brncs_fan
03-10-2006, 08:38 AM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/michael_silver/03/10/open.mike/index.html
Knowing when to hold 'em
James will wait for best deal even if it's not with Indy
Now that labor peace has been secured, and the NFL is once again safe for communism, it's time for some of the league's most prominent players to go out and score some of that valiantly shared revenue. And with free agency set to begin at midnight Saturday, who better to provide a perfectly trendy analogy than our old friend Edgerrin James?
"It's like playing poker: I'm going to take it all the way to the river," James said on Thursday night from his offseason home in Miami, where the Indianapolis Colts' All-Pro running back calmly awaits his impending freedom. "Some people fold before the flop, and if I was in panic mode, I might do that. But I'm going to take it to the river card, because one thing I know is I'm sitting on a good hand."
In other words, despite the well-documented struggles of James and other veteran running backs to get what they believe are fair-market deals, don't expect him to jump at the first reasonably attractive offer thrown his way. As for the Colts, who retain exclusive negotiating rights to James until free agency begins, their prospects for retaining the franchise's all-time rushing leader are simple: If they offer him the fattest contract, he'll be back in Indy with a gold-toothed smile.
On paper, James has ample reason to feel less than cheery about his current employer, which over the past two years has completed long-term deals with many of his teammates (Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Raheem Brock, Gary Brackett) while continually putting off James's desire for a new contract. Last offseason, Colts president Bill Polian put James on the trading block and even said he would accept less than a first-round pick. When there were no takers, Polian placed the franchise tag on James and paid him a base salary of nearly $8.1 million.
James, like similarly frustrated Seahawks halfback Shaun Alexander, responded with a huge season (1,506 yards, the fourth time in seven years he has exceeded 1,500), and now he plans to cash in. But whereas Alexander, in signing an eight-year, $62-million deal with Seattle earlier this week, seems to have been willing to take less money to avoid switching teams, James feels no such compulsion.
"There are no hard feelings," he says. "It's a business thing, and if it doesn't work out in Indy, I'm not going to be mad at the Colts. I'm cool with everybody over there, and they've treated me real good."
As for the franchise's apparent desire to finalize deals with everyone but James -- re-signing defensive end David Thornton reportedly ranks first on the team's offseason priority list -- the running back has managed to portray this as a sign of respect for his talents. "At the end of the day, I think they know my worth," he says. "They're saying, 'This guy ain't gonna take no bulls--- deal.' It's understandable, the approach they've taken, because their attitude is, 'We know this is a bad m----------.'"
The $64 million question, give or take a few million, now becomes, Which teams feel the same way about James, who'll turn 28 before the start of the '06 season? In theory, anyone seeking a star running back (Minnesota, Arizona, Jacksonville, Carolina, Philadelphia, the Jets) should be in the mix, and anyone with cap room (virtually every team, with the possible exception of Washington, thanks to the new labor deal) should be able to put together an enticing offer. But it's possible that James, like fellow free agents Jamal Lewis and DeShaun Foster, could face the same Catch-22 with which he and Alexander had to contend a year ago: Any feature back who has proven his productivity over a number of years is therefore regarded as too used up -- and too much of an injury risk -- to sign to a lucrative, multi-year deal.
While there's some merit to the notion that elite running backs often decline suddenly after a certain point, usually around the time they turn 30, this line of thinking turned out to be flawed in 2005: Alexander, the runaway choice for league MVP, led the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl, while the versatile, patient James helped Indy to the NFL's best record and a run at an undefeated season. Meanwhile, of the four teams that chose to address their immediate need for a running back through the draft, only Tampa Bay (Cadillac Williams) can boast that it made the right move. Miami (Ronnie Brown) and Chicago (Cedric Benson) are still hoping to make that claim, while Arizona (J.J. Arrington) is actively back in the market.
In retrospect, wouldn't it have been smarter for the Cardinals to have traded that second-round pick they used on Arrington to acquire James a year ago? Even Bill Bidwill can figure out the answer.
Without any animosity whatsoever, James brought up Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner while challenging the notion that running backs are undue injury risks. "Look at the guys who got hurt last year -- mainly, it was the quarterbacks," James says. "Kurt Warner, Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb, Chad Pennington, Drew Brees. Hey, it's football -- injuries happen to everybody. But you have to take it on a case-by-case basis. Shaun and I aren't just banging into people; you have to look at our running styles.
"The way I look at it is, Walter Payton played 13 years, and Marcus Allen played 16. I take care of myself, so don't accuse me of being injury-prone because of what happens to other guys. I'm a one-man band."
As much as the Colts' playoff defeat to the Steelers stung James, he was heartened to see the magical way the postseason played out for another veteran runner, Jerome Bettis. Rather than blaming Pittsburgh's stunning upset on Indy's early clinching of homefield advantage, which some believe robbed the Colts of the rhythm they established in winning their first 13 games, or on the team's collective heartache in the wake of coach Tony Dungy's tragic loss of his son, James, E.J. simply says the Steelers played better and leaves it at that.
