[Lefty Noob]

After spending millions and millions of dollars over the past couple of years to keep their QB and WRs happy, it looks as though the Colts may be ready to part ways with starting running back Edgerrin James. They declined to franchise him, and Bill Polian has told the AP that there is only a "50-50" chance James will return to Indy next season. Edge holds team rushing records for career attempts [2,188], yardage [9,226] and touchdowns [64], by the way. Think its a good idea letting him walk?

[BigBadBuc]

Edgerin is a sneaky back and can gobble up yards but when it comes to replacing a position, running back is a little bit easier. I'm not saying that there is an immediate replacement for James in the draft or that someone can step in and do what he has been doing. If the offensive line can block then the running back can run. Look at Denver as an example. They seem to be able to put anyone back there because they can open up the holes.

BBB

[Mid-depth_Reporter]

Well, if James wants money, then it's only going to hurt the Colts in the long run to sign him on. They'll need other players to fill gaps in the future and signing James could make that hard to find anyone good.

On the down side, I know James has lost a few steps in his speed, but he's still one of the best backs in the league. However, there are teams that would be willing to gobble him up immediately.

And Dominic Rhodes is a good running back himself. In 2001 - his rookie year - Rhodes filled in for an injured James, taking the ball for 233 attempts, 1104 yards, 9 TD and a 4.7 rushing yard average. Of course, he did fumble the ball 5 times. But, he could take over and keep the Colts offense at a level pretty close to what it is now.

[Calder]

There have been indications in the past that the Colts can get along just fine without James in the backfield, so I don't think that Indianapolis is in panic mode over the prospect of losing James. Is he one of the top 5 backs in the league? Possibly. He may though be just outside the cusp, and that may be enough for the Colts to give him his walking papers.

He had expressed a desire over the last couple of seasons to play in Miami, but I don't know how Saban would handle that with Ronnie Brown in the picture. He didn't seem to mind splitting backs with Williams and Brown late in the year, but part of that plan was to showcase Ricky show they could get him the heck out of there at the end of the season. But Saban has been bred in the old Cleveland Browns' system of pounding the ball, so maybe having James there for 2-3 years would be beneficial in prolonging Brown's career.

With the new cap being what it is, the Colts have the monetary ability to sign James. They just have to decide if he is worth the price tag.

[Wizard of Os]

Cheers everyone.

Originally Posted by Mid-depth_Reporter

...Dominic Rhodes is a good running back himself. In 2001 - his rookie year - Rhodes filled in for an injured James, taking the ball for 233 attempts, 1104 yards, 9 TD and a 4.7 rushing yard average. Of course, he did fumble the ball 5 times. But, he could take over and keep the Colts offense at a level pretty close to what it is now.

Mid-depth, i'm with you. I'm a fan of Dominic Rhodes and i remember his performance in his rookie year well (specifically, i remember being burned by all those competing fantasy teams who picked him up when he got hot).

This is the changing of the guard in Indy and the reality of NFL football today. Edgerrin wants what Indy management feels is too much, and he's probably pretty bummed about getting bounced from the playoffs once again. (Can you imagine the morale of the Colts right now, even in the off-season?) Good-bye, blue and white. Arizona apparently will be happy to throw money at him, and he'll be happy to go.

Viva Dominic Rhodes! It'll be great to see him romping about this time.

[wvuauthor]

Here is a good artice on the James trade to Arizona..

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_yl...v=ap&type=lgns

[desertrat]

The most ironic part is that he will now be playing with a former Super Bowl winning QB. Cards will still be terrible until they address the problems with the OL.

[Lefty Noob]

Cards will still be terrible until they address the problems with the OL.

They've still got money to burn, and a decent draft pick. If they're smart, they'll take care of it.

[ThePundit]

The Cardinals haven't had a good RB since Terry Metcalf in St. Louis. Assuming they patch up the O-line - which you have figure they will do - this is a GREAT move. With James and a re-vamped line, their offense will be scary. Their defense is young but talented. This team will be interesting to follow - for a change!

[Wizard of Os]

Cheers, all.

Well, it's official:

Less than a week after coach Dennis Green declared that his team would not do any shopping in the higher-priced aisles of the free agent market, the Arizona Cardinals landed one of the highest-profile players in the entire pool Sunday, signing former Indianapolis Colts star tailback Edgerrin James.

Guess we won't be hearing from him until the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, eh?

And what's the over/under on number of seasons it takes Dominic Rhodes to become frustrated and/or disenchanted with Indy's choking ways in the playoffs? I'll take two.

[EmpireWF]

It will certainly be interesting to see how this effects Manning's output this season.

[cjg11582]

Will anyone be surprised as Edgerrin James is exposed this year in Arizona? Then again, isn't everyone exposed on The Cardinals?

[Wizard of Os]

A couple of key considerations here, CJG and Empire. I was intrigued, so i looked up some stats.

Firstly, two numbers regarding the Cardinals stand out: last year, the team was numero uno in passing yardage while dead last in rushing yardage. This could indicate that 1) Kurt Warner is still the St. Louis Arena Leaguer mode he always has been; 2) the Arizona running game (led by those name players J.J. Arrington and Marcel Shipp, whose averages were lower than Anquan Boldin's) is as brutal as it's always been; or 3) this is indeed one of the decade's lamest offensive lines.

Statistics for offensive lineman are a bit elusive, but the Cardinals finished tied for 30th in sack protection. Warner somehow managed to keep his usual 1:1 TD/interception ratio, but subjectively speaking it looked like he was rushing passes often last year.

Stats for Dominic Rhodes are also limited, especially as a starter. Filling in for Edgerrin in 2001, Rhodes played fifteen games, grabbing a mere 34 catches for 224 yards and an 6.6 average. In his six games, Edgerrin got 24 for 193 and an 8.0 yard average. To be fair, Rhodes was a rookie and did end up running for 1107 yards or 3.8 per game. Manning simply did not see Rhodes as a target for his throws that year, and the Colts' anemic 6-10 that year is certainly attributable in part to Edgerrin's absence.

So what do we have? A whole lotta unrevealing numbers, more or less. The performances of both Edgerrin and Rhodes next season are surely enslaved to their QBs' deference. If Warner can see Edgerrin as a surrogate Marshall Faulk (and the Cardinals get some crucial OL help), there may be joy in Cardinal land. If Rhodes gets himself notices as a passing target, they may be thankful for the cleared cap room in Indy.

Cheers.