jeter23
Footballguy
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/94132
Edge thinking about Emmitt’s record despite last year
Mike Tulumello, Tribune
FLAGSTAFF - Nobody can say Edgerrin James isn’t goal oriented. Heading into his second season with the Cardinals, “Edge” says he thinks he has a shot at becoming the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.
“I may take a shot at Emmitt (Smith),” he says. “I know it’s not impossible.”
He wants to keep playing for several more years, and — this might be his most exotic goal—he’d like to finish his career as backup to his cousin, Javarris “Baby J” James, who’s now a running back at the University of Miami.
“That would be the coolest backup job I could possibly have,” he says.
Pretty heady stuff for a guy who was widely perceived as coming off a subpar season in which he ran for a career-low 3.4 yards per carry (his career average is 4.1).
James doesn’t necessarily see the situation this way.
Though he doesn’t say so himself, James was running behind a struggling offensive line — James prefers to say the line was in flux and that the team had two offensive coordinators — and he still managed 1,159 yards.
James had talked before last season that his eye was on a Hall of Fame career and that he didn’t want a weak line to mess with his goal.
Looking back, he says 2006 didn’t set him back.
“It made me dig deeper. Last year, there were so many opportunities to lay down and say, ‘You know what? This is not what I came here for,’ act up and not go out and play hard.
“But I continued to play … I took a pounding early on, and I kept going and going.”
After the team’s coaches settled on their best-available line, James ran for 100 yards in three of the team’s five final games, all Cardinal wins.
“For the situation I was in, for what I was working with, I did pretty good to hold up … It’s hard to put it on the offensive line when you have so much change.
“Once we started getting things together, we started running better and playing better as a team.
“Once we got settled in, we started having some pretty good results.”
New coach Ken Whisenhunt agrees.
His assessment of James, after watching replays of every game, “I thought he had very good vision and finished plays well. I thought he had a lot of gas left in the tank.”
Guard Reggie Wells, probably the team’s most consistent returning lineman, acknowledged, “We didn’t have the numbers we wanted the first half of the year. But we adjusted.”
Whisenhunt has talked of a “run-first” approach this season, at least in terms of building a physical style and temperament.
So then the question becomes: Do the Cardinals have the personnel on the line to accomplish this?
Evidently, coach Dennis Green didn’t think so last season. He emphasized the passing game.
“I feel that in free agency and in the draft we addressed some of those needs,” Whisenhunt says.
“That’s the purpose of training camp. We’re going to see which of these five is the best five.”
James is aware that opponents who key on the run can give him a tough time.
But, he says, “When you say ‘run first’, it’s more of a mentality for the team.
“You cannot leave Anquan Boldin or (Larry) Fitzgerald one on one. They can’t just key on the running game, ’cause if they do Fitzgerald and Boldin and (Bryant) Johnson will make the other team pay.’ “You won’t get teams cheating. They know Coach Whisenhunt will go down the field. “Teams will play us fairly. They won’t be loading eight men with the ninth man hanging, anticipating the run.”
As for that goal of being No. 1 all time, James — No. 18 with 10,385 yards — needs nearly 8,000 yards to catch Smith. He feels he’s in his prime; he turns 29 on Wednesday. With players now staying in shape and with the advance of medical technology in case of injuries, “You can play football at a high level for a long time. “I’m still young. I want to play as long as I’m interested and having fun.”
Perhaps more realistically, if he can average 1,200 yards for the remaining three years of his contract with the Cards, he will have piled up nearly 14,000 yards, likely good enough for No. 5 all time. With help from his line, he’s got a shot.
Edge thinking about Emmitt’s record despite last year
Mike Tulumello, Tribune
FLAGSTAFF - Nobody can say Edgerrin James isn’t goal oriented. Heading into his second season with the Cardinals, “Edge” says he thinks he has a shot at becoming the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.
“I may take a shot at Emmitt (Smith),” he says. “I know it’s not impossible.”
He wants to keep playing for several more years, and — this might be his most exotic goal—he’d like to finish his career as backup to his cousin, Javarris “Baby J” James, who’s now a running back at the University of Miami.
“That would be the coolest backup job I could possibly have,” he says.
Pretty heady stuff for a guy who was widely perceived as coming off a subpar season in which he ran for a career-low 3.4 yards per carry (his career average is 4.1).
James doesn’t necessarily see the situation this way.
Though he doesn’t say so himself, James was running behind a struggling offensive line — James prefers to say the line was in flux and that the team had two offensive coordinators — and he still managed 1,159 yards.
James had talked before last season that his eye was on a Hall of Fame career and that he didn’t want a weak line to mess with his goal.
Looking back, he says 2006 didn’t set him back.
“It made me dig deeper. Last year, there were so many opportunities to lay down and say, ‘You know what? This is not what I came here for,’ act up and not go out and play hard.
“But I continued to play … I took a pounding early on, and I kept going and going.”
After the team’s coaches settled on their best-available line, James ran for 100 yards in three of the team’s five final games, all Cardinal wins.
“For the situation I was in, for what I was working with, I did pretty good to hold up … It’s hard to put it on the offensive line when you have so much change.
“Once we started getting things together, we started running better and playing better as a team.
“Once we got settled in, we started having some pretty good results.”
New coach Ken Whisenhunt agrees.
His assessment of James, after watching replays of every game, “I thought he had very good vision and finished plays well. I thought he had a lot of gas left in the tank.”
Guard Reggie Wells, probably the team’s most consistent returning lineman, acknowledged, “We didn’t have the numbers we wanted the first half of the year. But we adjusted.”
Whisenhunt has talked of a “run-first” approach this season, at least in terms of building a physical style and temperament.
So then the question becomes: Do the Cardinals have the personnel on the line to accomplish this?
Evidently, coach Dennis Green didn’t think so last season. He emphasized the passing game.
“I feel that in free agency and in the draft we addressed some of those needs,” Whisenhunt says.
“That’s the purpose of training camp. We’re going to see which of these five is the best five.”
James is aware that opponents who key on the run can give him a tough time.
But, he says, “When you say ‘run first’, it’s more of a mentality for the team.
“You cannot leave Anquan Boldin or (Larry) Fitzgerald one on one. They can’t just key on the running game, ’cause if they do Fitzgerald and Boldin and (Bryant) Johnson will make the other team pay.’ “You won’t get teams cheating. They know Coach Whisenhunt will go down the field. “Teams will play us fairly. They won’t be loading eight men with the ninth man hanging, anticipating the run.”
As for that goal of being No. 1 all time, James — No. 18 with 10,385 yards — needs nearly 8,000 yards to catch Smith. He feels he’s in his prime; he turns 29 on Wednesday. With players now staying in shape and with the advance of medical technology in case of injuries, “You can play football at a high level for a long time. “I’m still young. I want to play as long as I’m interested and having fun.”
Perhaps more realistically, if he can average 1,200 yards for the remaining three years of his contract with the Cards, he will have piled up nearly 14,000 yards, likely good enough for No. 5 all time. With help from his line, he’s got a shot.
I thought he had always said that he didn't plan on playing in the NFL as long as most guys did?
A year ago he was half way to the record. Now after a huge 1100 yard rushing season, he's got the record in his sights.
n his 28th birthday (in June) LT had 9176 rushing yardson his 28th birthday (in May) Emmitt had 10160 rushing yardsfor a difference of 984
