Twice as nice; Double runners present some slippery problems.

Byline: Rich Garven

FOXBORO - Like Twinkies, blue eyes and The Wreckers, good things come in twos.

That has certainly been the case this season as the four NFL conference finalists all have leaned on two running backs - or in the Patriots' case, three - while advancing within a game of Super Bowl XLI.

The Patriots and Colts meet tomorrow for the AFC championship. While all eyes will be on Tom whatshisname and Peyton somethingoranother, the backs toting the football figure to play an equally vital role in determining who goes home and who goes to Miami.

Both teams have a veteran/rookie combo. For the Colts, it's Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai, who was the 30th overall pick out of LSU in April's draft. The Patriots counter with Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney, the former Minnesota standout taken nine picks in front of Addai. The versatile Kevin Faulk also is in the mix.

As one might suspect, some of these guys are not like the other.

"Each running back has a different style," defensive end Ty Warren said of the typical two-back rotation, "so you always have to be aware of the back and the type of style that he brings to the table because it can affect how you approach (playing defense)."

Addai is a certified breakaway threat and had a breakout inaugural season, leading all rookies with 1,081 yards rushing. He tops all runners in the postseason with 161 yards on 43 carries.

The 5-foot-9, 203-pound Rhodes is smaller than Addai, but considered more of a downhill runner. He gained 641 yards in the regular season and trails only Addai among playoff rushers with 124 yards.

Rhodes and Addai have a few traits in common, not the least of which are quickness and strength. In other words, no area of the field is off limits.

"They run a lot of zone blocking schemes and those holes can come in different spots," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "It could be outside. It could be inside. It could cut back if everybody on the defense is at the point of attack, because the ball could hit anywhere. Those guys do a good job with their run vision of finding the seams and getting into the holes."

The two combined for 100 yards on a whopping 35 carries in a 15-6 divisional-round win over the Ravens last weekend. But Rhodes, who rushed for 1,104 yards as a rookie and then spent the last four seasons backing up Edgerrin James, was clutch while the game was still in doubt.

Taking a handoff on 11 of 12 plays, Rhodes made enough headway against the vaunted Baltimore defense to burn nearly eight minutes off the clock and set up Adam Vinatieri's clinching field goal with 23 seconds to play. Tomorrow, it might be Addai's turn.

"They're really interchangeable parts," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "We run the same plays for both guys. When one gets winded, the other one is going in, no matter how the rotation goes.

"So we just feel like whoever is in there has to do the job, and we have confidence in both guys. That's big this time of year."

Neither Dillon nor Maroney came up big against the Chargers. The two combined for 13 carries and 23 yards against a stout defense, but that's pretty much what you expect to see in January. Faulk filled the void, rushing for 25 yards on six carries and catching a couple of passes while providing strong pass protection.

Dillon (812 yards) and Maroney (745 in 14 games) had their ups and downs during the regular season, but rarely at the same time. Indianapolis views the thunder-and-lightning combo as a danger to strike at any time.

"Maroney is a fast guy; Dillon has very deceptive speed," safety Bob Sanders said, perhaps biting his lip on the latter half of that statement. "They're very strong, they both have great balance. They can run downhill. Sometimes when they get outside, they can run to the corner and get around you and break your leverage."

The Colts ranked last in the NFL in run defense during the regular season. They have turned things around this month, surrendering a total of 127 yards while corralling the Chiefs' Larry Johnson and the Ravens' Jamal Lewis with a swarming approach.

Still, the Patriots have to believe they can grind it out - and keep the ball away from the Indy offense - if for no other reason than they've done so all ready. Kind of.

The teams met in November and the Patriots averaged a healthy 4.5 yards a carry while gaining 148 yards. But most of that production came in the first half, the Patriots inexplicably abandoning the run over the final 30 minutes despite being involved in a game that was fairly close.

Don't look for the visiting New Englanders or the hometown Hoosiers to bail on the ground game when they meet on the fast track at the RCA Dome tomorrow.

"The reality is that that is what you have to do in the playoffs," Indianapolis center Jeff Saturday said. "There are going to be a lot of runs that are two yards or three yards here and there, but you never know when you're going to bust one for eight or nine, or even break it out (for something) bigger than that."

Good things come in twos, as the Patriots and Colts will gladly attest.

NAME: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 

ART: PHOTOS

PHOTOG: AP FILE PHOTOS

CUTLLINE: (1) The Colts' Joseph Addai led all rookies with 1,081 rushing yards. (2) The Patriots' Corey Dillon ran for 812 yards this season. (3) Corey Dillon, left, and Laurence Maroney have provided well in the backfield for the Patriots this season.