"We didn't play well that day -- that's what it boiled down to," James says. "No excuses. Everybody did whatever he could do, but at the end of the day we didn't get it done."
As for Manning's infamous "I'm trying to be a team player" rebuke of his offensive line, James, as is his nature, wants no part of the controversy. "I ignored all of that," he says. "It's irrelevant -- the game is over, and however anybody else wants to sum it up, that's cool." Asked if he believes some of the Colts may be resentful of Manning, James says, "I don't think it'll be a problem."
If James does leave Indy, he'll especially miss Dungy, whose practices tend to emphasize learning and precision rather than physical intensity. "I don't want to be with somebody who's trying to kill me in practice," James says. "I know what I have to do to get ready for Sunday, so I'd like to play for a coach who'll tell the linebackers and defensive backs to keep their f---- hands off me during the week."
Though it is no secret that Indy -- in terms of climate and cosmopolitan offerings (or lack thereof) -- does not particularly suit his tastes, James insists location will not be a major factor in his decision.
"I have so much fun in the offseason that it doesn't really matter where I am when it's time to go to work," he says. "Besides, during the season, I create fun."
James, who once spoke of retiring young, now sees himself playing well into his 30s. Having fought back from a serious knee injury in his third season to regain his elite status, James says he gained a new appreciation for the commitment required to succeed at the highest levels. With 9,226 rushing yards in his first seven seasons, he is more than halfway to Emmitt Smith's all-time record of 18,355, and he believes catching the former Cowboys great is not out of the question.
"The way this year played out for Jerome was nice," James says wistfully. "He got to walk away fifth on the all-time list, and he won the Super Bowl in his hometown."
Come to think of it, next year's Super Bowl will be played in Miami, where James, who hails from Immokale, Fla., starred in college. "Yeah, I'm aware of that," he says.
Back to Bettis: "A lot of people don't even realize that he [once] played for the Rams," James says. "Marshall Faulk changed teams, and so did Corey Dillon. I might, too. Sometimes, you've got to weather the storm and start over somewhere else."
Though he undoubtedly has given the topic some thought, James didn't offer a whole lot of insight as to where his next destination might be. He mentions that his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, never heard from the Eagles in the days leading up to their signing of Jevon Kearse two years ago. "That could happen with me, too," James says. "There might be some dark horse just sitting back and waiting. The teams with the most cap money seem to need running backs, so we'll see. I'm just living in the moment, and if it doesn't get done with Indy I'll lay my resume out there and see what happens."
You know what that means, poker fans. Cue up the Al Green: Take me to the river...
Knowing when to hold 'em
James will wait for best deal even if it's not with Indy
Now that labor peace has been secured, and the NFL is once again safe for communism, it's time for some of the league's most prominent players to go out and score some of that valiantly shared revenue. And with free agency set to begin at midnight Saturday, who better to provide a perfectly trendy analogy than our old friend Edgerrin James?
"It's like playing poker: I'm going to take it all the way to the river," James said on Thursday night from his offseason home in Miami, where the Indianapolis Colts' All-Pro running back calmly awaits his impending freedom. "Some people fold before the flop, and if I was in panic mode, I might do that. But I'm going to take it to the river card, because one thing I know is I'm sitting on a good hand."
In other words, despite the well-documented struggles of James and other veteran running backs to get what they believe are fair-market deals, don't expect him to jump at the first reasonably attractive offer thrown his way. As for the Colts, who retain exclusive negotiating rights to James until free agency begins, their prospects for retaining the franchise's all-time rushing leader are simple: If they offer him the fattest contract, he'll be back in Indy with a gold-toothed smile.
On paper, James has ample reason to feel less than cheery about his current employer, which over the past two years has completed long-term deals with many of his teammates (Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Raheem Brock, Gary Brackett) while continually putting off James's desire for a new contract. Last offseason, Colts president Bill Polian put James on the trading block and even said he would accept less than a first-round pick. When there were no takers, Polian placed the franchise tag on James and paid him a base salary of nearly $8.1 million.
James, like similarly frustrated Seahawks halfback Shaun Alexander, responded with a huge season (1,506 yards, the fourth time in seven years he has exceeded 1,500), and now he plans to cash in. But whereas Alexander, in signing an eight-year, $62-million deal with Seattle earlier this week, seems to have been willing to take less money to avoid switching teams, James feels no such compulsion.
"There are no hard feelings," he says. "It's a business thing, and if it doesn't work out in Indy, I'm not going to be mad at the Colts. I'm cool with everybody over there, and they've treated me real good."
As for the franchise's apparent desire to finalize deals with everyone but James -- re-signing defensive end David Thornton reportedly ranks first on the team's offseason priority list -- the running back has managed to portray this as a sign of respect for his talents. "At the end of the day, I think they know my worth," he says. "They're saying, 'This guy ain't gonna take no bulls--- deal.' It's understandable, the approach they've taken, because their attitude is, 'We know this is a bad m----------.'"
