Edge sits because Hightower fits

It would be a mistake to believe the benching of Cardinals running back Edgerrin James last week was a direct result of James' recent expressions of frustration over his diminishing role.

Although his comments didn't endear James to anyone in the organization, they weren't inflammatory enough by themselves to keep him standing on the sideline, healthy, for the first time in his career. It was, instead, a confluence of many factors that brought James and the Cardinals to this point.

The reasons for the benching can be traced to 2007, when Ken Whisenhunt was named head coach of the Cardinals, a season after the team signed James to four-year, $30 million deal.

Part of the reason for signing James was to sell tickets in the opening season of University of Phoenix Stadium. But no one is saying that James didn't play hard and produce with the Cardinals. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, the first Cardinals back to do that since Ottis Anderson in 1983-84.

But it was telling that as soon as the season ended, the Cardinals talked about the need to add a running back with big-play ability. In 2?years with the team, James' longest run is 27 yards and he's had only four runs that have gained more than 20 yards.

So the Cardinals drafted Tim Hightower out of Richmond in the fifth round, and it was obvious from his first practice that his skills were much different from those of James. Vision and agility are James' strengths. He has an instinct for finding creases in the defense and he rarely loses yards.

Hightower is a powerful runner who makes quick, decisive cuts and explodes through a hole. Those attributes are a nice fit for this offense, so it seemed only a matter of time before Hightower began to take carries away from James.

James' personality played a part in losing the job, too. Not that he's a bad influence in the locker room. He's liked by his teammates and he has been selfless in mentoring Hightower in the nuances of the NFL, from how to take care of his body to how to watch video of opponents.

But James hasn't been a team leader, either. As he said Sunday, he is not a "yes man," and he's often gone his own way. He never wanted to be a team captain, and he valued his independence when it came to decisions on working out at the team facility in the off-season or attending voluntary workouts.

The fact that James missed the only practice during the recent off week didn't go unnoticed, either.

So it wasn't a few comments in a few interviews that sent James to the bench. It was a culmination of factors, with one being the most important: This Hightower kid could be pretty good.

(azcentral.com)