A future Hall of Fame running back took the field Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, but he didn’t have a horseshoe on his helmet.
It might take a while, but Edge will make it to Canton.
Now a back-up with the Seattle Seahawks, he’s a guy Indianapolis fans haven’t seen since arguably the lowest point in franchise history, in a 2005 playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That was nearly four years ago, and that was the last time Edgerrin James touched Indianapolis turf.
A lot has changed since James last donned his blue and white No. 32.
The Colts won a championship without him. Featured running backs, which James was during his seven years in Indianapolis, are extinct in today’s two-back NFL. At age 31 — 81 in running back years — James is obviously in the twilight of his career, which should end in a year or two.
But give it another five or six years, and James’ gold teeth should be on a bronze bust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Should, but probably won’t for a while.
That’s because each year, there are simply more deserving players than available spots in Canton. More than 100 retired players and coaches are picked as preliminary candidates, then the list is whittled down to 17 finalists. Of those finalists, there’s no set number that get in, but between four and seven get the honor as new members.
Good luck, Edge.
The Hall of Fame’s arbitrary maximum of seven inductees is exactly what leaves candidates like James on the outside looking in. If 10 deserving players are nominated in a given year, why can’t they all get in? If there’s only one or two another year, so be it, only allow one or two.
The voting system is as flawed as college football’s BCS.
You’d think stats would be the deciding factor, but that’s not always the case. Former Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas, the 13th-leading rusher in NFL history, was snubbed in 2006 before being inducted the next year. In an even more heinous decision, the voters passed on former Minnesota Vikings receiver Cris Carter not once, but twice.
Come on.
Say what you want about Carter being a “possession receiver” who lacked big-play ability, but the numbers don’t lie. Carter ranks third all-time in receptions (1,101), fourth in receiving touchdowns (130), and seventh in receiving yards (13,899).
James’ stats aren’t quite as lofty, but there’s no doubt he’s deserving.
Not only is he the Colts’ all-time leading rusher, but he ranks 11th all-time in the league. A mere 132 yards separate James from eighth-place Jim Brown, which means Edge has a legitimate shot of becoming the league’s eighth-leading rusher just by gaining meaningless yards during garbage time in Seattle.
James didn’t do it with speed, he was a bruiser. Outside of a 72-yard run during his rookie season, he hasn’t broken one longer than 43 yards the rest of his career.
He was also a major reason the Colts won an unheard of 80 games during his tenure from 1999-2005. Indianapolis had one losing season in that span, going 6-10 in 2001 — the year James blew out his knee.
James was also incredibly durable.
Outside of that injury year in 2001, James only missed six starts as a Colt. In 2002, he had reconstructive surgery on his knee, injured two ankles, a rib, and a hamstring, and still rushed for 989 yards in 14 starts.
But will all that be enough to sway the voters when he’s eligible in 2014 or 2015?
Good luck, Edge.
Posted by leibrockk 