(Sportsbooks) - Edgerrin James does own a Super Bowl ring, although the veteran running back will be making his first appearance in the NFL's title game when his
Arizona Cardinals battle the AFC champion
Pittsburgh Steelers in Tampa on February 2.
James wasn't part of the Indianapolis Colts' historic victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI, having bolted his former team for a lucrative four- year free-agent contract with the Cardinals prior to the start of the 2006 season. As recognition of his considerable previous contributions to the franchise's success, the star performer's ex-mates still decided to present him with professional football's most coveted piece of bling.
There have been plenty of times during the course of this season when James has felt like an outsider as well.
"Yeah, it's weird," said James with a laugh when recently asked about playing in his first Super Bowl as a member of the Cardinals, a team which last reached the postseason in 1998. "This has been a weird year."
Without question, 2008 has indeed been the most trying of James' 10 NFL seasons. Declining production and a perceived erosion of skills led to a lengthy unwanted spot on the bench and a career-low 514 rushing yards, snapping a string of five straight 1,000-yard campaigns for the highly- decorated back.
James came to the Cardinals three years ago with a Hall of Fame resume that included back-to-back rushing titles in 1999 and 2000 and four Pro Bowl nods during seven sensational seasons in Indianapolis. In his final year with the Colts, the former first-round pick rushed for over 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He failed to match those lofty numbers in each of his first two years in Arizona, and a similarly slow start in 2008 saw James lose his starting job to rookie Tim Hightower midway through the season. Speculation soon followed as to whether the 30-year-old had anything left as a player.
James emphatically answered those questions in the Cardinals' 34-21 win over Seattle in the regular-season finale. Freshened from an eight-game respite in which he received a mere 11 carries, the Florida native took over for a struggling Hightower and delivered an impressive 100 yards on just 14 attempts.
That sharp effort was followed by a string of solid showings in the postseason, helping the pass-oriented Cardinals achieve an offensive balance that had been conspicuously absent for most of this year. Arizona ranked last in the NFL in rushing offense (73.6 ypg) and rush attempts during the regular season, but James and Hightower have combined for an average of 111.7 yards and 28.7 carries for the club's resurgent running game in the playoffs.
"I think it's meant a tremendous amount to us offensively and even to the whole team, the fact (James is) in there running and being productive and helping us win," said offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
To his credit, James hasn't let his frustration over his reduced workload become a distraction, except for a recent comment that he expected to be released at season's end and would welcome being cut loose. Although he acknowledged the transition from featured back to role player has been difficult, the aging superstar has maintained a positive presence in the locker room while serving as a valued mentor to Hightower.
"His leadership ability is outstanding," said wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. "The way he practices, he finishes runs, picks up pass protection, never complains, always on time, (is) durable. His playoff experience has been valuable. We're going to definitely lean on him (Super Bowl) Sunday, and I know he's going to come up big for us."
Below is a capsule look at the offense of the Arizona Cardinals (regular season stats in parenthesis):
Quarterback: The Cardinals are in great hands at this all-important position with the rejuvenated Kurt Warner (4583 passing yards, 30 TD, 14 INT) at the controls of the NFL's second-ranked passing offense. The 37-year-old is a two- time league MVP who's played in two previous Super Bowls with the St. Louis Rams and owns a stellar 8-2 career postseason record. Advanced age has yet to diminish his arm strength or accuracy, as Warner completed better than 67 percent of his passes in the regular season.
Running Backs: James (514 rushing yards, 3 TD, 12 receptions) and Hightower (399 rushing yards, 10 TD, 34 receptions) have been a most effective duo during Arizona's remarkable postseason run, although they'll have their toughest challenge to date from Pittsburgh's stingy rushing defense. The latter has quickly established himself as a strong short-yardage runner and a capable receiver who caught the deciding touchdown pass in the team's 32-25 victory over Philadelphia in the NFC Championship. The Cardinals don't use a fullback that often, but the team has a quality lead blocker on the roster in veteran Terrelle Smith (2 receptions).
Wide Receivers: There's not a team in the league that can best the Cardinals' top-notch trio of Fitzgerald (96 receptions, 1421 yards, 12 TD), Anquan Boldin (89 receptions, 1038 yards, 11 TD) and Steve Breaston (77 receptions, 1006 yards, 3 TD), with the group becoming only the fifth threesome in NFL history to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. The dazzling Fitzgerald has been virtually unstoppable down the stretch, as the first-team All-Pro has amassed five straight 100-yard outings and hauled in eight touchdown passes over that stretch. The fearless Boldin missed some time during the playoffs with a hamstring strain, but the sure-handed wideout should be close to 100 percent for the Super Bowl. Breaston, a Pittsburgh native, had a 73-yard punt return in Arizona's win over the Steelers during the 2007 regular season.
Tight Ends: As prolific as the Cardinals' wide receivers are, the team is at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of production from the tight end position. The tandem of Leonard Pope (9 receptions), Ben Patrick (11 receptions) and Jerame Tuman (3 receptions) combined for a paltry 23 catches, 222 yards and zero touchdowns in the regular season, although the 6-foot-8 Pope did have five scoring grabs in 2007. Tuman, who spent his first nine NFL seasons with Pittsburgh before joining Arizona this year, was re-signed after blocking specialist Stephen Spach tore his ACL in the Cards' win over Carolina in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.
Offensive Line: Here's another area that has risen its level of play during the Cardinals' unexpected march to the Super Bowl. The five-man contingent has provided excellent protection for the hardly-mobile Warner, who's been sacked just three times in Arizona's playoff wins, and skillfully opened holes for the running backs. The left side of tackle Mike Gandy, the most experienced member of the front wall, and guard Reggie Wells is the unit's strength. Right tackle Levi Brown is a mauler in the running game who's beginning to realize the expectations the Cardinals had when the made the second-year pro the fifth overall pick of the 2007 draft. Center Lyle Sendlein and right guard Deuce Lutui are also youngsters who have proven to be adequate starters.
