"The number seems to be affixed to the Indianapolis Colts running backs like a scarlet letter: 32.

It's not visible -- except on Mike Hart's jersey -- yet No. 32 is synonymous with the Colts' running game. That's where they ranked in 2009. Dead last, a notch worse than in '08.

Sitting quietly in a cart following a recent practice at Anderson University, Joseph Addai did not ignore the obvious.

"I know it's an issue," he said.

Has he grown tired of fielding questions about an area of the Colts' high-powered offense that frequently fails to measure up?

"It's not that bad, really," Addai said. "Honestly, that is the question. I'm not dumb, not to know that's an issue we have. We want to run it better when we run it."

That's the bottom line, one quarterback Peyton Manning said will be addressed tonight when the Colts meet the Buffalo Bills in Toronto's Rogers Centre.

The Colts have emphasized their deficient running game during the offseason and in training camp. But there's only so much that can be gained when practices don't allow slam-bang tackling or give running backs a chance to break tackles.

"It's really hard to judge it in practice," Manning said. "A great test will be Buffalo and Green Bay when you're going to play (more), maybe the first half. It's those third-and-1s you're going to have to convert."

That has been the perceived bane of the Colts' ground game, too often unreliable in short-yardage situations. Everyone remembers Hart's failed third-and-1 attempt in the second quarter of the Super Bowl XLIV loss to New Orleans.

A closer look, though, adds perspective. Since 2006, the Colts have converted 65-of-89 third-and-1 situations with their running game. That's 73.0 percent. The overall league average during that span was 70.8. The average for playoff teams was 72.1."