With all the Edge nostalgia flowing in the comments of the last story I think it's time to look at his place in history.
Edgerrin James burst onto the stage leading the league in rushing and topping 2,000 yards from scrimmage in both of his first two seasons in the NFL. Those high totals came at a high cost when in his third season Edge buckled under the punishment of over 950 carries in 2 1/2 years.
He was never the same explosive back after the knee injury, but his great blocking and receiving skills along with a pounding running style allowed him to remain elite. Even after leaving Indy Edge continued to turn out 1,100+ yard seasons on the ground and contribute in the passing game.
Edge is the active leader in both rushing yards and yards from scrimmage. I'll use his average in two seasons with the Cardinals to estimate how fast he moves up. The Cardinals might get better, helping James, but Edge's skills will start to decline soon if they haven't started to already.
Rank/Player/Career Rushing Yards/Lead/Years to pass
|
1. |
Emmitt Smith | 18,355 | 6748 | 6 |
| 2. | Walter Payton | 16,726 | 5119 | 5 |
| 3. | Barry Sanders+ | 15,269 | 3662 | 4 |
| 4. | Curtis Martin | 14,101 | 2494 | 3 |
| 5. | Jerome Bettis | 13,662 | 2055 | 2 |
| 6. | Eric Dickerson+ | 13,259 | 1652 | 2 |
| 7. | Tony Dorsett+ | 12,739 | 1132 | 1 |
| 8. | Jim Brown+ | 12,312 | 705 | 1 |
| 9. | Marshall Faulk | 12,279 | 672 | 1 |
| 10. | Marcus Allen+ | 12,243 | 636 | 1 |
| 11. | Franco Harris+ | 12,120 | 513 | 1 |
| 12. | Thurman Thomas+ | 12,074 | 467 | 1 |
| 13. | Edgerrin James (29) | 11,607 | ----- | |
| 14. | John Riggins+ | 11,352 | ||
| 15. | Corey Dillon | 11,241 | ||
| 16. | O.J. Simpson+ | 11,236 | ||
| 17. | Fred Taylor (31) | 10,715 | -892 |
N/A |
| 18. | LaDainian Tomlinson (28) | 10,650 | -957 | -3 |
| 19. | Ricky Watters | 10,643 | ||
| 20. | Tiki Barber | 10,449 |
(Stats from and Tables modified from Pro Football Reference)
Rank/Player/Yards from scrimmage/Lead/Years to pass
|
1. |
Jerry Rice | 23,540 | 8673 | 7 |
| 2. | Emmitt Smith | 21,579 | 6712 | 5 |
| 3. | Walter Payton+ | 21,264 | 6397 | 5 |
| 4. | Marshall Faulk | 19,154 |
4287 |
3 |
| 5. | Barry Sanders+ | 18,190 | 3323 | 3 |
| 6. | Marcus Allen+ | 17,654 | 2787 | 2 |
| 7. | Curtis Martin | 17,430 | 2563 | 2 |
| 8. | Thurman Thomas+ | 16,532 | 1665 | 2 |
| 9. | Tony Dorsett+ | 16,293 | 1426 | 2 |
| 10. | Tiki Barber | 15,632 | 765 | 1 |
| 11. | Eric Dickerson+ | 15,396 | 529 | 1 |
| 12. | Tim Brown | 15,124 | 257 | 1 |
| 13. | Jerome Bettis | 15,111 | 244 | 1 |
| 14. | Ricky Watters | 14,891 | 24 | 1 |
| 15. | Edgerrin James (29) | 14,867 | ----- | ---- |
| 16. | Jim Brown+ | 14,811 | ||
| 17. | Franco Harris+ | 14,407 | ||
| 18. | Isaac Bruce (35) | 14,259 | -608 | N/A |
| 19. | James Lofton+ | 14,250 | ||
| 20. | Warrick Dunn (32) | 14,190 | -677 | N/A |
| 21. | LaDainian Tomlinson (28) | 14,025 | -842 | -2 |
| 22. | Marvin Harrison (35) | 13,972 | -895 | N/A |
Edge is currently 4th among active players in rushing touchdowns.
Rank/Player/Rushing Touchdowns/Lead/Years to pass
| 1 | Emmitt Smith | 164 | 87 | 14 |
| 2 | Marcus Allen | 123 | 46 | 7 |
| 3 | LaDainian Tomlinson(28) | 115 | 38 | 6+ |
| 4 | Walter Payton | 110 | 33 | 6 |
| 5 |
Jim Brown |
106 | 29 | 5 |
| 6 | John Riggins | 104 | 27 | 5 |
| 7 | Shaun Alexander(30) | 100 | 23 | 4+ |
| Marshall Faulk | 100 | 23 | 4 | |
| 9 | Barry Sanders | 99 | 22 | 4 |
| 10 | Jerome Bettis | 91 | 14 | 3 |
| Franco Harris | 91 | 14 | 3 | |
| 12 | Eric Dickerson | 90 | 13 | 2 |
| Curtis Martin | 90 | 13 | 2 | |
| 14 | Priest Holmes | 86 | 9 | 2 |
| 15 | Jim Taylor | 83 | 6 | 1 |
| 16 | Corey Dillon | 82 | 5 | 1 |
| 17 | Ottis Anderson | 81 | 4 | 1 |
| 18 | Ricky Watters | 78 | 1 | 1 |
| 19 | Tony Dorsett | 77 | 0 | 1 |
| Edgerrin James | 77 | --- | -- |
Edge is currently 13th in rushing yards, 15th in rushing plus receiving and 19th in TDs. He is 7th in the history of the league in rushing yards per game and despite having the most carries of any active player, Edge ranks 19th among active players in fumbles.
Just continuing the level of production he's had while with Cardinals for another 2 years will put him in or just outside the top 5 in both yardages and top 10 in TDs. James has surpassed the career production of multiple HOF backs before his 30th birthday. His continued production after leaving Indy proves he was more than just a production of the talent around him. Edgerrin is a Hall of Fame back and one of the best ever to play in Indy.