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Championship!!!!
Cardinals' James has stayed healthy, productive
By DARREN URBAN
The weight room has long been Edgerrin James’ fallback.
Cardinals running back Edgerrin James is fifth in the NFL with his 603 rushing yards this season.
He long believed his offseason workouts were paramount to his success, so much so that often, he’d skip out on his team’s offseason work to remain solo back in his home state of Florida. Last season, the Cardinals’ running back turned to the weight room to gird himself for the pounding he took in a run game that often struggled to work.
And this season, with new coach Ken Whisenhunt promising a better – and possibly heavier – dose of running, James prepared again with the weights.
“I give myself the best chance to be able to play the game,” James said.
That has made James the Cards’ offensive rock, through injuries to their quarterbacks and receiver Anquan Boldin and on the offensive line.
That has made James the fifth-leading rusher in the NFL with 603 yards.
And it continues to boost “Edge” up the chart of the NFL’s all-time runners, putting him 12 yards short of 11,000 in his career. He started the season as the league’s No. 19 all-time rusher but is in position to reach 13th by the time the season is over.
“When I came into the league I said I wanted to be one of the guys remember for playing this position,” James said. “I wanted to make my mark. I have been having some good years, but in the end, that’s when it will matter. That’s when we’ll see how far I have come.
“These are the years I have been looking forward to, but at the same time, I want to be winning also.”
The lack of victories has frustrated James, who was able to mesh individual and team success when he played in Indianapolis. The close losses on the road have eaten at him this season.
But at least the Cards have been able to turn to James whenever they need.
A change in coaches did not change James’ workload; of the Cards’ 171 rushing attempts by non-quarterbacks this season, James has 155 of them.
Contrast that to Sunday’s opponent, Tampa Bay, which has lost its top two tailbacks to significant injuries – starter Cadillac Williams wrecked his knee and backup Michael Pittman hurt his ankle – has been scrambling to find a running back to lean on.
Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt can turn to James. Every time.
“That is a tribute to the work he does in the offseason, the work he always does, because he takes care of himself,” Whisenhunt said, noting when he saw James on film after he took over as coach “Edge had a lot of gas left in the tank.”
Opponents have noticed too – which, in some ways, is to James’ chagrin.
Teams were having to deal with the no-huddle look of Kurt Warner throwing to Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald when Boldin got hurt.
“All of a sudden, you see the dudes creeping back up there(toward the line of scrimmage),” James said, laughing. “Why are they coming back bothering me? I thought I was supposed to be old and not running that well.
“When you see eight, a ninth man in the box, it is a sign of respect. That’s how I have looked at it. But I’d rather have them not respect me and back up.”
James would rather avoid the attention on and off the field. The hoopla that accompanied him from Indianapolis has faded -- “I think he likes flying up under the radar,” Boldin said – and truthfully, he’d rather pattern himself closer to former Colts teammate Marvin Harrison, who wants his play to speak for itself.
He’s got to be on the field for that, however. And even Wednesday, he put off an interview session for about 20 minutes – he had to lift weights first.
“I look at myself as a business,” James said. “I want to have success. I want to see why I am not doing well. I am not satisfied where I am now. People say, ‘You are crazy, you are in the top five in the league.’ But I am not satisfied. I don’t feel I have hit my groove yet.”
Contact Darren Urban at [email protected]. Posted 10/31/07
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=2033
By DARREN URBAN
The weight room has long been Edgerrin James’ fallback.
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Cardinals running back Edgerrin James is fifth in the NFL with his 603 rushing yards this season.
He long believed his offseason workouts were paramount to his success, so much so that often, he’d skip out on his team’s offseason work to remain solo back in his home state of Florida. Last season, the Cardinals’ running back turned to the weight room to gird himself for the pounding he took in a run game that often struggled to work.
And this season, with new coach Ken Whisenhunt promising a better – and possibly heavier – dose of running, James prepared again with the weights.
“I give myself the best chance to be able to play the game,” James said.
That has made James the Cards’ offensive rock, through injuries to their quarterbacks and receiver Anquan Boldin and on the offensive line.
That has made James the fifth-leading rusher in the NFL with 603 yards.
And it continues to boost “Edge” up the chart of the NFL’s all-time runners, putting him 12 yards short of 11,000 in his career. He started the season as the league’s No. 19 all-time rusher but is in position to reach 13th by the time the season is over.
“When I came into the league I said I wanted to be one of the guys remember for playing this position,” James said. “I wanted to make my mark. I have been having some good years, but in the end, that’s when it will matter. That’s when we’ll see how far I have come.
“These are the years I have been looking forward to, but at the same time, I want to be winning also.”
The lack of victories has frustrated James, who was able to mesh individual and team success when he played in Indianapolis. The close losses on the road have eaten at him this season.
But at least the Cards have been able to turn to James whenever they need.
A change in coaches did not change James’ workload; of the Cards’ 171 rushing attempts by non-quarterbacks this season, James has 155 of them.
Contrast that to Sunday’s opponent, Tampa Bay, which has lost its top two tailbacks to significant injuries – starter Cadillac Williams wrecked his knee and backup Michael Pittman hurt his ankle – has been scrambling to find a running back to lean on.
Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt can turn to James. Every time.
“That is a tribute to the work he does in the offseason, the work he always does, because he takes care of himself,” Whisenhunt said, noting when he saw James on film after he took over as coach “Edge had a lot of gas left in the tank.”
Opponents have noticed too – which, in some ways, is to James’ chagrin.
Teams were having to deal with the no-huddle look of Kurt Warner throwing to Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald when Boldin got hurt.
“All of a sudden, you see the dudes creeping back up there(toward the line of scrimmage),” James said, laughing. “Why are they coming back bothering me? I thought I was supposed to be old and not running that well.
“When you see eight, a ninth man in the box, it is a sign of respect. That’s how I have looked at it. But I’d rather have them not respect me and back up.”
James would rather avoid the attention on and off the field. The hoopla that accompanied him from Indianapolis has faded -- “I think he likes flying up under the radar,” Boldin said – and truthfully, he’d rather pattern himself closer to former Colts teammate Marvin Harrison, who wants his play to speak for itself.
He’s got to be on the field for that, however. And even Wednesday, he put off an interview session for about 20 minutes – he had to lift weights first.
“I look at myself as a business,” James said. “I want to have success. I want to see why I am not doing well. I am not satisfied where I am now. People say, ‘You are crazy, you are in the top five in the league.’ But I am not satisfied. I don’t feel I have hit my groove yet.”
Contact Darren Urban at [email protected]. Posted 10/31/07
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=2033
