Cardinals Release RB James

[Ruhskins]

Here's a link from ESPN. Very sad story

Around the NFC West: James family tragedy - NFC West - ESPN

[TheSmurfs22]

Very sad indeed. God bless the James family.

[tryfuhl]

Well he's got some time to think it over and like mentioned I'm sure he has other things on his mind. Thoughts with him and his.

[diehardskin2982]

i wonder would portis try to encourage snyder to bring him here?

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by diehardskin2982

i wonder would portis try to encourage snyder to bring him here?

Didn't he do the same thing when he (Edge) left the Colts.

[Lotus]

Boys from Miami stick together.

[MTK]

His starting days are over and at this point I would even question how effective he can be as a backup over the course of a season. I don't see where he would offer any significant improvement over what we've already got.

[GTripp0012]

Edgerrin James Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com

Ladell Betts Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com

Shaun Alexander Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com

I'll put some analysis in a post below, I just wanted to throw these up there.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

Edgerrin James Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com

Ladell Betts Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com

Shaun Alexander Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com

I'll put some analysis in a post below, I just wanted to throw these up there.

I put these guys up here because one is the control (Alexander) who obviously will never play in the NFL again. Betts is the guy currently under contract here. And Edge is the best the FA market has to offer.

All three of these guys have something in common: that their days as a quality starter are clearly in the rear view mirror. But Portis is what, a year or two from that himself? The presence of a complementary back is more important this year than ever before.

Edge is clearly the better player than Betts at this point in their careers, and he's historically less of an injury risk (1 game missed due to injury in last 5 years), and he's coming off a year where the Cardinals did not at all abuse his legs, and he was effective in limited action.

I say this because Football Outsiders has him as the perfectly average back last year while backfield mate Tim Hightower was one of the worst in the league behind the same line, which ranked 30th in adjusted line yards and 29th in power rushing success. As riddled as our line was last year, it was unquestionably better than that, even in it's worst form.

Going back a season, Edge was still an average runner, even while JJ Arrington was one of the least valuable players in the league.

Bottom line is: I don't think Edge can still be a starter, but even at age 31, he's still a more effective runner behind a worse OL than what Betts (age 30) is behind ours. I think he's a better runner for our scheme than Betts is, and ultimately, we'd be a better team with Portis and Edge splitting carries than with Betts and Portis.

[tryfuhl]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

Bottom line is: I don't think Edge can still be a starter, but even at age 31, he's still a more effective runner behind a worse OL than what Betts (age 30) is behind ours. I think he's a better runner for our scheme than Betts is, and ultimately, we'd be a better team with Portis and Edge splitting carries than with Betts and Portis.

James can catch out of the backfield too.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

I put these guys up here because one is the control (Alexander) who obviously will never play in the NFL again. Betts is the guy currently under contract here. And Edge is the best the FA market has to offer.

All three of these guys have something in common: that their days as a quality starter are clearly in the rear view mirror. But Portis is what, a year or two from that himself? The presence of a complementary back is more important this year than ever before.

Edge is clearly the better player than Betts at this point in their careers, and he's historically less of an injury risk (1 game missed due to injury in last 5 years), and he's coming off a year where the Cardinals did not at all abuse his legs, and he was effective in limited action.

I say this because Football Outsiders has him as the perfectly average back last year while backfield mate Tim Hightower was one of the worst in the league behind the same line, which ranked 30th in adjusted line yards and 29th in power rushing success. As riddled as our line was last year, it was unquestionably better than that, even in it's worst form.

Going back a season, Edge was still an average runner, even while JJ Arrington was one of the least valuable players in the league.

Bottom line is: I don't think Edge can still be a starter, but even at age 31, he's still a more effective runner behind a worse OL than what Betts (age 30) is behind ours. I think he's a better runner for our scheme than Betts is, and ultimately, we'd be a better team with Portis and Edge splitting carries than with Betts and Portis.

What I got from Bett's numbers is that the more he touches the ball the better his average is per carry. We use him to come in and run maybe a couple of plays and he might get the ball one out of those couple of plays each time he hits the field. We never give him the to get a good feel for the game. Most teams will wait until like the second half when their starter starts to get tired and turn it over to their backup to take the bulk of the snaps. That gives them the time to get a feel for what the line is doing and gives them a better chance to get better yards. I don't care how they use him but he just needs more touches to get a feel for the game.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by firstdown

What I got from Bett's numbers is that the more he touches the ball the better his average is per carry. We use him to come in and run maybe a couple of plays and he might get the ball one out of those couple of plays each time he hits the field. We never give him the to get a good feel for the game. Most teams will wait until like the second half when their starter starts to get tired and turn it over to their backup to take the bulk of the snaps. That gives them the time to get a feel for what the line is doing and gives them a better chance to get better yards. I don't care how they use him but he just needs more touches to get a feel for the game.

Right, because whenever Betts fails, the first thing any of us, coaches, fans, other players think is, "If Portis was in the game that play would have worked." And they adjust the personnel accordingly. Time for a fresh start.

[AnimateYYZ]

Goddamn it. I don't want two smash mouth backs. We desperately need a home run hitter- and Edge, Mason or Betts are not the answer. Skins need a guy in the mold of Leon Washinton, Jerrius Norwood or DeAngelo Williams. We could have spent a draft pick on a dynamic young RB, but I guess a lying, half-assed LB who played one season would be the better fit.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by AnimateYYZ

Goddamn it. I don't want two smash mouth backs. We desperately need a home run hitter- and Edge, Mason or Betts are not the answer. Skins need a guy in the mold of Leon Washinton, Jerrius Norwood or DeAngelo Williams. We could have spent a draft pick on a dynamic young RB, but I guess a lying, half-assed LB who played one season would be the better fit.

And three seasons of RB!

Just sayin'.

[AnimateYYZ]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

And three seasons of RB!

Just sayin'.

Huh??