Report: James says his days with Colts are over

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2317349

Colts running back Edgerrin James told the Indianapolis Star he believes his playing days in Indianapolis are over.

"I don't see nothing happening,'' James told the newspaper Thursday night. "You can read between the lines and from the things I'm hearing, nothing's going to happen.

"And that's crazy, man. I'm part of the solution, I'm not part of the problem. Crazy, man."

I heard about this too, that definitely will make things interesting. I don't know what happened that he feels disrespected and such, but that will definitely change the Colts and whatever team he goes to, it will also likely impact the draft of both teams, and make it more plausible for the Colts to resign Reggie Wayne.

I think this hurts the trade down scenario because it gives the Jets and Packers a cheaper option for an elite RB.

I wonder if the postseason this year was the straw that broke the camels back. Maybe the Colts are finally gonna fall apart and let some of us other AFC South teams win the division every once in a while.

Kaiser Toro said:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2317349

Colts running back Edgerrin James told the Indianapolis Star he believes his playing days in Indianapolis are over.

"I don't see nothing happening,'' James told the newspaper Thursday night. "You can read between the lines and from the things I'm hearing, nothing's going to happen.

"And that's crazy, man. I'm part of the solution, I'm not part of the problem. Crazy, man."

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did james learn much english in high school, man?

Kaiser Toro said:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2317349

Colts running back Edgerrin James told the Indianapolis Star he believes his playing days in Indianapolis are over.

"I don't see nothing happening,'' James told the newspaper Thursday night. "You can read between the lines and from the things I'm hearing, nothing's going to happen.

"And that's crazy, man. I'm part of the solution, I'm not part of the problem. Crazy, man."

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didn't we hear this same song last year?

I think Edge really wants to go play for Miami, but that could be a very crowded backfield with their present RB's, and pretty expensive.

Very interesting. Rhodes just isn't going to come in and make the difference in their running game that James does.

Power vacuum in the AFC South in 06???

Grid said:

I wonder if the postseason this year was the straw that broke the camels back. Maybe the Colts are finally gonna fall apart and let some of us other AFC South teams win the division every once in a while.

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We can only hope! *fingers crossed*

In this day and age of FA and "parity", teams only have a 4-5 year window to be successful. After that, salaries limitation start dictating that certain players cannot be resigned. The Colts' window might be closing.

OK...here's what I'm thinking. Edge is going to go where the money is. That leaves a vacancy at Indy. Now, do you think that the Texans would unload someone from our stock to make room for Bush (provided we are going to draft him and not trade down) to Indy? I know it's dumb to give one of your own rivals within the division, but I was just curious. This could be anyone from DD, Wells, or Morency.

Here's my source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2317349

Double Barrel said:

The Colts' window might be closing.

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I don't know about that but the Pitts-Indy playoff game should be very eye-opening to a lot of teams .... granted not all teams can bring the heat the way the Steelers can but Manning sure look flustered most of the day ... hit him early and get his feet moving ....

bigTEXan8 said:

OK...here's what I'm thinking. Edge is going to go where the money is. That leaves a vacancy at Indy. Now, do you think that the Texans would unload someone from our stock to make room for Bush (provided we are going to draft him and not trade down) to Indy? I know it's dumb to give one of your own rivals within the division, but I was just curious. This could be anyone from DD, Wells, or Morency.

Here's my source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2317349

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Intersting article, I can't imagine why they'd place a higher priority on Reggie Wayne than on Edgerrin James but that makes things interesting, although I can defintiely understand wanting to re-sign Freeney as a top priority. This could make things interesting in the free agent market if the Colts indeed do not sign him to a long-term deal, as appears to be the case, or they could decide to franchise/transition tag him and trade him so they at least have a say in where he goes and get something in return for his departure.

