Welcome Back, Edge

Edgerrin James is my boy. Despite being from "The U," Edge gave me more than enough good memories as a Colts fan to over look that unfortunate fact. Lead the league in total yards as a rookie? No problem. Along with Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, form one of the top QB/RB/WR combos the league has ever seen? Yep, did that, too. So imagine my dismay when the 2009 season lay a couple weeks ahead and James is still unsigned.

Luckily, that's no longer a problem.

The Seattle Seahawks, despite the prolific running back tandem of Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett (sarcasm, folks), signed Edge to a one-year deal. I think this is a very good move for the Seahawks. Matt Hasselbeck looks back in form after missing most of last season with injuries. The signing of T.J. Houshmandzadeh (yes, I spelled that on my own) gives him a solid number-one receiver to go along with a number of other intriguing targets. However, the Seahawks looked to be without a decent running back to keep the opposing defenses honest. Jones and Duckett show flashes of productivity, but are inconsistent and, frankly, don't scare anyone.

Enter Edge.

Anyone who watched the playoffs last year knows that James still has something left in the tank. Despite getting benched in favor of rookie Tim Richmond, James was given the lion's share of carries in the Cardinals' postseason run and produced solid, if unspectacular, numbers. By signing him to a one-year deal, the Seahawks are limiting the risk of him not playing well; basically, planning for the worst. However, the upside is tremendous. You have a very skilled back (the guy ran for 1200 yards in 2007) who is motivated to prove the "haters" (read the 8th paragraph) wrong, and also a guy who hasn't lost a bit of the confidence that made him one of the best all-around running backs in the history of the NFL. Think about it, he's posted the 11th-highest career rushing total in league history, and missed most of the 2001 season. Had he played that whole year, he'd easily be in the top 10 all-time.

The Seahawks are getting a more talented running back than what they had at a discount price, all because people refused to sign Edgerrin James for fear that he was finished. How about we let a guy show us that he's out of gas before we move his meter to 'E' for him? You know how the Chargers thought Rodney Harrison was through when they released him? Yeah, how'd that work out? Wasn't Kurt Warner tapped when St. Louis let him go in favor of Marc Bulger? Just checking. Seattle fans, rejoice. You're getting a very good running back that takes your offense from one-dimensional to potentially great.

Just don't insult him by making him split carries with Julius Jones.

~~ Lank