TheCardFan
Things have changed.
Cool article...
http://sports.aol.com/nfl/story/_a/james-ready-to-help-cardinals-take/20060906111909990001
James Ready to Help Cardinals Take Flight
Competitiveness Peeks Through Easy-Going Demeanor
JARRETT BELL
USA Today
PHOENIX — Before heading off into a sweltering Arizona night, Edgerrin James lowered the window of the SUV he was riding in and playfully engaged in role-playing. He was suddenly an Eddie Murphy character.
"Billy Ray Valentine: Capricorn," James said, citing the line with the same pitch, pace and accent that Murphy did in the 1983 comedy classic, Trading Places.
"But really," he added in his own voice, laughing, "I'm a Leo."
James, a lion of a running back for seven years with the Indianapolis Colts , has indeed traded places.
He is an Arizona Cardinal now, switching from a legitimate Super Bowl contender that had playoff runs in each of the past four seasons to a franchise with seven consecutive losing seasons and just one winning campaign (1998) in its 18 years in the desert.
The Cardinals had the NFL's worst rushing game in 2005, with league lows for rushing average (3.2 yards) and attempts (22.5 a game). They needed a player like James to grind the clock and help balance an offense containing a potent passing game.
But in luring James with a four-year, $30 million contract, they are also paying for a credible presence who fuels hope for better times in a new $455 million stadium in suburban Glendale.
"They stepped out there for me, and with the new stadium you can see the direction we're heading in," James says. "And when you look at (coach) Denny Green, he's nobody's loser. Look at the way he's setting up the program. It's perfect for me. Then if I had sat back in Indy, what would I have had to do, settle for less?"
James, 28, was one of the Colts' so-called Triplets with Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison . He was retained the past two years with one-year "franchise player" tenders while other key players — Manning, Harrison and all-pro defensive end Dwight Freeney included — signed long-term deals. The Colts' rationale was that spending more to keep James would have prevented them from using salary-cap dollars on the defense.
The Colts drafted Louisiana State running back Joseph Addai with a first-round pick in April, and envision Dominic Rhodes making the impact he did during a 1,104-yard rookie season in 2001 when James was out with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
"I want to see Dominic have success," James says. "All last season, I told him, 'Dog, if I get through this season, I'm out of here and it's going to be your show. Just let me get a chance.' It was like I was breaking out of jail or something."
Messy exit from the Colts
On draft day, Colts President Bill Polian said of Addai, "He's what we haven't had here in a while, in terms of taking an 8-yard run that's blocked and turning it into a 22-yard run."
James took that remark as a slap in the face. In early August, while riding in search of a Scottsdale restaurant, it was apparent he was still steamed.
"All those years ... and he's got to take a shot at me," James says. "There were a lot of other people who had things going on, and you don't hear one thing. We had the best quarterback in the league, the top receivers, and you want to complain about me not breaking a 60-, 70-yarder? I thought they (the receivers) go down the field. I'm the one back there helping to protect the quarterback, the one getting those hard yards.
"If they wanted me to hit more big ones, run more draw plays. How many times did we do that? They'd have me blocking and send a tight end out on a route. It's a joke. What about when I came out of that (stuff) when it wasn't blocked? Man, c'mon."
During a training camp interview, Polian said he would have retained James at his $11 million franchise-player price for this season. But when the Cardinals guaranteed about $15 million, including a $7 million signing bonus and a $4.5 million roster bonus for next year, he said dealing for James became "untenable" for the Colts.
"Am I happy about that? No," Polian says. "It's a tough part of the job. These are human beings that I have a great deal of respect and affection for."
Polian insists he never intended to knock James, but that the 2001 knee injury forced him to alter his style and become a more efficient, all-around grinder of a back.
"You know I'm a baller, right?" James says. "So how do you justify it? Make me look bad, I guess. And all they could come up with was, 'Edge can't break the big one.' "
Indianapolis in the desert
No player in NFL history with at least 60 games has a higher scrimmage yards-a-game clip than James, whose 125.7-yard mark is a shade better than Jim Brown 's 125.5 clip. James has rushed for 100 yards in 49 of his 96 games, a 51% rate that is best for NFL runners with at least 35 100-yard games.
Green says he believes the well-conditioned bounce runner has plenty left. In each of the past two years, as he did in his first two pro seasons, James rushed for more than 1,500 yards.
"He doesn't take a lot of inside pounding," Green says. "Last year, he really played only 14½ games and still had over 1,500 yards."
Reminders of his former team include the Cardinals' heavy reliance on three-receiver formations and Green's minimal-contact practices. The Cardinals' new punt returner is Troy Walters , a former Colt.