Edit* I checked our list of offseason info in the draft folder, and I think these teams could all be viable options for signing Edge if he leaves the Colts:
Arizona - a lot of cap room, an offense that has some comparable talent everywhere but the OLine and likes to spread things out a lot, not sure if they like Arrington as a long-term solution at RB.
Baltimore - a lot of cap room and Jamal Lewis looks like he could be on his way out there, the Ravens could take Edge rather than relying on a draft pick or Chester Taylor.
Green Bay - a lot of cap room and Ahman Green could be on his way out, not sure on that one and I'm not sure if he'd like Green Bay. He seems to be drawn towards the bigger markets and Green Bay looks to be in the rebuilding mode.
Jacksonville - also a decent amount of cap room, and Fred Taylor's days could be numbered there with his injury history. The Colts would do everything they can to keep James from going to a division rival, but if he hits the free agent market it could happen, and they have the most complete team of any of the ones on this list so he has a chance to compete deep in the playoffs.
Minnesota - they have some cap room and have definitely been looking for a more solid RB and one that can contribute to the passing game too. James fills this role well and then they could look elsewhere with their draft picks to solidify their defense, plus they are one of the more complete teams on this list too.
San Francisco - they have some cap room now, but Alex Smith's contract will change that in the future, so a long-term deal might not work. They could use a better RB although some people there think that Gore/Barlow/Hicks is a serviceable group, but James would allow them to concentrate their draft efforts elsewhere. Right now they have a really bad offense and OLine though.

Before we celebrate the Colts window closing, the Texans might want to open their curtain first. Honestly I'm hoping for a big turnaround but usually a team has to atleast knock on the door of division winner before they can knock it down.

If we could get him you can definetly start talking trade down. However here are my questions about him. Can he play behind a line that is less than the one he has in Indy and can he play on team whose passing attack is less than the one in Indy?

pit has a good enough defense to keep them in contention each year, so maybe with the bus retiring he would consider becoming a steeler - all depending on parker (3rd down back?) and staley though.

...just my random thoughts

El Tejano said:

If we could get him you can definetly start talking trade down. However here are my questions about him. Can he play behind a line that is less than the one he has in Indy and can he play on team whose passing attack is less than the one in Indy?

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Who is him? Edg? No way we pick up James. Will cost too much. He is a proven NFL back but in a couple of years he will be considered old for NFL RB standards, right about the time we start paying him 8M per year in his contract. The overriding fact is he will cost too much for us to even blink at.

chuckm said:

didn't we hear this same song last year?

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Yeah, difference is that Reggie Wayne is a FA this year and the Colts will most likely keep Wayne before James...

Fiddy said:

Yeah, difference is that Reggie Wayne is a FA this year and the Colts will most likely keep Wayne before James...

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Plus their top 4 LB's are either RFA (June and Brackett) or UFA (Thornton and Morris) as well as pass rush specialist Mathis (11.5 sacks) RFA, and the guy who plays in front of him at LDE, Raheem Brock (6.5 sacks) UFA. They are going to have to put some money into the D to keep it together.

jerek said:

Who is him? Edg? No way we pick up James. Will cost too much. He is a proven NFL back but in a couple of years he will be considered old for NFL RB standards, right about the time we start paying him 8M per year in his contract. The overriding fact is he will cost too much for us to even blink at.

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Money isnt a problem because if we take Bush we will pay him something around 50 to million for 6 years. That's Alex Smith first pick money, now the Texans may try to cut the money down because he doesnt play QB and the 50 million is QB money, but I dont think Bush and his agents would go with that. Use age if you want, but money shouldnt be a factor if the Texans wanna draft Bush. All I know is James is a stud, he is either the leader or in the top 3 of yards from scrimmage per game over his career. I would love to have him on this team...

The whole reason why Bush is so attractive to the Texans is because of his versatility. Edge is a decent receiver, but he isn't going to be lined up as a receiver for several plays per game.

tulexan said:

The whole reason why Bush is so attractive to the Texans is because of his versatility. Edge is a decent receiver, but he isn't going to be lined up as a receiver for several plays per game.

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But Edge is gonna be able to take an extra 10 carries a game without the worry of wearing him out...

Fiddy said:

But Edge is gonna be able to take an extra 10 carries a game without the worry of wearing him out...

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True, but Edge and DD can't be on the field at the same time.

Which means that one of them is going to be wasted.

ledzeppelin269 said:

Before we celebrate the Colts window closing, the Texans might want to open their curtain first. Honestly I'm hoping for a big turnaround but usually a team has to atleast knock on the door of division winner before they can knock it down.

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This is true. The problem is we can't even seem to find their door! :brickwall

chuckm said:

I don't know about that but the Pitts-Indy playoff game should be very eye-opening to a lot of teams .... granted not all teams can bring the heat the way the Steelers can but Manning sure look flustered most of the day ... hit him early and get his feet moving ....

