I'd like to start with a trivia question in today's article. Who has more career rushing yards, Edgerrin James of the Arizona Cardinals or degenerate murderer O.J. Simpson?
If you answered "James," give yourself a pat on the back.
Perhaps it's because he was overshadowed by the greatest quarterback the game has ever seen in Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison with Indianapolis, but James has quietly become one of the more proficient runners in NFL history.
My favorite book (right up there with the informative novel, Jesus the Christ), the NFL Record & Fact Book, revealed that James is the active NFL rushing leader with 11,607 rushing yards entering this season. Interestingly, that is good enough for 13th place all time.
Now, however, despite the potential for the Cardinals' finest season since 1976, when they were in St. Louis and finished 10-4, the usually stoic James is showing some disappointment.
Obviously, the NFL is a game for young men and Tim Hightower has been excellent in the rare instances when the prolific Cardinals' offense decides to run the ball, but agent Drew Rosenhaus, as he always does, has stirred the pot. Rosenhaus, as James' agent, has gone to Cardinals management in an attempt to force a release or trade, but wisely Arizona seems to be focusing on matters on the field.
Nevertheless, we've seen this movie before. When Rosenhaus affects a client already full of himself, we have seen successful teams implode such as the Philadelphia Eagles.
While Philadelphia has been flirtatious with excellence in the interim, they've never returned to the top of the NFC East consistently since Terrell Owens' less-than-amicable departure.
As a fellow "James," I would just like to remind Edgerrin that pyrrhic victories aren't worth it. It's better to be like Clyde Drexler with the Houston Rockets as although he had to sacrifice personal numbers, he finally won a championship.
In this crazy NFL season, who knows what the Cards are capable of? If James swallows his pride and remains a consummate team player, this team can really go places.
4 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Sean Crowe 7 months ago
I'm not sure you can compare James to Owens, but point taken.
The difference between the two is Owens was still extremely useful when he went crazy, I'm not sure James is all that useful anymore except in small spurts.
Nice job.
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Brad James 7 months ago
Thanks, I guess they're not really comparable save that they both have Rosenarse as an agent.
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David Matthew 7 months ago
The Edge is a great player and provides veteran leadership to the Cards. You can't find an interview with RB Tim Hightower where he hasn't given James props for his unselfishness or model work ethic. James demands a high salary and will probably be moved at the end of the season.
Edgerrin brought leadership and consistency to Arizona, finally providing the 1000 yard rusher that was needed. Unfortunately, he doesn't bring the tackle-breaking, big play elusiveness to offset the passing game. Hightower fits that role much better.
As far as money goes, his $6.7mil is the third highest only behind Offensive Tackle Mike Gandy and WR Fitzgerald. The money is better spend on re-signing Anquan Boldin, Adrian Wilson, and even Kurt Warner.
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Brad James 7 months ago
Thanks for the comments, Dave. They're always appreciated.
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