I’ve been doing some thinking and I’ve decided something. Edgerrin James is not a guy I would want in my NFL Franchises’ locker room. I’m not even looking at it from the standpoint of James being a player going on 31 and headed into the last year of a 4 year, $30 Million contract. I am saying I wouldn’t want a 25 year old healthy Edgerrin James. I wouldn’t want the 2000 version of Edgerrin James who put up 2303 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Yeah, that’s a lot of talent I’m saying that I would not want on my team but facts are facts. James is quite possible the worst type of locker room cancer, the (usually) dormant type. Terrell Owens? You know what you are getting with T.O. You know he’ll blow up on people when things are not going well. When you sign a guy like Owens the chance you are taking is written in plain English for you to see.
With James you get a guy who said “It’s a great situation, all they need is a back.” And “I’m a poker player. You can take it to the river. I’m not scared to make a change. I’m not scared to go out on a limb and try something different.” When he signed a big deal with the Cardinals but is now sulking, saying that he won’t be back in Arizona in 2009, saying that he didn’t go there to block and that he is not an offensive lineman. In other words, he’s outright telling you he is not in this to help his team win games. He’s telling you that his statistics and personal glory matter.
It kind of makes you think back to 2005 when the Indianapolis Colts had a difficult decision to make. Pay their 4 time pro bowl back whom seems fully recovered from his injuries or roll the dice on a rookie and a career backup that has had some marginal success. With a large amount of their salary cap already devoted to the likes of Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, and Reggie Wayne they chose to go the Joseph Addai/Dominic Rhodes approach. Addai and Rhodes did the time share thing and were a large part of the Colts Super Bowl run, including setting the tone for the second half of the legendary 2006 AFC Championship game against the Patriots where the Colts rallied from not having a pulse and being 15 down to beat the Patriots and claim the AFC Title for the first time.
At the same time, Edgerrin James was plinking away at 3.4 yards per carry en route to a 5-11 Arizona Cardinals record.
Is it just a coincidence that the Colts won the Super Bowl in 2006 AFTER losing Edgerrin James despite having what many felt was a team far inferior to its 2004/2005 versions? Or is it possible that having two backs fighting it out for the rights to be called the “Starter” translated into a more successful post season? Is it possible that the platoon situation led to Addai and Rhodes both being more than willing to be blockers or “Offensive Linemen” if the situation warranted it in order to make the TEAM better? Is it possible that despite everything Edgerrin James was for the Colts from 1999-2005 that his now glaring selfishness was one of the problems come crunch time?
If I’m a 30, going on 31 year old back who is 4 years away from glimpsing 4.0 yards per carry and I STILL want to play the game, I’m not saying the things Edgerrin James is. I’m saying the the right things. I’m telling my coach that I will do whatever it takes to get the Cardinals a home playoff win and a chance to move deeper into the post season. I’m looking at my 600 total yards and 3 TD’s, comparing them to Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston and realizing that I am not among those most responsible for taking this team to the playoffs. I’m realizing that at my age I’m lucky to be part of a team that could make an improbable Super Bowl run.
What I couldn’t do is look across the huddle at a guy who had his face smashed in earlier this season who has come back and worked even harder to make this team win, and declare that it is all about what I want. I couldn’t look up at the stands and see the fans who have paid my $30 Million salary and tell them I wanted no part of the extremely rare moment of success their team is having. I couldn’t stare into the eyes of a Quarterback who was bagging groceries at age 28 and has been cast off by the Rams and Giants before coming to Arizona to play backup to Matt Lienert and declare that that I’ve had it rough since being the fourth overall pick at age 21 and being wanted my entire career.
These are the reason why I would not want Edgerrin James. Just days before what is perhaps the biggest game ever for this franchise he has decided to go out to the media and let them know that Edgerrin James is more important than pass blocking for Kurt Warner. Edgerrin James would rather have 5-11 and stats than a playoff berth. Edgerrin James is a selfish malcontent that is on the verge of fading from the NFL ……. forever.
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