Faulk Gives Colts Long-Running Hope

Got to start somewhere. With a philosophy, a player, a play--something to build on and win with after so many years of frustration and ineptness. That is what Marshall Faulk and “off-tackle isolation” are all about. They are the foundation of a running game designed to bring dignity and respect to an Indianapolis Colts organization that has rarely had either since Robert Irsay plunked the team in America’s heartland.

In those 10 tumultuous seasons since they pulled out of Baltimore, the Colts have measured success in thimble-full amounts. An American Football Conference Eastern Division title in 1987, a few winning seasons sprinkled among embarrassing debacles. John Elway wouldn’t play for them; Eric Dickerson was brought in from Los Angeles as a ready-made hero, only to sour on the team and the city; hometown boy Jeff George could have owned the place but fought so many imagined demons that he gladly accepted a trade this past offseason to the Atlanta Falcons. First-round picks can’t stay healthy. Fans once giddy over the Colts’ arrival now stay away in large numbers from the RCA Dome.

Now there is Faulk and “off-tackle isolation.” A simple play, this off-tackle jaunt. It probably shows up in one form or another in every National Football League playbook, save maybe for those run-and-shoot guys. But for the Colts, it could become the start of something big. In Faulk’s hands, it could be a franchise savior. It is the basis of a philosophy espoused by Bill Tobin, the newly instituted director of football operations. In his mind, stability will come in the form of a solid, dependable running game; a solid, dependable rush defense; and solid, dependable special teams. The days when the Colts tried flash and dash to romp among the big boys are over. But for Tobin’s way to work any better than the old methods, Faulk, the rookie rushing phenom with a resume that elicits comparisons to names such as Smith, Sanders, Thomas and even Payton, has to flourish. And that brings us to “off-tackle isolation.”

Every successful running team needs one or two calls that become its signature plays. Plays that, under the most adverse circumstances, are likely to produce needed yardage. “We knew we were in trouble last year,” center Kirk Lowdermilk says, “when we had to throw the ball on second-and-2.” But this season, on second-and-2, the Colts most likely will call on off-tackle isolation, with Faulk doing the carrying honors. “We are still finding out what he does best, and that play may be the one,” Coach Ted Marchibroda says. “You have to say it has worked well so far.” The 13th time Faulk ran it in the regular-season opener against Houston he gained 56 yards. The next time another 11 and a touchdown. On 28 carries over three games, the play has accounted for 144 yards. Faulk gained more than 100 yards in each of the first two contests, tying a Colts record, including 143 against the Houston Oilers.

For a franchise convinced that luck hasn’t been a friend for years, the addition of Faulk could be a godsend. If nothing else, the timing seems perfect. Tobin was hired in January by Irsay, who in effect removed his son, affable General Manager Jim Irsay, from direct influence over the club’s personnel matters. And, in his typically classless way, the elder Irsay contacted Tobin without first informing Jim. Tobin last was in Chicago, where he learned under Jim Finks and then helped construct the Bears’ mid-1980s powerhouse. Like Finks, Tobin believes fervently in the pluses generated by running the ball. But at Chicago, it was easy to talk that way with Payton in the lineup. In Indianapolis, Tobin inherited a club that had been last in the NFL in rushing the past three seasons; with Faulk, the Colts led in rushing after two weeks behind virtually the same line.

“It was a good time to be bad, if there is such a thing,” says Tobin about 1993. The Colts, who finished 4-12, had the second pick in the draft. Although two prized quarterbacks, Heath Shuler and Trent Dilfer, were available and George had used up his welcome, Tobin felt blessed that Faulk had decided to leave San Diego State after his junior season. Here was the running back who could do for the Colts what Payton did for Tobin’s Bears.

Faulk used his three college years to accumulate more rushing yardage in that span than any player in NCAA history. At 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, Faulk is another in a line of current elite NFL backs, all cut from the same chunky, bowling-ball mold. What separates him from most of his peers, however, is rare, raw speed. That is where he most resembles Barry Sanders. Most pro rushers can’t run away from defensive backs; Faulk, given even a minor chance to burst into the secondary, can pull away from any opponent. Plus, few backs can get from point A to point B any faster. At his best, he is a blur.

“Faulk is a great player already. An elite player,” Washington Redskins General Manager Charley Casserly says. “Is he better than Sanders or Thomas or Smith? You can’t say he isn’t, but he is going to have to prove it. But he has that kind of ability.”

“We lacked a big play guy on offense,” says Marchibroda, who was given little choice but to rework his attack once Tobin arrived. “A guy who can become a pressure-point player who forces the defense to focus on him and stop him before they do anything else. Marshall is that kind of guy.”

In a league that suddenly is overflowing with superior running backs, this guy is the best to come along since Emmitt Smith left Florida for the Dallas Cowboys. Most teams like to build around quarterbacks. But there are few elite players being produced anymore at that spot, so it makes sense to jump on a bandwagon drawn by the talents of a Faulk. At least the Colts can’t do much worse than they already have trying this route.

