On the Edge of a title

Ask anyone. Ask him. Edgerrin James is all about enjoyment.

So imagine how the longtime Indianapolis Colts fan favorite is keeping it real now that what had been his worst NFL season will culminate in his first Super Bowl appearance.

"I'm living the life, loving the life," the Arizona Cardinals running back said this week in a telephone interview. "Hey, if it's taken away from me today, they can say, 'Boy, he maxed out every day.' Every day."

Just last month, it seemed the NFL's 11th all-time leading rusher was getting run out of the desert. He fumed about being relegated to a backup role and vowed he would not return to the Cardinals for the final year of his contract.

Now, after reclaiming his starting spot, he's the league's leading postseason rusher with 203 yards and a key reason Arizona has advanced to its first Super Bowl, versus Pittsburgh on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla.

"Man, it would mean so much to win the ring," said James, 30. "Everybody knows how hard I worked, all the work I put into it.

"It's been 10 years and I've done everything a player can do individually, you know, but I haven't played in this game. Now I can say I played in the game. Going out there and having some success and win the game, that makes it even better.

"I've put everything in this life to football."

The fourth pick in the 1999 NFL draft, James made his fame with the Indianapolis Colts, rushing for a franchise-record 9,226 yards and leading the league his first two seasons. But after seven hard-running years that included knee and back injuries, the Colts didn't make an effort to re-sign him after his contract expired in 2006, and he left for Arizona.

There, as James was averaging a career-low 3.4 yards a carry in his first season with the downtrodden Cardinals, he watched his former team conclude a stirring playoff run with Indy's first Super Bowl title.

He joined the festivities in Miami, hosting a Super Bowl party and hanging with his old teammates. He even received a ring from Colts owner Jim Irsay.

It wasn't the same, but it wasn't bad.

"It wasn't tough because I actually felt like I was a part of them," James said. "I felt like I was with them every step of the way. Even though I was away, I was still part of that family."

He stays in touch with several Colts, including wide receiver Reggie Wayne and quarterback Peyton Manning.

"Me and 'P,' we text from time to time," he said. "Me and Reggie, it's all the time."

As for James' former teammates, everyone reached for this story said they were ecstatic the man they call Edge has finally reached the championship game.

"I'm so happy for him," said retired tight end Ken Dilger, who played with James in Indy from 1999-2001 and won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in '02. "Forget the records, forget how much you get paid. Everybody wants to get the ring. That's what sets you apart from everybody else."

Said retired offensive tackle Tarik Glenn: "He's such a good back and such a good teammate. He's the life of the locker room. In the time he wasn't there, the one thing we missed was his lively spirit. He made everything fun."

"I love it. I love it," former Colts coach Jim Mora said of James reaching the Super Bowl. "He's one of my favorite Colts. He was just so much fun to coach and have on the team."

It wasn't by accident. Having fun is a life credo James picked up from his grandmother Ann. He visited her in Florida this week, and, at 84 and largely incapacitated, she reminded him again.

"You're looking at somebody who's not capable of moving around. All she's got is those memories," James said. "I want to have so many memories, I want to have stuff that I forget then, all of a sudden think of, telling stories and people thinking I'm lying and making up stuff.

"But you know me, I'm always going to be 100 (percent real) with everybody. I'm going to kick it all the way 100, keep it real with you, tell you exactly how I feel and not beat around the bush."

And if the Cardinals win it all?

Just one more thrill to share on the porch with Grandma.

"I always want to have some new stuff, man," he said.

(indystar.com)