James cherishes another chance in playoffs

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Edgerrin James wasn't sure he'd ever get back in the lineup, let alone the playoffs. He is cherishing the opportunity.

"You don't understand the importance of being in the playoffs in your early years," James said after the Arizona Cardinals practiced Tuesday. "But as you go down in your career, those things become bigger and bigger. For somebody like me, it's super big to be in the playoffs and especially doing it here."

James' return from an eight-game benching and the successful running game he's brought with him are intriguing subplots to the Cardinals' advance to an NFC semifinal game at Carolina on Saturday night.

"I think we all feel great for Edge," quarterback Kurt Warner said. "He's been a great teammate and a great leader on this team. I knew he went through some frustrations and some disappointment earlier in the year, and we couldn't be more excited not only for what he's doing for us but for the chance for him to get back out there and have the success that he's had."

James came to Arizona in 2006 as probably the highest-profile free agent acquisition in the franchise's history. He signed a four-year, $40 million contract and went on to become the second player in Cardinals history to have consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

But Arizona's ground game was awful this season, and the offense more and more relied on Warner's passing. There was a perception, fairly or not, that James had lost a step from his salad days with the Indianapolis Colts.

And he didn't like the heavy emphasis on the passing game, where he'd be blocking far more often than he carried the ball.

After James gained 7 yards in 17 carries and had a critical fumble in a 27-23 loss at Carolina on Oct. 26, coach Ken Whisenhunt benched the 30-year-old running back in favor of rookie Tim Hightower. Whisenhunt said at the time he was going with the player he felt gave the team the best chance to be successful.

Hightower had a big game the following week, gaining 109 yards in 22 carries against St. Louis, then the Arizona ground game went dormant again. James, though, mostly watched. Over the next seven games, he had seven carries for 15 yards. It picked up to four carries for 19 yards in the team's 47-7 debacle in the snow of New England, then James without fanfare returned as the lead back in the regular-season finale against Seattle.

Whisenhunt pointed to James' experience — nine playoff games with the Colts — as a big reason for the switch.

"We knew that if we had a chance to go to the playoffs ... that having a back that had been there, that was a good back, was going to be something that we were going to have to rely on," Whisenhunt said.

James didn't make any waves personally during his exile, but agent Drew Rosenhaus asked the Cardinals to trade the running back. The Cardinals ignored the request. James said it never got to the point where he thought about simply leaving.

"I love to play the game and I'm not going to be somebody that's a sore loser," he said. "Regardless of how things went I was going to try to man up and stand there and do what I've got to do and not pout about things."

He acknowledged he'd had life pretty easy in his seven years with Indianapolis, where he'd topped 12,000 yards in a season five times.

"Finally you get some adversity," he said. "Did I deserve that adversity? I'll never agree to that. But the thing about it is this is where I'm at. This is what I signed up for. When you sign up to play in the NFL and you sign up to play with a team, you've got to take the good with the bad."
James has a year left on his contract, but said last week he expects to be gone after this season by mutual agreement with the team. He declined to speak on the subject Tuesday.

He gained 100 yards in 14 carries in the season-ending 34-21 victory over Seattle, passing Franco Harris into 11th in the NFL's career rushing list.

Then he had 73 yards in 16 attempts in last Saturday's 30-24 victory over Atlanta, outgaining the Falcons' Michael Turner.

His teammates' confidence in the ground game grew with James' return.

"It definitely motivates us when you see him break a tackle, running hard, fighting for every yard," tackle Mike Gandy said. "That can't help but motivate you. You feel that energy building, you feel that crowd getting behind him."

As prolific as the Cardinals are at passing, they know they have to have some success on the ground to survive in the playoffs.

"That's enormous at this stage," Warner said. "It takes pressure off of our front five guys. I think that's the biggest benefit of all is people knowing that we're not going to drop back every snap and they've got to pass protect on every snap."

James looks at Adrian Wilson, Arizona's Pro Bowl safety in the playoffs for the first time in his eight NFL seasons, and realizes how precious this experience should be.

And the running back is thrilled to be part of it and not a bystander.

"You want to play," he said. "I'll never be one of the guys that's just going to be happy to be on the team. I want to be part of the ones making it happen. That's the rush I get out of playing the game. I don't like to be somebody that's just filling in or just sitting around."

(ap.com)