Cards need James to carry offensive load

By Paul Eide  |   Thursday, September 28, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Arizona Cardinals
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Free agents are a quick, spackle-like fix. You throw a dab or two on an obvious hole and worry about the long term down the road. The Cardinals spent $30 million this past offseason on Edgerrin James in order to help them start winning now. They don't plan on preserving him so he can bust out in a year or two. When asked about his role in the offense after a 16-14 loss to the St. Louis Rams, James seemed to have something on his mind.

"No, I'm not going to say anything about the play calling," James said. "I just want to play. I just want to be a part of it. I want the ball in my hands. When you're in the game and you don't have the ball in your hands, that's hard. I can't question why this and that. It's always a reason, but I don't know what is. One day, my importance is going to be realized. I hope it's not too late."

Judging by his quote, James knows he should be getting the ball as much as he can before the wheels fall off.

So far this season, the Cardinals' offense has been equal parts Jekyll and Hyde. In Week 1 Arizona's offense scored an impressive 34 points, but only accrued a combined total of 24 in the next two.

The difference between the two faces of the offense can be traced directly to turnovers. In their two losses the Cards have turned the ball over six times, whereas in their sole victory they gave it away just once. Less turnovers mean the offense stays on the field longer, which ultimately leads to more touches for James.

Head coach Dennis Green said before the season started that he wanted to get the "Edge" 30 touches a game -- 25 on the ground and five via pass receptions. In their opening-week victory, James touched the ball 29 times. In the two losses, he had 25 touches in each game. Four less touches a game may not seem like much, but for a gamebreaker like James, it can spell the difference between a win and a loss.

In two years James will reach the dreaded age of 30, essentially the death knoll for many an NFL running back. The Cards need to get what James has left in the tank and push the pedal to the floor.

If the Cardinals can successfully use James to batter the opposition into respecting the running game, they can take advantage of their strength in the vertical passing game and become a solid playoff contender. It hasn't worked entirely to plan so far, but the potential is clear. As the Edge goes, so goes the Cardinals' season.

Get more on Edgerrin James and the Arizona Cardinals at RealFootball365.com
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