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This is true...but when I read the following, I still have to wonder about that window of theirs:

infantrycak said:

Plus their top 4 LB's are either RFA (June and Brackett) or UFA (Thornton and Morris) as well as pass rush specialist Mathis (11.5 sacks) RFA, and the guy who plays in front of him at LDE, Raheem Brock (6.5 sacks) UFA. They are going to have to put some money into the D to keep it together.

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Good food for off-season thought, 'eh?

The Texans are not about to sign or trade for Edgerrin James. Drafting Bush at least brings something to the table that we don't currently have: an extremely fast RB that can also line up and play WR. Edgerrin is like a better version of Domanick Davis and Vernan Morency, not a serious burner but a pretty fast, quick, and pretty powerful runner that can also catch the ball well. If we are going to bring in additional RBs this offseason, they should either be a big, bruising RB and/or a really fast guy like Bush, so it's at least adding something new to the offense. I'm not saying Edge isn't better than Domanick or anything like that, but he would be very expensive and not really add much of anything new to the offense. Bush would end up costing more (one reason I'm in favor of trading down), but he at least brings a different aspect to the offense.

There is absolutely no way that 1) the Houston Texans will pursue Edge, and 2) that he'd come here anyways.

Edge could go to Jacksonville if they pursue him, which could be bad for our division and push Jacksonville into the #1 spot in our division as Indy could have trouble keeping all their components together, I thik this was their year for the Super Bowl and they lost out on their chance and the window of opportunity could be closing on them. I could also see Edge going to Baltimore (assuming Jamal Lewis is done here), or maybe Arizona, Green Bay (if Ahman Green leaves), or Minnesota since they all have the cap room and a need for a RB like Edge.

tulexan said:

True, but Edge and DD can't be on the field at the same time.

Which means that one of them is going to be wasted.

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Why can't DD lineup as WR??? He isnt anywhere near Bush's speed but you really dont need him to be a burner because AJ and Mathis could run long opening space for Davis and then Davis can make things happen in open space. He could probably run routes given time and he already has solid hands. There are ways to put those two on the field at the same time. And, I believe, even with Bush, Davis will line up out wide at times...

Why Can't Davis be lined up at WR?

He could, but very limited plays. I believe that Bush may divide his time between RB and WR at around 60/40 or 65/35. He is a threat at WR because he has pretty good size for a WR (whether he is 6'0 or 5'11), would be one of the fastest WR's in the league, and is a great receiver. He has the quadruple threat at WR with his size, speed, moves, and hands. He is faster than every LB, and is as big or bigger than most CB's.

Davis has good hands and good moves, but he is not too fast and is very small. He is more containable for opposing defenses and isn't too much of a matchup problem. I believe that if he does line up as a receiver at all, his time between RB and WR will be around 90/10.

Fiddy said:

Money isnt a problem because if we take Bush we will pay him something around 50 to million for 6 years. That's Alex Smith first pick money, now the Texans may try to cut the money down because he doesnt play QB and the 50 million is QB money, but I dont think Bush and his agents would go with that. Use age if you want, but money shouldnt be a factor if the Texans wanna draft Bush. All I know is James is a stud, he is either the leader or in the top 3 of yards from scrimmage per game over his career. I would love to have him on this team...

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Bush will cost a lot, but as a proven, top-3 back in this league, Edg will command something close to what Bush will. Edg is 27 years old, and as a RB has probably already seen the peak of his playing days. He has plenty of fire left and is hardly worn out, but the difference between Bush/Edg in terms of investment is that Bush is that Edg will be wearing out in about three years, right when we are hitting the thick of his contract.

Of course, Edg is already NFL-proven: Bush isn't. Kind of comes down to which upside/downside you prefer, but I don't think the Texans will even consider him. Wouldn't mind being wrong about that, but it just seems contrary to our typical approach: then again, maybe Kubiak/new staff will change that too. But Cass and Co. have always approached free agency a certain way and have never really gone after the marquee names, and I guess I don't see them doing it here.

Edit: And I will piggyback on what Mork said, Edg is essentially an improved version of Davis. Again, he is a great back, but he doesn't give our offense any new look and when you already have Davis locked in for a moderate contract/price, you're not going to break the bank for James.

I just hope he doesnt go to the Jags or the Titans.

Edge has mentioned in the past that he wants to play in Miami. He is one of the players notorious for spending his offseasons at the U (along with our own Dre Johnson).

