Melvin Bullitt

Melvin Bullitt

Bullitt during the 2010 offseason
No. 33     Indianapolis Colts
Defensive back
Personal information
Date of birth: November 13, 1984 (1984-11-13) (age 27)
Place of birth: Bryan, Texas
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	Weight: 201 lb (91 kg)
Career information
College: Texas A&M
Undrafted in 2007
Debuted in 2007 for the Indianapolis Colts
Career history
Indianapolis Colts (2007-present)
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Big 12 (2006)[1] USA Today All-Joe Team (2008, 2009)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 2, 2011
Tackles	193
Sacks	0.0
INTs	7
Stats at NFL.com

Melvin Terry Bullitt (born November 13, 1984 in Bryan, Texas) is an American football defensive back for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.

Early years

Bullitt starred at Naaman Forest High School in Garland, Texas, where he was team MVP as a senior after totaling 78 tackles (43 solo), five pass deflections, and three interceptions. He also caught 7 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown.

Bullitt committed to Texas A&M at the end of his junior year.^[2]

College career

As a freshman at Texas A&M, Bullitt played in 8 games and produced 13 tackles. As a sophomore, he played in 12 games, finishing with 29 tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble. He started 10 games as a junior and compiled 59 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. In the 2006 season, as a senior outside linebacker, he started in all 13 games had 84 tackles (26 solo), one interception, one fumble recovery, and eight pass deflections. After the season, he was named to the 2006 AT&T All-Big 12 Football First Team.^[1] He finished his college career with 183 tackles (80 solo), 10.5 tackles for losses, and four interceptions.

Bullitt changed positions every season. He began playing at corner, then free safety, then strong safety, and finally at outside linebacker.^[2]

Professional career

2007 season

He signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent.

He started in the Colts’ dime package in a 33-14 week 5 victory over Tampa Bay and also saw action on defense in week 9 against New England as a replacement for injured Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders. He had his most extensive playing time in week 17 against Tennessee, when he entered the game in the second half after the Colts rested starters on both sides of the ball. Despite only playing the second half, he made a team-high 10 tackles.^[3][4][5]

2008 season

During the 2008 season, Bullitt made three game-saving interceptions to seal victories for the Colts. In the 31–27 comeback win over the Texans on October 5, he intercepted a pass by quarterback Sage Rosenfels at the Indianapolis 22, with 42 seconds remaining in the game. On November 9, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger attempted to throw a touchdown pass into the end zone on the final play, but Bullitt intercepted the pass, preventing a Steelers comeback and sealing the 24–20 Colts win. The third game-saver occurred in the second matchup against the Texans on November 16, when Bullitt intercepted Rosenfels' pass at the Colts 35, with 32 seconds left in the game. In the same game, however, he missed a tackle near the line of scrimmage on running back Steve Slaton, who ran 71 yards for a touchdown.^[6] The Colts still won 33–27.^[7][8] Overall, Bullitt started nine games during the season, recording 42 solo tackles and four interceptions.^[9]

After the season, Bullitt received recognition from USA Today, which listed him on its annual "All-Joe" team.^[10]

Regarding his then-new role as a starter, Bullitt stated: "You always want to be a starter. That’s why you come to the NFL. You don’t want to come in and be a backup. You have to learn and you have to wait your time. You have to be patient, because anytime, an opportunity may come. Mine came this year, and I just wanted to go out and do the best I can and show people in the league I can play, too."^[2]

2009 season

In January 2009, Bullitt was named the "emerging star" of the AFC South by an ESPN.com blogger; seven other players representing each division of the league were named one as well. The players were picked based on their performances in the 2008 season.^[11]

His teammates elected him as one of the two 2009 special teams captains.^[12] He started the season as a starter replacing the injured Bob Sanders. He was named the "Unsung Hero of the Week" for Week 3 by USA Today for his performance against the Arizona Cardinals. Bullitt forced a fumble and also prevented an airborne player from scoring a touchdown at the goal line.^[13]

