INDIANAPOLIS -- Mike Adams was sitting at home during the offseason wondering when his phone would ring with another NFL team on the other end telling him it was interested in his services.

Adams waited, waited and waited some more. He knew he could still play, but he had to wonder if teams thought he was too old and too slow to contribute.

He had to wait until the middle of June when the Indianapolis Colts finally called. They were looking to add a veteran at safety after not being sure Delano Howell was the answer alongside LaRon Landry.

Adams didn't come to the Colts with the mind frame that he would play with a told-you-so mentality to the teams that had no interest in him. He planned to play and then let those who questioned what he had left in tank come to their own conclusions.

The 33-year-old Adams has 77 tackles, five interceptions and has recovered two fumbles this season.

"I wouldn't say I told you so to the doubters, but it would be a matter of, 'You're [expletive] right, I still got it,'" Adams said.

The Colts should be represented at the Pro Bowl (if they don't make the Super Bowl) by receiver T.Y. Hilton, quarterback Andrew Luck, punter Pat McAfee, kicker Adam Vinatieri and cornerback Vontae Davis.

Adams has a legit argument to be there, too. He was fifth among strong safeties in the most recent voting results.

"I'd be lying if I said the Pro Bowl is something I'm not interested in," Adams said. "I've been playing 11 years, I know how to control and weed things out. It was a goal of mine for years and I would definitely be appreciative if that were to happen."

Adams spent the previous two seasons playing for the Denver Broncos. He knew his time there was over because it was going to "come down to the number's game."

So there was Adams having to prove himself once again. He had to do it when he was undrafted out of the University of Delaware, when he was with San Francisco and with the Cleveland Browns.

"This is my sixth year playing with Mike and one thing about him is that he's always had to earn his stripes," linebacker D'Qwell Jackson said. "He's always been the elder statesman in the locker room, but he was never given anything. Whether it was through injury, beating a guy out, he always found a way to get on the field. He's a smart guy. For a guy that's 33, he runs better than most 23 years old. I don't see him declining from a physical standpoint. He can run all day. He could play another 3-4 years, easily."

Adams has brought stability to a safety position that had questions after Antoine Bethea bolted for San Francisco last March. He understands the dynamics of the entire defense, makes sure everybody knows their assignment and is lined up where they're supposed to be based off of the offensive formation.

Adams' ability to always be around the ball is something that has turned a lot of heads. He learned early on that he runs to the ball good things are bound to happen. His five interceptions are tied for third in the league.

"He's always around the ball," cornerback Greg Toler said. "I don't know how you always find your way around the ball. If you can play, you can play at any age you can still be as good as you want to be. He's a Pro Bowler. He should be getting more pub than he's getting. Have to find a way to get him there."