"I call Troy my little fish," James says. "Remember the movie Jerry Maguire and the scene where he's leaving the firm? He said, 'Who's coming with me?' Then he grabbed the fish. Me and Troy had a Jerry Maguire moment. I left Indy and my fish is coming with me."
On the practice field, it even sounds like Indianapolis. James had never heard a coach make music with a whistle like the Colts' Tony Dungy, a former Green assistant, who uses distinct toots to signal the end of drills or the session.
"Dungy's whistle is just like Denny Green's whistle," James says. "When I hear that double-whistle, I'm thinking, 'That's Dungy all day.' Now I see where Dungy gets it from. I see where everything originated from."
A gamer all the way around
Undoubtedly, James is having fun with this transition, soaking up the buzz that surrounds the team and his marquee status. A local TV station has signed him for his own weekly reality-based show, Living on the Edge. Just before camp, many of his new teammates came back a day early to attend his "Welcome to Arizona" party at a nightclub.
"Matt (Leinart) didn't even have a deal yet and he came," says James, beaming.
Will James still be smiling in December? The Cardinals were 5-11 in 2005 and have lost at least 10 games for four consecutive seasons.
When defensive tackle Darnell Dockett predicted the team will win at least seven games this season, James essentially looked at him sideways.
"He said, 'Seven games? Man, I'm going to be miserable out here,' " Dockett says. "In the back of my mind, I'm thinking, 'Damn. We've got the perfect guy.' "
Maybe James can light a fire under a big but underachieving offensive line that is considered a weak link. In the passing game, he can help keep drives alive as a proven outlet receiver for Kurt Warner .
Already, his impact has been profound in the locker room. As he did in Indianapolis, James has been big on inspiring group outings. One night, bowling. Another night, the movies. James swears that if he runs low on pocket cash, he needs to merely invite some teammates to the pool hall.
"One day, I'm going to take it real serious," he trash talks as cornerback Eric Green, sitting across from him at the dinner table, rolls his eyes. "But I can already beat all these dudes."
James was the catalyst in getting the Cardinals to switch to black shoes to go with their uniforms. As in Indianapolis, he has a tricked-out locker stall where players congregate. The setup includes a stereo, video game console and television.
"You know how when you do stuff the second time around it's always better?" James says of his locker. "I've got DirecTV now. Before, I just had cable."
Perhaps James, who owns real estate in his home state of Florida, will get around to buying a house again in the city where he plays. He sold his home in Indianapolis after the 2004 season, vowing not to buy a new one unless he got a long-term contract.
Last season, he lived out of a hotel, with his belongings scattered at the homes of teammates and piled up in the locker room. James says his dry cleaning was picked up and dropped off at the Colts' headquarters.
With Arizona? "He's got clothes everywhere," receiver Anquan Boldin says. "Especially in the locker room. He's got his own little area."
When James showed up at the Cardinals' camp, Dockett says he told him everything he owned in Arizona — including a few T-shirts, five pairs of shorts and a jacket — was with him in Flagstaff.
"I just shop as I go," James says.
And he's back living primarily in a plush, luxury hotel.
"It's sweet," says James, who is single, with two sons in Florida. "I go to work, then look for something fun to do. That's a beautiful lifestyle. I don't have to worry about no system getting installed or getting the lights turned on."
'Sweet' deal a no-brainer
Boldin says James has loosened the team's environment and teammates gravitate to him because his fierce competitiveness is wrapped in a free-spirited nature. "We needed something like this," Boldin says.
Al-Jazeera broadcasts al-Qaeda video reportedly taped before the 9/11 attacksLebanon air blockade lifted; naval blockade stays in place for nowLawmakers chastise BP over lax maintenence of Alaska pipelineFrey, publisher reportedly settle suitPanthers' Smith misses practice again, still questionable for opener vs. Atlanta Before the free-agency market opened, Boldin gauged James' interest. Both played in Washington Redskins receiver Santana Moss ' charity basketball game, and at halftime Boldin tried to sell James on Arizona. The next morning, Boldin phoned Green and told him he thought the Cardinals had a shot at James.
The morning the market opened, James and agent Drew Rosenhaus flew to Phoenix. When James got to the complex, Boldin, Warner and the other Pro Bowl receiver, Larry Fitzgerald , cornered him in an office.
"It was like, 'We're not going to let you leave,' " Boldin says. "It worked out."
James says the recruiting job was a nice gesture, but the real hook was the Cardinals' financial package. The contract pays $25 million in the first three years.
