Published: December 11, 2008 11:51 pm         

Davenport glad to be out of Pittsburgh

TERRE HAUTE — It didn’t take running back Najeh Davenport very long to become a fan of the Indianapolis Colts.

The 6-foot 1, 247-pound Davenport, a fourth-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2002, had played in four games with the Pittsburgh Steelers this season before he was waived on Nov. 8. A day later, the Steelers faced Indianapolis at Heinz Field.

“They [Pittsburgh] let me go, then they brought me back, then they let me go, then they brought me back, then they let me go and then I got the call here,” Davenport said Thursday. “I was supposed to go to the New York Jets [after he was waived by the Steelers the last time]. They called me and told me that they were going to bring me in [early this week]. And then [Monday night] I got the call to come here. I got here Tuesday.

“They [Pittsburgh] released me [right before the Colts game] and brought me back the next Wednesday. And then played like two more games [with the Steelers]. When I got released [on Nov. 8], I was rooting for the Colts [to win the Nov. 9 game].”

He got his wish. Indianapolis won 24-20.

Davenport was intrigued about coming to Indianapolis and playing with an offense that featured quarterback Peyton Manning. He had heard good things about the team from former Colts running back Edgerrin James and current receiver Reggie Wayne. All three are University of Miami alums.

“I wanted to see what all the hype was about, so I was kind of happy when I got the call,” he said, adding that the toughest thing to pick up has been the offensive terminology. The basic offense is the same as what he work with in Pittsburgh.

“The only thing I knew [about the Colts] was what E.J. told me and what I learned from Reg. From the outside looking in, I thought that [picking up the offense would be] hard. But when I talked to E.J. and Reg, they said it wasn’t that hard.”



• Injury list —With the team shorthanded at running back, Davenport will probably take over as the Colts’ primary kickoff returner this week against Detroit. He might also spell Dominic Rhodes in the backfield if starter Joseph Addai isn’t available.

“If Joseph is able to go, then it’ll be Joseph, Dom and Najeh. If not, then we’ll someway activate [running back] Lance Ball off the practice squad,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said. “I’m not counting on Chad [Simpson] right now. He has an ankle sprain that generally takes a couple of weeks to heal up. So we’re kind of figuring on Chad being down [not playing against Detroit].”

Dungy added that center Jeff Saturday is expected to start Sunday, while he’ll wait and see how Addai does today and tomorrow. Weak side linebacker Tyjuan Hagler (knee) is not expected to play. He will join middle linebacker Gary Brackett (broken right fibula) and defensive tackle Keyunta Dawson (hamstring) on the sidelines.

Safety Bob Sanders, meanwhile, has not experienced any additional swelling in his right knee and will be in the starting lineup against the Lions. He did not practice Wednesday or Thursday.

“Jeff, I think, is going to be good to go and ready to play. Joseph is probably a game-time decision,” the Colts coach said. “[Sanders] seems to be fine and he’s on his normal [practice] routine this week.”

In addition to Sanders, among those not practicing Thursday were Addai, Simpson, Brackett, Dawson, Hagler, defensive tackle Eric Foster (neck/burner), wide receiver Pierre Garcon (personal), and offensive tackle Tony Ugoh (knee).

Returning for workouts were safety Antoine Bethea (rest), defensive ends Robert Mathis (rest) and Dwight Freeney (rest), cornerback Tim Jennings (rest), and weak side linebacker Freddy Keiaho (abdomen).

• Petrowski could be back soon — As expected, former Terre Haute North and Indiana State tight end Jamie Petrowski may be returning to the team’s roster sooner rather than later. Petrowski was waived on Wednesday to make room for Davenport on the Colts’ active roster.

“We’re going to try to get him back,” Dungy said. “Hopefully he’ll be back by [today].”

After initially signing with Indianapolis three weeks ago, Petrowski was on the active roster but was inactive for games with San Diego, Cleveland and Cincinnati. It’s not known as of yet whether he would be brought back to the active roster or signed to the Colts’ practice squad.

• Tickets available — The Detroit Lions have returned nearly 300 tickets for this Sunday’s game with the Colts.

Tickets are available at the Lucas Oil Stadium ticket office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, charge-by-phone at (317) 239-5151 or at www.ticketmaster.com.