After the Indianapolis Colts gave up 375 yards on the ground to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14 of the 2006 season, few people at that point envisioned them making a deep playoff run, let alone winning the Super Bowl.
Simply put, they had to do something, and one of the subtle adjustments they made was to put linebacker Rob Morris back into the starting lineup.
Following that move, the Colts would begin to get their run defense under control and then win six of their next seven games, including that improbable Super Bowl XLI matchup against the Chicago Bears.
Morris amassed 41 tackles in the final seven games as a starter, including 4 solo stops in the Colts' first championship game of the Indianapolis era.
It was the pinnacle of what had been an up-and-down career for Morris. He was originally drafted in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Colts with the 28th overall pick out of BYU. He earned a reputation as a classic middle linebacker type after earning First-Team All-American and First-Team All-Mountain West honors in his final collegiate season.
He became a full-time starter in Indianapolis from 2001-04 and was productive in that time, notching two 100-tackle seasons. Throughout his eight-year career — all spent with the Colts — Morris started 67-of-99 games, totaling 489 tackles (35 for loss), 7.0 sacks, 1 quarterback hits, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumbles recovered, 1 interception, and 7 pass breakups.
Unfortunately, he suffered a significant knee injury early in the 2007 season which required season-ending surgery. He wasn't able to return to his old self and was released with a failed physical designation early in the following offseason.
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