INDIANAPOLIS Faulk will make first return to RCA Dome

The Colts traded the running back to the Rams after the 1999 season.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The RCA Dome may seem unfamiliar to Marshall Faulk.
He'll be cutting on new turf, dressing in the visitors' locker room and won't hear his name when the starters are introduced. Colts fans have Super Bowl aspirations, not merely the playoffs.
And nobody can predict how those fans, who once cheered No. 28, will react when Faulk returns to Indianapolis for his first -- and perhaps last -- time tonight with the St. Louis Rams.
"I followed Marshall from his high school days down in New Orleans," two-time MVP Peyton Manning recalled. "I remember him on the cover of the prep section one year. He was always real special for me and he gave me some good advice."
His first NFL home
The memories of Faulk haven't always been so warm and fuzzy in Indy, his first NFL home.
Indianapolis drafted him with the second pick in 1994, and he instantly became the face of the franchise. In five seasons, Faulk topped 1,000 yards four times, was chosen for three Pro Bowls and led the team in receiving twice.
But his sometimes eccentric personality didn't always mesh with fans or teammates, and a contract squabble after the 1998 season sealed his eventual fate -- he was traded to St. Louis.
The deal was one of those rare ones in which both teams got what they needed. The Colts wound up drafting Edgerrin James, whose more physical running style was a better fit in Indianapolis' offense, and Faulk ignited a Rams resurgence.
In 1999, St. Louis went from also-ran to Super Bowl champion, largely because of Faulk's ability to elude tackles and make big plays. A year later, he was the league's MVP.
"I've never seen a running back play at the level he plays at," Rams receiver Torry Holt said.
Since the trade, much has changed.
The Colts (5-0) and Rams (2-3) have established themselves as perennial playoff teams, albeit with styles that seem tailor-made to their running backs.
Only a handful of Faulk's former teammates remain on the Colts roster -- Manning, left tackle Tarik Glenn, wide receiver Marvin Harrison and kicker Mike Vanderjagt -- and they remember what made Faulk special.
Faulk, too, has changed.
Knee injuries
His quick, shifty legs have been sapped by knee injuries that have forced one of the league's best all-around players into a more limited role. Faulk graciously accepted his role as change-of-pace back this season, surrendering his starting job to second-year back Steven Jackson.