Never mind the franchise's sorry history. "I'm at peace," he says. "In due time, everybody will see. It's going to be sweet."
http://sports.aol.com/nfl/story/_a/james-ready-to-help-cardinals-take/20060906111909990001
James Ready to Help Cardinals Take Flight
Competitiveness Peeks Through Easy-Going Demeanor
JARRETT BELL
USA Today
PHOENIX — Before heading off into a sweltering Arizona night, Edgerrin James lowered the window of the SUV he was riding in and playfully engaged in role-playing. He was suddenly an Eddie Murphy character.
"Billy Ray Valentine: Capricorn," James said, citing the line with the same pitch, pace and accent that Murphy did in the 1983 comedy classic, Trading Places.
"But really," he added in his own voice, laughing, "I'm a Leo."
James, a lion of a running back for seven years with the Indianapolis Colts , has indeed traded places.
He is an Arizona Cardinal now, switching from a legitimate Super Bowl contender that had playoff runs in each of the past four seasons to a franchise with seven consecutive losing seasons and just one winning campaign (1998) in its 18 years in the desert.
The Cardinals had the NFL's worst rushing game in 2005, with league lows for rushing average (3.2 yards) and attempts (22.5 a game). They needed a player like James to grind the clock and help balance an offense containing a potent passing game.
But in luring James with a four-year, $30 million contract, they are also paying for a credible presence who fuels hope for better times in a new $455 million stadium in suburban Glendale.
"They stepped out there for me, and with the new stadium you can see the direction we're heading in," James says. "And when you look at (coach) Denny Green, he's nobody's loser. Look at the way he's setting up the program. It's perfect for me. Then if I had sat back in Indy, what would I have had to do, settle for less?"
James, 28, was one of the Colts' so-called Triplets with Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison . He was retained the past two years with one-year "franchise player" tenders while other key players — Manning, Harrison and all-pro defensive end Dwight Freeney included — signed long-term deals. The Colts' rationale was that spending more to keep James would have prevented them from using salary-cap dollars on the defense.
The Colts drafted Louisiana State running back Joseph Addai with a first-round pick in April, and envision Dominic Rhodes making the impact he did during a 1,104-yard rookie season in 2001 when James was out with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
"I want to see Dominic have success," James says. "All last season, I told him, 'Dog, if I get through this season, I'm out of here and it's going to be your show. Just let me get a chance.' It was like I was breaking out of jail or something."
Messy exit from the Colts
On draft day, Colts President Bill Polian said of Addai, "He's what we haven't had here in a while, in terms of taking an 8-yard run that's blocked and turning it into a 22-yard run."
James took that remark as a slap in the face. In early August, while riding in search of a Scottsdale restaurant, it was apparent he was still steamed.
"All those years ... and he's got to take a shot at me," James says. "There were a lot of other people who had things going on, and you don't hear one thing. We had the best quarterback in the league, the top receivers, and you want to complain about me not breaking a 60-, 70-yarder? I thought they (the receivers) go down the field. I'm the one back there helping to protect the quarterback, the one getting those hard yards.
"If they wanted me to hit more big ones, run more draw plays. How many times did we do that? They'd have me blocking and send a tight end out on a route. It's a joke. What about when I came out of that (stuff) when it wasn't blocked? Man, c'mon."
During a training camp interview, Polian said he would have retained James at his $11 million franchise-player price for this season. But when the Cardinals guaranteed about $15 million, including a $7 million signing bonus and a $4.5 million roster bonus for next year, he said dealing for James became "untenable" for the Colts.
"Am I happy about that? No," Polian says. "It's a tough part of the job. These are human beings that I have a great deal of respect and affection for."
Polian insists he never intended to knock James, but that the 2001 knee injury forced him to alter his style and become a more efficient, all-around grinder of a back.
"You know I'm a baller, right?" James says. "So how do you justify it? Make me look bad, I guess. And all they could come up with was, 'Edge can't break the big one.' "
Indianapolis in the desert
No player in NFL history with at least 60 games has a higher scrimmage yards-a-game clip than James, whose 125.7-yard mark is a shade better than Jim Brown 's 125.5 clip. James has rushed for 100 yards in 49 of his 96 games, a 51% rate that is best for NFL runners with at least 35 100-yard games.
Green says he believes the well-conditioned bounce runner has plenty left. In each of the past two years, as he did in his first two pro seasons, James rushed for more than 1,500 yards.
"He doesn't take a lot of inside pounding," Green says. "Last year, he really played only 14½ games and still had over 1,500 yards."
Reminders of his former team include the Cardinals' heavy reliance on three-receiver formations and Green's minimal-contact practices. The Cardinals' new punt returner is Troy Walters , a former Colt.
