Colts running back Edgerrin James smiles as he climbs out of a taxi after arriving at the Colts training camp in Terre Haute, Ind., Sunday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Edgerrin James couldn't drive himself to the Indianapolis Colts' training camp Sunday, so he did the next best thing: He reported for work in a cab.

        James lost his driver's license last week because of a speeding violation. On Sunday, he and teammate Reggie Wayne shared a Yellow Cab to make it on time for Tony Dungy's first Colts training camp.

        The cost of the 73-mile trip: about $150 plus tip, a handful of autographs for driver Yancy Jackson and an offer to become James' permanent backup driver.

        “This is what you do when they take your license,” James shouted as he stepped out of the car.

        Last week, James agreed to a $500 fine and a one-month suspension of his license after being clocked at 111 mph in a 60 mph zone on May 8 in his hometown of Immokalee, Fla.

        The Colts weren't worried about James' mode of transportation Sunday, just whether he was ready to practice.

        “That one was surprising to me,” new coach Tony Dungy said. “It was my understanding he would ride here with Reggie. That's a nice cab ride from Indianapolis, and I'm assuming it's a nice tip, too.”

        The NFL's two-time rushing champ hasn't worked out with his teammates since November, when he had season-ending knee surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

        Since then, there were reports he wanted to be traded, that he was playing flag football and basketball on his surgically repaired right knee while rehabilitating in Miami, and concern that he wanted to renegotiate his contract after he skipped a mandatory three-day minicamp in April.

        On Sunday, James finally addressed some of the issues. He said he didn't show up for minicamp because he couldn't practice, and that he wouldn't have shown up for training camp if the knee wasn't healthy.

        “My main thing was getting myself back together,” he said. “The other stuff I'm not concerned about. I never did like the incentive thing because once you get hurt, you're not able to hit those incentives.”

        Still, James smiled, laughed, joked and appeared to be enjoying himself. Yet he saved his best humor for the most awkward moment — his arrival — which took the edge off some of the other issues.

        Quarterback Peyton Manning said James called him Thursday, seeking advice on how best to make his entrance.

        “He was asking me whether he should go with a limousine or a cab,” Manning said. “I said 'You've got to go like a workman, take the cab.”'

        Jackson, the driver, was surprised when he got the call and more surprised when he pulled into the parking lot, where a throng of reporters blocked the car and waited for James to emerge.

        After James finished, Jackson became the center of attention.

        “I didn't know they were on their way to camp,” Jackson said. “There was some excitement when he got in, though, sure.”

        Dungy and the Colts hope James will rekindle that excitement on the field.

        Team doctors cleared James for practice last Monday. Dungy has said he intends to work James in slowly, using him only once a day in Terre Haute.

        His teammates also are encouraged by the reports they're hearing, but the first test comes Monday morning when the Colts practice for the first time.

        “He told me he dunked a basketball, so that's got to be pretty good,” Manning said. “I've been trying for 26 years on two good knees and I can't dunk a basketball. But I don't know if we want him dunking out there.”

        What the Colts need most is a return to the form that made James the league's NFL rushing champion in 1999 and 2000. The Colts made the playoffs both years.

        His presence is especially critical now because his backup, Dominic Rhodes, could face disciplinary action by the NFL after signing an agreement to withhold prosecution on a domestic battery charge Friday. Rhodes could face either a league fine or suspension.

        Rhodes replaced James as the Colts' starter in Week 7 last season and rushed for 1,104 yards — an NFL record for an undrafted free agent.

        And James has no doubt he can be the Colts' driving force again.

        “I'm happy to be here, it's been a long process and I'm ready to do some things,” James said. “I told Coach Dungy I'd be here, and I'm here.”

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