They didn’t call Hall of Fame Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James “The Edge” for nothing.
He was a running back from the Miami Hurricanes who helped the Colts soar to greater heights during the Peyton Manning era.
With James racking up yardage on the ground, the Horseshoe became a formidable unit in the 2000s.
Edgerrin James Gave The Colts A Distinct Edge Over The Opposition
The Colts made James the fourth overall selection of the 1999 NFL Draft.
Colts president and general manager Bill Polian and co. caused a massive uproar in the Circle City with the drafting of James.
Colts fans and other pundits thought Heisman Trophy-winning running back Ricky Williams of the Texas Longhorns was the better choice.
Several years later, James had the last laugh – he flourished under the systems of Jim Mora and Tony Dungy.
He was also one of the pillars of a Colts juggernaut that included Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark.
Williams?
Although he played in the league for 11 seasons, he violated the NFL’s drug policy four times.
The league even suspended him for the entire 2006 NFL campaign.
Williams also became an afterthought after he played his final down in the National Football League in 2011.
Not James.
He had big shoes to fill – after the Colts traded Pro Bowl running back Marshall Faulk to the then-St. Louis Rams in 1999, Edge became his heir apparent.
We don’t talk enough about how SICK Edgerrin James was for the @Colts.
via @nflthrowback pic.twitter.com/f7I5eDziXs
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) April 6, 2021
The running back with the trademark gold teeth and dreadlocks started his pro football career in rousing fashion – he led the league in rushing in his first two seasons from 1999 to 2000.
James quickly silenced the critics with 3,262 rushing yards and two Pro Bowl nods during that time frame.
Behind Edge’s emergence, the Colts, who were 3-13 in 1998, won 10 more games a year later.
They won an average of 12 games in Mora’s second and third year at the helm for the Colts.
However, they never made it past the AFC Divisional Round from 1999 to 2000.
When James tore his ACL before the midway point of the 2001 NFL season, the Colts’ season went downhill fast.
Without James, the Colts won just three of their final 10 games and fell out of postseason contention.
Although Dominic Rhodes did a credible job filling in for James with 1,104 rushing yards in 2001, he clearly wasn’t on Edge’s level.
James eventually regained his Pro Bowl form with consecutive 1,500-yard rushing seasons in 2004 and 2005.
Although James was at the top his game, the Colts somehow couldn’t win that elusive Super Bowl Trophy.
Edge eventually signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2006.
The Colts beat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI barely a year later.
Edge was so good he racked up 9,226 rushing yards from 1999 to 2005.
His predecessors, Eric Dickerson and Faulk, had 5,194 rushing yards and 5,320 yards, respectively, during their time with the Horseshoe.
Based on that premise alone – and unless Jonathan Taylor has something to say about it – James was the best running back in Colts history.
James finished his legendary 12-year NFL career with 12,246 rushing yards and 80 touchdowns on 3,028 carries.
Edge’s career rushing yardage total currently ranks him 13th in NFL history.
The man had more rushing yards than Hall of Famers Marcus Allen (12,243), Franco Harris (12,120), and Thurman Thomas (12,074).
What a speech by Edgerrin James during his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 🔥
(🎥: @nfl) pic.twitter.com/rGoqZFsa1T
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 8, 2021
No wonder James became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020.
His “My career started with gold teeth and ended with this gold jacket” quote from his enshrinement speech was the stuff of legends.
Edge wasn’t just a top-notch running back – he was also a first-class teammate.
No less than Hall of Fame Colts quarterback Peyton Manning considered him the best teammate he ever had.
Edgerrin James – from dreadlocks and gold teeth to gold jacket and bust in Canton.
He truly gave the Horseshoe an edge during his time in the Circle City.
