ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

James

Edgerrin James has four carries in the Cardinals' last five games. He remains 9 yards short of 12,000 career rushing yards. He wants to make a Hall of Fame push with another team, something James addressed Friday night while watching a high school game in Florida.

James to the Naples (Fla.) Daily News: "You don't get this far and lay down. I know I still belong in the league and I still believe I will be in the Hall of Fame."

James' fate reminds me of what happened to Ricky Watters in Seattle. Watters was still a productive player when the franchise selected Shaun Alexander in the first round of the 2000 draft. Watters remained the starter that season, but Alexander took over in 2001. Watters was the better all-around player, and it wasn't close. But Alexander validated the decision by rushing for 1,318 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first season as the starter.

Watters had rushed for 1,242 yards with a 4.5-yard average per carry in 2000. He carried 72 times for 318 yards in 2001. He was 32 years old. The Bucs offered him a chance to play the following season, but Watters wanted more money than they were willing to pay. I thought Watters could have played a few more seasons as a third-down back and occasional starter, but he apparently wasn't willing to settle for that type of role. He retired with 10,643 yards rushing and 467 receptions.

James rushed for 1,222 yards last season. He is 30 years old. He hasn't averaged better than 3.8 yards per carry in a season since 2005, his final year with the Colts.

Alexander's instant production made it tough for Watters to complain about his demotion. James finds himself in a different situation. Tim Hightower has rushed for 85 yards in his last four starts. He has nine touchdowns and ran effectively in short-yardage situations earlier in the season, but his 2.9-yard average per carry is a half-yard below James' average this season.

Note: Thanks to Scoop for passing along the link to the Naples Daily News story.