January 6, 2009 Edgerrin James nearly quit the Cardinals because he was not getting carries, according to the Arizona Republic. "Throughout my career, everything's been easy and finally you get some adversity. Did I deserve that adversity? No, I'll never agree with that. But this is where I'm at and when you sign up to play in the NFL, you've got to take the good with the bad. If it got to the point where I couldn't play, I would have just went home, I would have said '(expletive) it, I ain't going to play then.' But, it never got to that point," James said.
Our View:The Cardinals clearly need James now, because Tim Hightower has trouble attaining yards. James ran for 73 yards on 16 carries in the team's playoff win against the Falcons.
January 3, 2009 Edgerrin James broke loose for a game-high 73 rushing yards on 16 attempts in Saturday's 30-24 win over the Falcons.
Our View:Tim Hightower was expected to lead the Cardinals, but only gained 23 yards on six carries. James benefited from only 133 carries in the regular season, as he practically has fresh legs heading into the next round of the playoffs.
January 1, 2009 Edgerrin James career with the Cardinals will likely end at the conclusion of this year's playoffs, according to The Arizona Republic. The Cardinals are likely to release James this offseason. "I think the feeling is mutual," he said. "It's not something I'm going to contest."
Our View:James was held to 133 carries and 514 yards this season as he functioned as little more than a cheerleader for large portions of time. It remains to be seen how much he has left considering he has 2,982 carries on his 30 year old body, but perhaps a strong playoff showing will cause some team to consider him as a starting option in 2009.
December 30, 2008 The Arizona Republic reports that running back Edgerrin James is expected to play the role of "lead back" Saturday when the Cardinals host the Atlanta Falcons in the opening round of the NFC Playoffs.
Our View:Apparently, James' 14-carry, 100-yard performance against Seattle in Week 17 was enough to convince coach Ken Whisenhunt. James has received a light workload this season, carrying the ball only 133 times in relief of rookie Tim Hightower.
December 28, 2008 Starting at running back, Edgerrin James ran the ball 14 times for 100 yards in Week 17.
Our View:Head coach Ken Whisenhunt didn't commit to a starting running back following the game. James has probably at least worked himself more into the playoff equation considering how little Tim Hightower has produced recently.