Unfortunately, I think that, like Vince, it takes more than just a desire to be in a certain town. That team has to have a RB need, and with Ronnie Brown kicking up dirt so well down there, I don't think Edge has a chance. Side note: Any idea where Ricky is going to land?

I agree that the Jets are a likely stepping off. Can you see the Jets if they free-agent Edge, then trade up to Tennessee to get Vince?

oso said:

Edge has mentioned in the past that he wants to play in Miami. He is one of the players notorious for spending his offseasons at the U (along with our own Dre Johnson).

Unfortunately, I think that, like Vince, it takes more than just a desire to be in a certain town. That team has to have a RB need, and with Ronnie Brown kicking up dirt so well down there, I don't think Edge has a chance. Side note: Any idea where Ricky is going to land?

I agree that the Jets are a likely stepping off. Can you see the Jets if they free-agent Edge, then trade up to Tennessee to get Vince?

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The Jets don't have the cap room to go after Edge, they will be dumping their own guys like crazy to get back under the cap.

Fiddy said:

Yeah, difference is that Reggie Wayne is a FA this year and the Colts will most likely keep Wayne before James...

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but wasn't Harrison a FA last year? or was that the year before?

tulexan said:

Davis has good hands and good moves, but he is not too fast and is very small. He is more containable for opposing defenses and isn't too much of a matchup problem.

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I'm too lazy to look it up but I think Davis is bigger weight wise than Bush and is only an inch or two shorter so size really isnt that big of a deal.

And I just find it funny that 2 years ago and since then, I made a point to tell people Davis didnt create enough matchup problems to be and after years of hearing he is the next big thing (not saying you said that), people are starting to agree.

jerek said:

Bush will cost a lot, but as a proven, top-3 back in this league, Edg will command something close to what Bush will. Edg is 27 years old, and as a RB has probably already seen the peak of his playing days. He has plenty of fire left and is hardly worn out, but the difference between Bush/Edg in terms of investment is that Bush is that Edg will be wearing out in about three years, right when we are hitting the thick of his contract.

Of course, Edg is already NFL-proven: Bush isn't. Kind of comes down to which upside/downside you prefer, but I don't think the Texans will even consider him. Wouldn't mind being wrong about that, but it just seems contrary to our typical approach: then again, maybe Kubiak/new staff will change that too. But Cass and Co. have always approached free agency a certain way and have never really gone after the marquee names, and I guess I don't see them doing it here.

Edit: And I will piggyback on what Mork said, Edg is essentially an improved version of Davis. Again, he is a great back, but he doesn't give our offense any new look and when you already have Davis locked in for a moderate contract/price, you're not going to break the bank for James.

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I can see your point of view, I just like the proven thing and I'm a Edge fan so I'm a little bias. He may be 27 but is durable as hell after the ACL injury. And if it's your idea to take a back till 27 and then let him go because it's dumb to give a back big money after that age, are we renting Reggie Bush for 6 years??? If he signs the usually 6 year contract, Reggie will be 27 at the end of it and if he doesnt prove wrong the durability issue, would we resign him???

I dont agree, however, with the statement that Edge is an improved version of Davis. Davis isnt in the stratosphere in terms of an effect on the game as Edge. Edge leads the league year in and year out in yards from scrimmage and makes the Indy offense go. If Edge isnt working, Peyton doesnt look so great, just look at the Steelers game.

chuckm said:

but wasn't Harrison a FA last year? or was that the year before?

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Not sure, but Harrision, as infatrycak pointed out, there are many defense players they need to resign this year that they didnt have to sign last year...

tulexan said:

I think this hurts the trade down scenario because it gives the Jets and Packers a cheaper option for an elite RB.

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Edge and Reggie are as differant as night and day. Edge is power back with decent moves and average speed that can pound it. Also, where were the offers last year when he was going for a 2nd round pick? I think this is a non issue in relation to us.

run-david-run said:

Edge and Reggie are as differant as night and day. Edge is power back with decent moves and average speed that can pound it. Also, where were the offers last year when he was going for a 2nd round pick? I think this is a non issue in relation to us.

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I dunno....he's been used and abused, rode hard and put to bed wet as they say. Blew a knee out 3 or 4 years ago and took atleast 2 seasons to recover, if he ever fully recovered ? And Edge does not have the raw speed,
explosiveness and versatility that Bush. James will be 28 this year, while Bush will be 21 this year. Nah, were talking about 2 different levels of talent here.