Edgerrin James' vision has
always given him an edge.
Taken by the Indianapolis Colts as the fourth pick in
the 1999 draft -- a slight surprise one spot ahead of
Ricky Williams -- James has rushed for 11,607 yards in
nine seasons. After games, he'd flash back to plays as
if he had a photographic memory. He could tell you the
defensive coverages or the angle a linebacker was
taking. James runs with his mind as well as with his
legs.
James offers an interesting insight in regard to the
state of running backs in the league. "This is no more
smash-mouth football,'' James said.
Come to think of it, he's right. Brandon Jacobs (264
pounds) of the Giants, LenDale White (235 pounds) of
the Titans and Jamal Lewis (245 pounds) of the Browns
may cause big headaches for defenses because of their
size and impact, but it's not the size of the dog that
works in backfields nowadays, it's the speed of the
dog.
"It's a speed game,'' James said. "Everybody is
passing. The NFL has turned into a passing game. You
have the stretch play and zone blocking.''
James isn't complaining. At 215 pounds, James is rarely
going to overpower a defender. Early in his career he
didn't have to, he could just outrun them, but a knee
reconstruction forced him to make a few changes. Once
he came back from his knee injury, the yards kept
coming. He's had seven 1,000-yard seasons, including
five in a row.
James believes the leaguewide shift to short, safe
passes has created more of a level playing field for
running backs.
"Look at the guys on the defensive side of the ball,''
James said. "They aren't as big. You don't have all of
those 250-pound linebackers that you used to have back
in the day. Now, you have only a few. Now, there may
only be three or four big guys on the field on defense
at any given time. A lot of the linebackers are 220 or
230 pounds. ''
James gets a break playing in the NFC, where there are
only three teams that use the 3-4 defense -- an
alignment designed a little more for size. The
three-man front requires a big nose tackle and bigger
linebackers, because they engage guards and centers
more often. The NFC is more of a Cover 2, 4-3 defense
conference, featuring smaller linemen and linebackers
than the AFC.
At 215 pounds, James feels at home in the NFC, and he
definitely feels comfortable with the way the game is
changing. Coaches around the league are copying the
Giants' four-defensive end pass-rush scheme that caught
fire late last season and helped them upset the
Patriots in the Super Bowl. James feels the more
defensive ends, the better.
"Defensive ends, they just want sacks,'' James said.
"You don't worry about them. There are some defenses
where you see only two big guys on the field. When
everybody is trying to get sacks, that works in a
running back's favor.''
James turned 30 this summer, a scary age for running
backs. Teams target backs for replacement when they get
to 28 or 29 and have wear and tear on their bodies from
more than 1,600 carries. Though his rushing average has
slipped under 4 yards an attempt in the past two
seasons, James believes backs can last longer now
thanks to the greater emphasis on passing.
He looks at the success stories of Fred Taylor, Tiki
Barber and Curtis Martin having career years in their
30s. Williams beat out Ronnie Brown for the starting
job in Miami. He's 31. The league isn't geared toward
rewarding backs once they turn 30, but the opportunity
is there if an older back is smart enough to take
advantage of it.
"I think the 30th birthday thing is more of a cliché,''
James said. "I've talked to Curtis Martin, Tiki Barber
and Fred Taylor. The main thing is every year you have
to make sure you don't get bigger. The offseasons are
more important as you get older. Look what Fred Taylor
did last year. You don't worry about 30.''
James didn't turn back the clock this offseason, but he
did fight the scale. In 2007, the Cardinals, under new
coach Ken Whisenhunt, tried to find their identity.
Whisenhunt wanted to bring the Pittsburgh Steelers'
power running game to the Cardinals, a team that has
been based on the three-receiver philosophy. Assistant
head coach Russ Grimm tried to build a bigger, more
physical offensive line.
The running game struggled. Matt Leinart was injured
and Kurt Warner took over at quarterback. The situation
wasn't easy for a running back. The Cardinals trailed
in a lot of games and had to pass to stay competitive.
Warner played with an elbow injury, making it hard to
hand off to his right.
James finished with 1,222 yards and a 3.8-yard average,
which he considered a good start in a new offense.
After the season, he immediately started training for
2008.
First, he made sure he would be lighter. For the power
game of 2007, he bulked up to 220 pounds. Now he's 215,
give or take a pound or two. He did more squats to
build up his leg strength and explosiveness.
"Stronger and lighter equals being faster,'' James
said.
Even though Whisenhunt still wants to establish the
Cardinals' physical presence with a power running game,
James believes the trends of the league suggest the
Cardinals will stay with a three-receiver set and a
balanced attack. After all, the trend toward more
passing makes the NFL a finesse league, which James
likes.
"It's still a simple game,'' James said. "As a running
back, you go where they aren't, you have a forward lean
and you keep playing. As the game goes on, the yards
are going to come.''
James does it the smart way. He'll keep running until
the NFL takes the ball away from him.
(espn.com)