streak, says Phil Richards.

The Colts had too few players and too few answers, says Bob Kravitz.

A scary hit on Austin Collie brought the injury debate to the forefront again, says Mike Chappell.

Donald Brown and Javarris James filled in OK for Joseph Addai and Mike Hart but it wasn’t enough, says Chappell.

Michael Vick makes the Eagles a lot better, says Clark Judge.

Vick’s dual-threat work outdid Peyton Manning, says Thomas George.

Vick’s star is ascending, says Clifton Brown.

It was remarkable that the Colts were even in it at the end, says John Oehser.

Vick and his laser spirals outplayed Manning, says Nate Dunlevy.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Marcedes Lewis had a giant first half of the season, says Vito Stellino.

Will the Jaguars be better than they have been after the bye, asks Jonathan Loesche.

Tennessee Titans

Randy Moss arrived in Nashville, says Jim Wyatt.

Even with Moss, the rest of the Titans' road is tough, says John Glennon.

A midseason report card from David Boclair.

A midseason report card from Terry McCormick.

PHILADELPHIA -- There was no suspense at all pertaining to the Colts' inactives today. Every one of them is hurt.

There was a bit of suspense about the lineup.

Donald Brown is sill starting at running back, where Joseph Addai and Mike Hart are out. Gijon Robinson starts at tight end with Brody Eldridge out. Tyjuan Hagler will play weakside linebacker for the injured Clint Session and Jacob Lacey will play right cornerback in place of the ailing Jerraud Powers.

Pat Angerer stays at strongside linebacker, ahead of Philip Wheeler, and Kyle DeVan remains at left guard.

The inactives for Indy: CB Justin Tryon, S Bob Sanders, CB Jerraud Powers, RB Joseph Addai, RB Mike Hart, LB Clint Session, TE Brody Eldridge, DT Antonio Johnson.

The inactives for Philly: QB Mike Kafka, WR Chad Hall, RB Joique Bell, CB Ellis Hobbs, DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, T King Dunlap, G Reggie Wells, TE Clay Harbor.

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

FALLING

The Titans in the fourth quarter of close games: They did well to pull away from Philadelphia with a 27-point fourth in what had been a close game. But against Pittsburgh, Denver and San Diego when they were in range, the Titans have not had the execution, ability or killer instinct to win.

Gary Kubiak’s play calling: I hear the explanations. Convert some third downs and stay on the field and they would have been balanced. But Kubiak outsmarted himself. The Texans ran all over the Colts the first time; the obligation is to make them show they can stop it before you turn to what you prepared for them stopping it. Also, you get into a lot more third-and-shorts if Arian Foster is running for 4 or 5 yards on first and second down.

Vincent Fuller, Titans defensive back: The team’s feisty full-time nickelback since 2007 was reduced to a role in the much less frequently used dime package. The Titans love Alterraun Verner, who’d been playing outside with Jason McCourty injured. With McCourty back, Verner started outside, and moved inside in the nickel, with McCourty taking his place.

RISING

Pat Angerer, Colts outside linebacker: He’s a middle linebacker in their eyes, but he played so well filling in a couple of weeks ago for Gary Brackett that the Colts decided they needed to keep him on the field. Out went strongside starter Philip Wheeler, in went Angerer on Monday night. He didn’t light up the stat sheet but Jim Caldwell sang his praises.

David Garrard, Jaguars quarterback: The good is outweighing the bad to the tune of a 98.8 passer rating, the fourth best in the NFL. He put the Cowboys to shame on Sunday with a sterling performance. But here’s a helpful hint: Don’t say how the team you just beat up gave up -- it takes a little shine off of what you just did.

The Colts' backups: We’ve covered it extensively (here and here), but the performances of tight end Jacob Tamme, running back Mike Hart and cornerback Justin Tryon were key in the Colts’ win over Houston. They keep calling on the depth and it keeps giving the team what it needs.

» NFC High Energy: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

A look at a player who gave his team a significant boost in Week 8.

Sure, we hit on Mike Hart in this piece off the Colts' 30-17 win over Houston.

But he gets a second moment here for his fine work as Joseph Addai's primary fill-in. While Houston's Arian Foster averaged 6.8 yards a carry, Hart was even better with a 7.0 average on his 12 runs. He might have gotten over 100 yards had an ankle injury not knocked him out of the game and he also had three catches for 19 yards.

Going into the game without Addai, one big concern was how Hart and Donald Brown would handle the running back pass-protection duties.

Hart said they fared reasonably well in that department.

“I think we did pretty well. I know for a fact I made one mistake,” he said. “Peyton [Manning] threw hot, I'm definitely going to get yelled at for that [Tuesday]. Besides that, Javarris [James] did a great job. Donald did a great job. I picked up the other blitzes beside one -- three maybe. The only one that matters is the one I missed.”

