Driving ‘The Edge’ to success

By Eddie Griffin  |   Tuesday, September 12, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Arizona Cardinals
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One week in, and the Edge effect is already being felt.

Edgerrin James' stats from Arizona's season-opening 34-27 win over San Francisco on Sunday aren't particularly gaudy, 73 yards on 26 carries, with a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter. That's less than three yards per carry. By James' career numbers, it wasn't an Edge-esque performance.

But, compare it to Arizona's recent rushing history, and it's a different story.

His 73 yards bested the top total posted by an Arizona rusher in 2005, and it also eclipsed the team's '05 per-game average.

So, for all intents and purposes, it was equivalent to a 125-yard, two-touchdown game for James.

But, past the numbers, it's the added element having one of the NFL's best backs in your backfield brings to the Cardinal offense.

The Cardinals were atrocious in the red zone last season, ranking 30th in the league. But, with No. 32, on Sunday, all four Arizona touchdowns and all 34 of the points it scored came inside the 20. In fact, all four of those touchdowns came within seven yards.

No disrespect to J.J. Arrington or Marcel Shipp, but they don't bring it like James does. Having a back that can actually get you yards gives the defense something to worry about. It sheds that predictability that usually came with an Arizona trip into the red zone last season. It opens up the playbook, instead of limiting to fit what you don't have.

It doesn't mean running it up the gut and trying to punch it into the end zone just because you have a guy who can do that. But what it does is guarantee that the defense doesn't know if you're going to run it up the gut, take it outside or go with the play-action pass. And with James being a capable receiver out of the backfield, that adds another target on red-zone passing plays.

It could be that Arizona's success against the 49ers was due to just having a good day against a bad defense. The 49er D is a shadow of what it used to be even a few seasons ago, so it'd be a stretch to say that they were a formidable foe.

But, would the Cardinals' wealth of success have happened with either Arrington or Shipp instead of James? It didn't last year, so is there much reason to think that it'd have been different?

Exactly.

James isn't working behind the same, sturdy O-line that he had in Indianapolis, and that's something that the Cardinals must tend to in the offseason and in the draft, just for the sake of the future of the offense (and the health of whomever's under center).

His numbers may not end up resembling one of the four 1,500-plus-yard seasons he had in Indy, and he may have to work a little extra to get his yards this year. However, if it means taking a hit to your individual numbers to benefit the big picture, Jams will be up to the task. He averaged over 20 carries and 25 touches a game in seven seasons with the Colts, and his dependability and durability will help take the pressure off of Kurt Warner, literally.

That's the kind of guy the Cardinals need in their backfield, not just for what he brings to the table talent-wise. Putting the team first is one of the reasons why the Colts have had such great success in the past several seasons, and taking that attitude to Arizona will undoubtedly benefit both the young players and the veterans on his new team.

James and his new Cardinal mates will face a stiffer challenge this Sunday when they go to Seattle; and that, along with the following week's game against the seemingly reborn St. Louis Rams' defense will give a good idea of just how far the Arizona offense has progressed with its new addition.

But, so far, it looks like 'Edge' looks perfect in red.

Get more Arizona Cardinals coverage at RealFootball365.com
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