“I’m not going to tell you I thought I could walk into this league and do this well right away,” Faulk says. “You don’t have strong doubts, but you always wonder, watching these guys on TV. They look so big and strong. Can you keep up?”

The Redskins built Super Bowl successes around “counter trey.” Dallas is committed to using Smith on “lead draw.” Maybe “off-tackle isolation” will become Faulk’s trademark. The play starts simply enough. Faulk lines up behind and to the right of fullback Roosevelt Potts. When the ball is snapped, they both run away from the tight-end side of the offense, to the weak side. Faulk takes a handoff from Jim Harbaugh and follows the lead of Potts, whose assignment is to isolate and block the outside linebacker. At the same time, the guard and tackle on that side are sealing off their opponents. It takes Faulk only a couple of strides to reach the line. That’s when the guess work begins.

Early in training camp this past summer, Gene Huey, the Colts’ running backs coach, had to yell at his students for spending too much time watching Faulk in practice. “I told them he wasn’t any different than they are,” Huey says laughing, “except he was earning more money.”

Saviors come with big price tags these days. It cost the Colts $17.18 million spread over seven years to sign Faulk, including a $5.1 million bonus. Not bad for a kid from the projects of New Orleans who could have just as easily settled for a street life instead of a college education. He is 21 but acts, thinks and speaks like someone years older. “It’s because I have older brothers,” he says about his maturity, “and growing up in my situation, you have to grow up quick or die young. The environment I grew up in still helps me make critical decisions in my life, not only who to hang with but to know what is right or wrong, what I want to do, where I want to go, what road I want to take.”

Jim Irsay told Faulk and his representatives that if the young star went about things intelligently, he could own Indianapolis. “The fans are looking for something to latch onto,” he says. “They are optimistic, but at the same time, they have a wait-and-see attitude.” But what fan could resist Bambi?

If it takes the time to learn about Faulk, the town will like him. He can be a bit high-strung, and he unfortunately shows signs of becoming something less than a media darling. But his work habits so far have been impeccable. And his idea of a great time seems to be retreating to his home 15 minutes from the Colts’ practice facility as quickly as possible to sleep or watch television, particularly televised football. If that’s not possible, he will settle for tapes of opponents.

“I just go home and kick back,” he says. “That’s what I feel like doing most times. You have the offseason to have a life. But in order to be successful, you have to dedicate yourself and your time during the season and before the season to being ready. You can’t slack off.

“But I guess you could call me a football junky. I’ll look at anything, Arena, World League, anything. I love it. I am a student of the game. I try to see what is new, what a team is trying to do to stop an offense. I pick up new things. I never get tired of it. I’d play for nothing; I did for years.”

He is establishing foundations in New Orleans and Indianapolis to help abused children. It’s his way of giving something back to the community. “You can’t forget where you come from,” he says seriously. Teammates say Faulk has a nice sense of humor, but he’s also remarkably sober for someone so young and so very, very rich.

“He was smart,” tackle Will Wolford says. “He came in here very quiet and didn’t make any waves. He did it right. He knew everyone was looking at him, but he didn’t have an inflated ego. We know he has confidence in his ability, but he’s not arrogant. He’s a pretty good little kid.”

If the Colts block “off-tackle isolation” correctly, Faulk claims he can find not one or two holes but--count ‘em--three avenues of exploration. He starts by looking at what the guard’s block has accomplished but he is also locating other possibilities. Then it’s up to him to pick and choose. His coaches have been smart about handling him. They don’t want to inhibit his instincts by limiting his options on runs or blur his vision, which Lowdermilk calls phenomenal.

“We’re using that run-to-daylight approach,” Marchibroda says. “You want to give him freedom, don’t make him think, just let him go.” For Faulk, the three choices on this play--or any other that may become his trademark--are critical to his long-term success in the NFL. “There is a 1-yard hole, a 5-yard hole and a 15-yard hole,” he says. “The average back chooses the 1-yarder, the good back the 5-yarder and the great ones pick the 15. Then if you break one tackle in the secondary, that’s when you have the long runs.”

Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave Faulk and his teammates a stark lesson on how to control young phenoms and personnel-shy opponents. After staking the Colts to a 14-0 lead, Pittsburgh methodically carved out a 31-21 win in Three Rivers Stadium that included a 500-179 total-yardage advantage and 19 more minutes of possession. While Barry Foster overwhelmed an injury-riddled defense by rushing for 179 yards, Faulk could only wait on the sideline in frustration. His afternoon was limited to 15 carries for 61 yards and one catch for 11 yards.

Marchibroda, still pinpointing the most appropriate ways to exploit this talent, wasted one first-half series splitting out Faulk three consecutive times but never throwing to him. Bad choice. The Steelers’ defense accepted congratulations for keeping him under 100 yards for the first time in his brief pro career, but their offense deserved more credit.

“He’s one of the best in the NFL,” Steelers Coach Bill Cowher says. “He kind of runs inside a bit like Emmitt, but he probably has better speed once he sees the crease. He has another gear. He can also get to the outside effectively. You aren’t going to control him like this every day.”