Bullitt also made a crucial fourth down stop in the 35–34 victory over the New England Patriots.^[14][15]

For the second straight year, Bullitt made USA Today's "All-Joe" team.^[16]

2010–2011 seasons

In October 2010, Bullitt was placed on injured reserve and missed the rest of the season.^[17]

Three weeks into the 2011 season, Bullitt was placed on injured reserve.^[18]

Personal

He wears the No. 33 in honor of his father, Jerry Bullitt, who wore the number as a linebacker at Texas A&M. When asked about his number, Bullitt stated: "I kind of feel like when I'm wearing (No. 33), a piece of my dad is with me when I'm on the field." ^[19] Fellow teammate Dominic Rhodes previously wore the same number for six seasons from 2001–2006 before playing the 2007 season for the Oakland Raiders.^[20] Once Rhodes returned to the Colts prior to the 2008 season, he tried to get the number back and even offered Bullitt serious money for it, but to no avail.^[21]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "2006 AT&T All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced" (Press release). http://www.big12sports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112806aac.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Bullitt enjoying role as Colts' closer". http://www.tribstar.com/sports/local_story_327220617.html?keyword=topstory. 
3. ^ http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080921/SPORTS0605/809210428/-1/SPORTS
4. ^ http://www.tribstar.com/sports/local_story_263234042.html
5. ^ "Bullitt’s Late Interception Clinches Colts Victory . . . Again". http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=43183d02-06f2-4631-9421-35625ea1eef2. 
6. ^ "Colts' Bullitt proves value as safety". http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081122/SPORTS/811220314. 
7. ^ "Former Texas A&M safety Melvin Bullitt is making the big plays". http://www.star-telegram.com/329/story/1051517.html. 
8. ^ http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081122/SPORTS/811220314
9. ^ "Bullitt quickly makes his mark in secondary". http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20090912/SPORTS0605/309129942/1008/SPORTS. 
10. ^ Weisman, Larry (January 22, 2009). "Annual All-Joe team: Honoring those who won little acclaim". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2009-01-20-all-joe-team_N.htm. Retrieved May 12, 2010. 
11. ^ "Flacco, Ravens should soar to new heights in 2009". http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?page=predictions09/nfl. 
12. ^ "COLTS NAME FOUR CAPTAINS F0R 2009". http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=a7a1c255-d0e4-450d-8b3b-7ba59ba4c53f. 
13. ^ Bell, Jarrett (September 30, 2009). "NFL Replay: Declining skills at the root of T.O.'s slow start". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2009-09-28-nfl-replay_N.htm. Retrieved May 12, 2010. 
14. ^ "They did what!?: Patriots’ fourth-down gamble backfires big time". http://sentinelsource.com/articles/2009/11/16/sports/national/free/id_379416.txt. 
15. ^ "'The Bullitt Shot' heard around the NFL world". http://blogs.indystar.com/philb/2009/11/the_bullitt_shot_heard_around.html. 
16. ^ Davis, Nate (January 28, 2010). "Joe Flacco an overachieving headliner on '09 All-Joe Team". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2010-01-26-all-joe-team_N.htm. Retrieved May 12, 2010. 
17. ^ http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/10/05/colts-safety-melvin-bullitt-will-miss-the-rest-of-the-season/
18. ^ http://www.1070thefan.com/news/story.aspx?ID=1566966
19. ^ Rhodes caught in a numbers game, and it might get costly IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star
20. ^ "Dominic Rhodes enjoys reunion with team he helped win Super Bowl XLI". http://www.tribstar.com/colts/local_story_211223912.html. 
21. ^ "Back With the Colts, Dominic Rhodes Might Buy No. 33 From Melvin Bullitt". http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2008/05/18/back-with-the-colts-dominic-rhodes-might-buy-no-33-from-melvin/. 

External links

• COLTS CHAT: MELVIN BULLITT: November 14, 2008
• Colts.com article