Dominic Rhodes is leading the league in rushing and no one seems to notice.
It may not be the NFL, but Rhodes is on a tear in the UFL. Playing for the Florida Tuskers, Rhodes has rushed for 222 yards and four touchdowns — both tops in the league through four games. He also returns kickoffs, which makes him the UFL's leader in net yards as well.
Still, Rhodes' performance has failed to create much of a buzz outside of the UFL. Several teams in the NFL could use a running back, including the Packers and Redskins, yet no team has made any public bites. An NFL team can buy out Rhodes' or any other UFL player's contract for only $150,000. Instead, teams like the Broncos and Seahawks trade disappointing former first-round picks, Laurence Maroney and Marshawn Lynch respectively, leaving Rhodes churning away in the UFL.
Rhodes' story starts back in Texas where he attended Tyler Junior College for two years, earning All-America Honors. He then transferred to Midwestern State University and despite success there, he went undrafted. He signed with the Colts in 2001 and when Edgerrin James went down for the season with a knee injury, Rhodes started the last nine games. He exploded onto the scene with over 1,100 yards — the most of any undrafted NFL rookie.
The next few years, Rhodes was relegated as a backup to James, but when James left for Arizona in 2006, Rhodes finally got a chance to start. But even though Rhodes officially started all 16 regular season games, rookie Joseph Addai got the bulk of the carries. Still, Rhodes played well throughout the year, accumulating nearly 900 total yards, and he rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown in the Colts’ Super Bowl win.
After a down year with the Raiders in 2007, Rhodes came back to the Colts in 2008 and put up over 800 yards of offense while backing up Addai. The next year he signed with the Bills, who cut him before the season-opener, making him one of the millions of unemployed Americans.
Now, Rhodes has found his way in Orlando. He may be 31, but he's running as well as ever. He told UFL Access at the beginning of the season, "I know how my body feels, I feel excellent. I don’t think you can put a limit on anybody.”
People have put limits on Rhodes his entire career, but he continues to prove his critics wrong.
