American Football: James practices; might play agaisnt packers

Running back Edgerrin James, sidelined two days with a strained hamstring, returned to practice Thursday and could be ready to play when the Indianapolis Colts host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

James, who strained his left hamstring on a late touchdown run last week against Tennessee, took part in individual and team drills before sitting out the final half-hour of Thursday's practice.

"Edgerrin actually did well, surprisingly well," coach Tony Dungy said. "Based on what I saw today, he could probably play. So if he comes back (Friday) and doesn't have any side effects and is able to do just what he did today, then I would think he'd probably play."

If he does play, however, his carries probably will be limited, Dungy said.

"We're obviously going to be smart. It's one thing to play, it's another thing to play 85 plays and not get a break," Dungy said. "Obviously, he does have an injury there, so I don't think he would play every single play. But then again, I said the same thing about Marvin (Harrison) when he came back."

Last year, at Buffalo, Harrison was returning from a hamstring injury and was expected to see limited playing time but wound up playing most of the game.

If James is able to start Sunday, he most likely will split time with backups Dominic Rhodes and James Mungro. Rhodes has seen most of the work with the first offensive unit this week. Rookie running back Ran Carthon, who was re-signed to the active roster on Wednesday, is also a possibility.

"We might dress an extra back just in case, and maybe not dress one of our linebackers," Dungy said. "But my sense is if (James) plays, we'll be just like we were last week (at Tennessee)."

Colts' James to play in limited action

Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James practiced Friday and will play on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

James strained his left hamstring on a late touchdown run in last week's win over the Tennessee Titans. Colts coach Tony Dungy said he expected James to start but see limited playing time in the Colts' home opener.

"He did fine," Dungy said Friday. "And right now I assume that he'll probably play. We'll watch him and monitor him during the game. But right now it looks like he should play."

James participated in individual and teams drills Friday, which came as a surprise to Dungy. Team doctors initially figured James would miss at least one game, but he has been running well in practice this week.

"He is a little different," Dungy said of James. "Medically, I don't think they assumed he was going to be able to go. But he said he felt like he would. And, so far, with two days practice, it looks like he should be able to."

Backup running back Dominic Rhodes is expected to share playing time with James. Dungy will keep a close eye on James on Sunday and could give Rhodes more carries to ease some of the pressure on James.

"It won't be so much a total play count, but it will probably be six plays and then out, eight plays and out, something like that. We'll see how he goes," he said.

NFL.com