While he may take heat for that, he'll also get a pat on the back for a fine fill-in effort. An MRI on the ankle will help determine if he'll need to be filled in for next.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Five things I learned from the Colts' 30-17 win over the Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium Monday night:

Next man up just goes and goes and goes: You’re as tired of reading that line as I am of writing it. But on this night the Colts went collectively deeper into their depth than usual. And guess what? The subs produced.

Jacob Tamme is not Dallas Clark, but six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown is a pretty good tight end contribution. (He’s the 27th player to catch his first-career touchdown from Peyton Manning.) Subbing for the injured Joseph Addai as the lead back, Mike Hart looked very good as he took 12 carries 84 yards before suffering an ankle injury late that prevented him from finishing the game. Justin Tryon filled in for Jerraud Powers at right cornerback, often across from Andre Johnson, and the Texans got Johnson the ball just seven times, for nothing longer than 28 yards.

The expectation is you produce when called upon, and if you’re the guy who doesn’t do it after so many have, then how much grief would you be in line for?

“You never want to be that guy, that guy who doesn’t perform, that guy who doesn’t step up when called upon,” Hart said. “I think management does a great job of bringing in players that can come in and do well when guys go down and that’s what I tried to do.”

Said Manning of Tamme: "It was nice to see a guy that had a calm, cool look to him the entire night. That is encouraging to see."

Houston’s play calling will be second-guessed -- a lot: In some ways this was similar to the Week 3 loss to Dallas.

In the first half of that game Arian Foster got only eight carries and Johnson got only two catches, while the Texans had 21 snaps of offense and 11:51 of possession.

In the first half of this game, Foster got only eight carries and Johnson got only two catches while the Texans had 24 snaps of offense and 11:12 of possession.

“Our plan was to be a balanced football team,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “We wanted to do some things early. A couple of runs were called early that ended up being passes... I don’t think we’d have had any problem being a balanced football team had we made a third down.”

The Texans were 0-for-6 on third downs in the first half: a third-and-10 sack, a third-and-6 incompletion, a third-and-2 incompletion (followed by a fourth-and-2 incompletion), a third-and-5 sack, a third-and-10 pass to Johnson for 9 yards and a third-and-4 incompletion.

Sure, the Texans would have been able to be balanced had they converted some of those. It's what Kubiak looked to for conversions that was questionable.

Foster finished the game with 15 carries for 102 yards and a score. That was good for a 6.8 average. On four of those third downs, giving it to him would have seemed to have been more prudent than throwing it. At least give him one of two chances when you needed only 2 yards.

“When we dialed up the run, we were good,” left tackle Duane Brown said. “When we dial up the pass, we’ve got to be good enough to hold up.”

Maybe Kelvin Hayden is re-emerging: A healthy Hayden was supposed to provide a big boost to the Colts' pass coverage this season, but through six games he’d not been nearly as good as I expected he’d be.

Against the Texans, with both Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey out, Hayden was working with the inexperienced Tryon on the other side and Deshea Townsend as the nickelback.

Hayden stepped in front of an ill-advised Schaub pass intended for Kevin Walter and waltzed to a 25-yard touchdown that gave the Colts what felt like an insurmountable 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

“I think that’s what you want to do as a player, continue to make progress week in, week out,” he said. “I want to work on just doing my job, and when you do your job, things happen. As you can see, I didn’t do anything special, I just did my job…

“I think I started slower than I expected, I don’t have an answer for it. But it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. They say at corner you have to have a bad memory, so I don’t remember it.”

Hayden also had five tackles, including one for a loss.

Houston's Brian Cushing not making the impact we expected: He didn’t really explode until midway through his rookie year, but then he set a standard. It’s one he has not met in the three games he’s played since returning from his season-starting four-game suspension for a violation of the league’s policy against performance enhancers.

This was his first game in the middle, where he’s been shifted to replace DeMeco Ryans, who's out for the season with an Achilles injury. Press box statisticians credited Cushing with just five tackles and he also had a pass defensed. But a team with a struggling secondary and a less-than stellar pass rush needs more from Cushing.

“I think he did a pretty darn good job,” Kubiak said. “And I think we played hard. We’ve got to improve each week and he’s the best guy [in the middle] that gives us a chance to do that.”

The move to the middle took Cushing away from tight end coverage.

“He’s a great player, though, I think he’s just fine inside,” Tamme said.

Strongside linebacker Philip Wheeler will work to get it back: Wheeler was supposed to be the next emerging linebacker for the Colts, but he was replaced in the starting lineup against the Texans by rookie Pat Angerer, who started and played well for an injured Gary Brackett in the Week 6 win at Washington.

Evidently, coaches found that production too good to leave on the sideline.

“They didn’t really explain too much about it, they just made a decision, I guess,” Wheeler said. “I’m not happy with the decision, but I can’t do anything right now about it. I’ve just got to keep my head up and play ball when I get in the game. I’m not sure what’s the case with it. No hard feelings to Pat, when he’s out there I think he’s going to play well.”