Edgerrin James eyes return to playing

Edgerrin James and his run to the Super Bowl while with the Arizona Cardinals last year did not lead to an encore during this NFL season.

The potential Hall of Fame running back — he ranks 11th on the all-time NFL rushing list — wonders what 2010 will bring.

James, a 1996 Immokalee High School graduate, endured the pain of losing his common-law wife, Andia Wilson-James, to cancer last April.

After her death, James made an effort to be there more for their four grieving children. He declined NFL offers until signing with the Seattle Seahawks after training camp, joining the team in late August.

The Cardinals had cut James at his request following last year's NFL Draft. Seattle cut James after he rushed for just 125 yards on a career-low 46 carries. He played in only seven games for the Seahawks and sat out the rest of the season.

"I wasn't able to put in the work last year to play at a high level due to a long offseason with personal things," James said. "I'm going to put in the work this year, and if a good situation comes along, I will play."

Then again, maybe James will retire.

"Having fun on a daily basis right now," James wrote in an e-mail to The News-Press. "If I get hooked on fun, you never know. ... Ha ha!!"

James, for the first time since turning professional out of the University of Miami in 1999, celebrated Christmas on Dec. 25. In previous years, he and his family waited until after the regular season ended in January.

But if James does return to playing, he has a good chance to ascend into the NFL's top 10 rushing leaders. With 12,246 yards on the ground, he needs 34 more to pass 10th-place Marshall Faulk, and he needs 67 to pass Jim Brown for No. 9 on the list.

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(news-press.com)