"I call Troy my little fish," James says. "Remember the movie Jerry Maguire and the scene where he's leaving the firm? He said, 'Who's coming with me?' Then he grabbed the fish. Me and Troy had a Jerry Maguire moment. I left Indy and my fish is coming with me."
On the practice field, it even sounds like Indianapolis. James had never heard a coach make music with a whistle like the Colts' Tony Dungy, a former Green assistant, who uses distinct toots to signal the end of drills or the session.
"Dungy's whistle is just like Denny Green's whistle," James says. "When I hear that double-whistle, I'm thinking, 'That's Dungy all day.' Now I see where Dungy gets it from. I see where everything originated from."
A gamer all the way around
Undoubtedly, James is having fun with this transition, soaking up the buzz that surrounds the team and his marquee status. A local TV station has signed him for his own weekly reality-based show, Living on the Edge. Just before camp, many of his new teammates came back a day early to attend his "Welcome to Arizona" party at a nightclub.
"Matt (Leinart) didn't even have a deal yet and he came," says James, beaming.
Will James still be smiling in December? The Cardinals were 5-11 in 2005 and have lost at least 10 games for four consecutive seasons.
When defensive tackle Darnell Dockett predicted the team will win at least seven games this season, James essentially looked at him sideways.
"He said, 'Seven games? Man, I'm going to be miserable out here,' " Dockett says. "In the back of my mind, I'm thinking, 'Damn. We've got the perfect guy.' "
Maybe James can light a fire under a big but underachieving offensive line that is considered a weak link. In the passing game, he can help keep drives alive as a proven outlet receiver for Kurt Warner .
Already, his impact has been profound in the locker room. As he did in Indianapolis, James has been big on inspiring group outings. One night, bowling. Another night, the movies. James swears that if he runs low on pocket cash, he needs to merely invite some teammates to the pool hall.
"One day, I'm going to take it real serious," he trash talks as cornerback Eric Green, sitting across from him at the dinner table, rolls his eyes. "But I can already beat all these dudes."
James was the catalyst in getting the Cardinals to switch to black shoes to go with their uniforms. As in Indianapolis, he has a tricked-out locker stall where players congregate. The setup includes a stereo, video game console and television.
"You know how when you do stuff the second time around it's always better?" James says of his locker. "I've got DirecTV now. Before, I just had cable."
Perhaps James, who owns real estate in his home state of Florida, will get around to buying a house again in the city where he plays. He sold his home in Indianapolis after the 2004 season, vowing not to buy a new one unless he got a long-term contract.
Last season, he lived out of a hotel, with his belongings scattered at the homes of teammates and piled up in the locker room. James says his dry cleaning was picked up and dropped off at the Colts' headquarters.
With Arizona? "He's got clothes everywhere," receiver Anquan Boldin says. "Especially in the locker room. He's got his own little area."
When James showed up at the Cardinals' camp, Dockett says he told him everything he owned in Arizona — including a few T-shirts, five pairs of shorts and a jacket — was with him in Flagstaff.
"I just shop as I go," James says.
And he's back living primarily in a plush, luxury hotel.
"It's sweet," says James, who is single, with two sons in Florida. "I go to work, then look for something fun to do. That's a beautiful lifestyle. I don't have to worry about no system getting installed or getting the lights turned on."
'Sweet' deal a no-brainer
Boldin says James has loosened the team's environment and teammates gravitate to him because his fierce competitiveness is wrapped in a free-spirited nature. "We needed something like this," Boldin says.
Al-Jazeera broadcasts al-Qaeda video reportedly taped before the 9/11 attacksLebanon air blockade lifted; naval blockade stays in place for nowLawmakers chastise BP over lax maintenence of Alaska pipelineFrey, publisher reportedly settle suitPanthers' Smith misses practice again, still questionable for opener vs. Atlanta Before the free-agency market opened, Boldin gauged James' interest. Both played in Washington Redskins receiver Santana Moss ' charity basketball game, and at halftime Boldin tried to sell James on Arizona. The next morning, Boldin phoned Green and told him he thought the Cardinals had a shot at James.
The morning the market opened, James and agent Drew Rosenhaus flew to Phoenix. When James got to the complex, Boldin, Warner and the other Pro Bowl receiver, Larry Fitzgerald , cornered him in an office.
"It was like, 'We're not going to let you leave,' " Boldin says. "It worked out."
James says the recruiting job was a nice gesture, but the real hook was the Cardinals' financial package. The contract pays $25 million in the first three years.
Never mind the franchise's sorry history. "I'm at peace," he says. "In due time, everybody will see. It's going to be sweet."
