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| Authored by Andrew Perna - 31st July, 2006 - 11:13 am
 Monday?s battle pits two elite running backs against one another in an NFC West shootout. Edgerrin James, coming off seven successful seasons as a member of the Colts, is headed to Arizona to help fix the Cardinals? running game. Meanwhile, Steven Jackson is heading into his third season as a member of the St. Louis Rams with Marshall Faulk completely out of the picture.
Case for James
Edgerrin is coming off a season in which he rushed for over 1,500 yards and tied a career-high with thirteen rushing touchdowns for the Colts. Indianapolis decided they?d rather pay the likes of Reggie Wayne so they allowed James to leave for sunny Arizona and the young Cardinals. He?s one of the best running backs in the league when healthy, and he has the ability to catch a pass in addition to plowing through the opposition. He holds the ?Edge? in receiving ability over Jackson (pun intended), not to mention that James is a much more proven option.
Case Against James
Considering all that James has going for him, there are a few concerns that one must consider before making him their franchise player. He turns 28 on Tuesday, and he has been the Colts top running back option for his entire career. Add in the fact that he has played in sixteen games only three times in his career and you might consider injuries a pretty big concern. Also, I think there must be something we don?t know about Edgerrin if the Colts were willing to watch him leave for the NFC.
Case for Jackson
Steven, not to be confused with the Indiana Pacers Stephen Jackson, has a few definite edges over James. First of all, he just turned 23 and could provide a franchise with many more years of service before he has to call it quits. Also, Jackson has eased into his NFL career with less than 400 carries in his first two seasons. James carried the ball almost 800 times in his first two seasons in Indianapolis. Another advantage Steven has is his size. He?s 6'2" and 231 pounds, while James is 6'0" and 214 pounds.
Case Against Jackson
Jackson may very well turn out to be a better running back than Edgerrin has been, but only time will answer that question for us. Jackson is much less proven than James, and he has the disadvantage of playing on a less dangerous offensive team. Sure, the Rams were once ?The Greatest Show On Turf,? but no one has the offensive firepower the Colts have had in recent years. Jackson is very good, but it might be hard to pick an established veteran like James over him this early in his career.
The choice is yours - Who would you pick to start an NFL franchise with?
Vote on RealGM?s NFL Main Page to make your voice heard.
Also, send an e-mail to me at Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com and enter yourself in the running for a Mitchell & Ness NFL jersey (a $300 value) from DistantReplays.com and a chance to participate in my Fantasy Football Challenge League! |
