Their time to shine

Their time to shine
December 29
Indianapolis Star columnist Phillip B. Wilson
"One yard from his first NFL touchdown, rookie running back Lance Ball's eyes gave away his eagerness as the Indianapolis Colts huddled on first-and-goal.

"Here you go," said quarterback Jim Sorgi, as he called a play for Ball, a practice-squad player from Maryland who was making his pro debut. "Get in the end zone."

Ball did, but not with the ball. He lost it inches from the goal line.

Fortunately for the Colts and Ball, backup center Jamey Richard fell on the fourth-quarter fumble for a touchdown to complete the scoring in a 23-0 victory over the Tennessee Titans Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

"Oh, man," Ball said, smiling and shaking his head. "I think I was too excited right there."

But say this for the kid, he didn't dwell on the mistake.

"Things happen. You've got to shake it off. We got the win. That's what counts," he said.

In a game neither team needed for playoff positioning, the Colts had more backups who performed like it mattered. Ball was the most unlikely, a practice squad player signed to the active roster on Friday because of injuries to Dominic Rhodes and rookie Chad Simpson.

Despite the fumble, Ball had a game-high 83 yards rushing on 13 carries, an average of 6.4 yards per attempt. His best carry was his last, breaking free for 23 yards on third-and-2 and the game's final first down. The Colts took a knee three times after that to end the game.

Sorgi, no stranger to being a late-season fill-in for Peyton Manning, trotted out to start the second series. He completed 22-of-30 passes for 178 yards and built on an early lead as he drove the Colts to three field goals.

"It felt good to get out there," Sorgi said. "There was a lot riding on this game. A lot of guys needed some yards, some balls, some records. We needed the 12th win for 12 wins for six straight years, which no other team has done."

The game was also important because it was the first for his 2-year-old son, James III.

Sorgi had a hand in making it memorable for himself, too. His 3-yard pass to Marvin Harrison in the second quarter moved the Colts' all-time leading receiver to second on the NFL's catch list with 1,102.

Asked if he liked being a part of a trivia question, he said, "I don't know if anybody will ever ask it, but it's good to be that answer.""
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