Even in shadows, Canidate shines

By Michael Smith, Globe Staff, 2/1/2002

EW ORLEANS - What do you call a second-year player and former first-round pick who averaged nearly 6 yards per carry this season and scored a touchdown every 13 times he ran the ball for the St. Louis Rams?

Backup.

Trung Canidate runs a lot like Marshall Faulk, catches the ball a lot like Marshall Faulk, and even looks a lot like Marshall Faulk. Thing is, he's not Marshall Faulk.

''No one's going to be like Marshall,'' Canidate said. ''I'm trying to be the best Trung Canidate I can be. Faulk does a lot of great things, but I do things in my way.''

And he did them well enough this season to gain 441 yards on 78 carries, most of them coming in Week 6 (when Faulk was out with a knee injury) and Week 8 (when Faulk sat out the second half of a blowout of Carolina).

A week after scoring the decisive touchdown in a 15-14 victory against the Giants Oct. 14, Canidate stepped in for the injured Faulk and ran for 195 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns in a 34-14 win over the Jets. It was the most yards by a running back in his first start in 17 years. Both touchdowns came on trick plays, the first 44 yards off an option pitch from Az-Zahir Hakim, the second 12 yards off a direct snap.

The following week, while being held to 19 yards on 12 carries by the Saints, Canidate showed he, too, had the complete package, catching 10 passes for 107 yards in St. Louis's first loss of the year, a 34-31 collapse at home.

Faulk returned for the Rams' 48-14 rout of Carolina and ran for 183 yards in the first half. Canidate spelled him for the last two quarters and gained most of his 145 rushing yards, including a 23-yard touchdown.

After bursting on the scene in midseason, Canidate returned to his supporting role, carrying only 13 times the rest of the season.

''Without a doubt, it's not the easiest thing to do knowing you have to sit and wait and be patient,'' he said. ''Patience is a virtue, that's what I live by.

''The main thing is that I have a great guy in front of me, and I've always said if I ever get somebody that I can learn from and get the opportunity to kind of pick his mind and let him teach me about the league and everything that's going on, I look at it as a positive. I only take the positive things away from my situation.''

Canidate's situation was a lot worse last season, when he missed 13 games with wrist and ankle injuries and carried only three times for 6 yards after setting career rushing records in college at Arizona.

''That first year was very frustrating for me,'' said Canidate, a Phoenix native whose first name is of Chinese origin. ''It was a humbling experience, and it taught me a lot. It's like my faith. Faith that's untested is like not having faith at all. When your football career has not been tested, you won't know what kind of person you are.

''Going through adversity is something I relish. I wouldn't want it any other way. When you're put in situations that are frustrating and difficult to deal with, you get a better idea of who you are.''

Faulk thinks Canidate has the potential to be a quality starter.

''He has a lot of good instincts,'' Faulk said. ''There's just things about the game of football that I try to work with him on that's going to make him a better player. And the only way you get better is playing games.

''Unfortunately - but fortunately - he has me here, and he doesn't get to play those games right now. But I think if he gets a couple of years under his belt, and gets to go out there and try things, make mistakes and learn from them, he's going to be a great running back in this league.''

In the meantime, Canidate is focused on being a great special teamer; he is a member of the punt, punt-return, kickoff, and kickoff-return teams, and led the team with 36 kickoff returns for 748 yards.

''My whole thing is, I'm a God-fearing man,'' Canidate said. ''Whatever I have to do, I'm going to try and be the best at it.''