Cardinals sign James

The Cardinals have made a major pick-up that may make them contenders for the playoffs.

The Arizona Cardinals have hollered to anyone who would listen that they are serious about building a winner.

They backed up the big talk by signing Edgerrin James to a four-year contract -- almost certainly the most significant free-agent acquisition in the history of the long-suffering franchise.
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James flew into Phoenix with agent Drew Rosenhaus on March 11 and had a deal by the morning on March 12. It was the only visit he made as a free agent.

"I'm not scared to take a chance," James said at a news conference at Cardinals' headquarters. "I'm not scared to go out there on a limb and do something different. If I was nervous, I would probably have done whatever it took to stay back where I left."

Why might they be contenders?

James has been one of the most productive running backs in the NFL after the Colts took him with the fourth overall pick in 1999. He has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in five of his seven NFL seasons, and ran for more than 1,500 yards in each of the last two.

The 28-year-old James joins an Arizona team that went 5-11 last season, leading the league in passing but finishing dead last in rushing with 1,138 yards, averaging 3.2 yards per carry.

"It's a nice situation. All they really need was a back," James said. "They've got an MVP quarterback (Kurt Warner ), they've got two Pro Bowl receivers (Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald)."

The NFC got a little more competitive (even though the Cardinals still have Kurt Warner).