The $64 million question, give or take a few million, now becomes, Which teams feel the same way about James, who'll turn 28 before the start of the '06 season? In theory, anyone seeking a star running back (Minnesota, Arizona, Jacksonville, Carolina, Philadelphia, the Jets) should be in the mix, and anyone with cap room (virtually every team, with the possible exception of Washington, thanks to the new labor deal) should be able to put together an enticing offer. But it's possible that James, like fellow free agents Jamal Lewis and DeShaun Foster, could face the same Catch-22 with which he and Alexander had to contend a year ago: Any feature back who has proven his productivity over a number of years is therefore regarded as too used up -- and too much of an injury risk -- to sign to a lucrative, multi-year deal.
While there's some merit to the notion that elite running backs often decline suddenly after a certain point, usually around the time they turn 30, this line of thinking turned out to be flawed in 2005: Alexander, the runaway choice for league MVP, led the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl, while the versatile, patient James helped Indy to the NFL's best record and a run at an undefeated season. Meanwhile, of the four teams that chose to address their immediate need for a running back through the draft, only Tampa Bay (Cadillac Williams) can boast that it made the right move. Miami (Ronnie Brown) and Chicago (Cedric Benson) are still hoping to make that claim, while Arizona (J.J. Arrington) is actively back in the market.
In retrospect, wouldn't it have been smarter for the Cardinals to have traded that second-round pick they used on Arrington to acquire James a year ago? Even Bill Bidwill can figure out the answer.
Without any animosity whatsoever, James brought up Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner while challenging the notion that running backs are undue injury risks. "Look at the guys who got hurt last year -- mainly, it was the quarterbacks," James says. "Kurt Warner, Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb, Chad Pennington, Drew Brees. Hey, it's football -- injuries happen to everybody. But you have to take it on a case-by-case basis. Shaun and I aren't just banging into people; you have to look at our running styles.
"The way I look at it is, Walter Payton played 13 years, and Marcus Allen played 16. I take care of myself, so don't accuse me of being injury-prone because of what happens to other guys. I'm a one-man band."
As much as the Colts' playoff defeat to the Steelers stung James, he was heartened to see the magical way the postseason played out for another veteran runner, Jerome Bettis. Rather than blaming Pittsburgh's stunning upset on Indy's early clinching of homefield advantage, which some believe robbed the Colts of the rhythm they established in winning their first 13 games, or on the team's collective heartache in the wake of coach Tony Dungy's tragic loss of his son, James, E.J. simply says the Steelers played better and leaves it at that.
"We didn't play well that day -- that's what it boiled down to," James says. "No excuses. Everybody did whatever he could do, but at the end of the day we didn't get it done."
As for Manning's infamous "I'm trying to be a team player" rebuke of his offensive line, James, as is his nature, wants no part of the controversy. "I ignored all of that," he says. "It's irrelevant -- the game is over, and however anybody else wants to sum it up, that's cool." Asked if he believes some of the Colts may be resentful of Manning, James says, "I don't think it'll be a problem."
If James does leave Indy, he'll especially miss Dungy, whose practices tend to emphasize learning and precision rather than physical intensity. "I don't want to be with somebody who's trying to kill me in practice," James says. "I know what I have to do to get ready for Sunday, so I'd like to play for a coach who'll tell the linebackers and defensive backs to keep their f---- hands off me during the week."
Though it is no secret that Indy -- in terms of climate and cosmopolitan offerings (or lack thereof) -- does not particularly suit his tastes, James insists location will not be a major factor in his decision.
"I have so much fun in the offseason that it doesn't really matter where I am when it's time to go to work," he says. "Besides, during the season, I create fun."
James, who once spoke of retiring young, now sees himself playing well into his 30s. Having fought back from a serious knee injury in his third season to regain his elite status, James says he gained a new appreciation for the commitment required to succeed at the highest levels. With 9,226 rushing yards in his first seven seasons, he is more than halfway to Emmitt Smith's all-time record of 18,355, and he believes catching the former Cowboys great is not out of the question.
"The way this year played out for Jerome was nice," James says wistfully. "He got to walk away fifth on the all-time list, and he won the Super Bowl in his hometown."
Come to think of it, next year's Super Bowl will be played in Miami, where James, who hails from Immokale, Fla., starred in college. "Yeah, I'm aware of that," he says.
Back to Bettis: "A lot of people don't even realize that he [once] played for the Rams," James says. "Marshall Faulk changed teams, and so did Corey Dillon. I might, too. Sometimes, you've got to weather the storm and start over somewhere else."
Though he undoubtedly has given the topic some thought, James didn't offer a whole lot of insight as to where his next destination might be. He mentions that his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, never heard from the Eagles in the days leading up to their signing of Jevon Kearse two years ago. "That could happen with me, too," James says. "There might be some dark horse just sitting back and waiting. The teams with the most cap money seem to need running backs, so we'll see. I'm just living in the moment, and if it doesn't get done with Indy I'll lay my resume out there and see what happens."
You know what that means, poker fans. Cue up the Al Green: Take me to the river...