Post by John on Jun 12, 2006 22:39:14 GMT -4
Desert heat? James saying, doing right things in Arizona
June 12, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Edgerrin James was back in the desert for four days of "voluntary" workouts with his new Arizona Cardinals teammates on Monday, and he had no complaints about the sizzling temperatures.
In fact, he stayed out on the practice field for some extra work after his teammates headed for the locker room.
"It's a piece of cake. It's not that big of deal," James said afterward, "to come out here and get a little easy work in."
James' biggest complaint was having to stand around to wait his turn for reps.
"Like I was telling everybody," he said, "if I fainted, it would be from boredom, it wouldn't be from the sun."
James had been at his South Florida home for two weeks after participating in the first week of voluntary workouts. He came back Monday for the final week, as he had told the coaches he would.
"This week you've got everybody here," he said. "The younger guys, they're a little more up to speed. It's hard to be here when they've got to coach them and please us veterans. You want to practice and you want to get it in, but you've got to wait for them to do all the coaching stuff, the stuff you've already went through. That's the hardest part."
Last year when James was with the Indianapolis Colts, he skipped minicamp because he was upset the team did not give him a long-term contract.
The Cardinals signed James away from the Colts this offseason with a four-year, $30 million contract.
The Cardinals' workouts are from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., when the temperature rises above 90 degrees en route to an afternoon high well into the triple digits. For all of James' nonchalance, he noticed the heat, teammate Anquan Boldin said.
"He came over to my house yesterday and the first thing he said was `Man, it's hot out here,"' Boldin said. "But I tried to tell him when I talked to him when he was back in Florida. I told him when he came back, just be prepared for a little heat."
James, a two-time NFL rushing champion, said he believes he has earned the right to miss some of the routine summer sessions to work out on his own.
Plus, he said, coaches know he will show up in top condition.
"I train harder than we could even practice," he said, "so when I got here it was more mental, getting out here and making sure you do all the little things right."
When he is with the team, he said he leads by example.
"They can see from what I've done in the past and the way I go about things," James said. "Hopefully it rubs off. If it don't, it will be their loss. The NFL, it's a privilege to be here. I cherish every moment. I go out here and try to do what I can to try to get in the Hall of Fame."
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
June 12, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Edgerrin James was back in the desert for four days of "voluntary" workouts with his new Arizona Cardinals teammates on Monday, and he had no complaints about the sizzling temperatures.
In fact, he stayed out on the practice field for some extra work after his teammates headed for the locker room.
"It's a piece of cake. It's not that big of deal," James said afterward, "to come out here and get a little easy work in."
James' biggest complaint was having to stand around to wait his turn for reps.
"Like I was telling everybody," he said, "if I fainted, it would be from boredom, it wouldn't be from the sun."
James had been at his South Florida home for two weeks after participating in the first week of voluntary workouts. He came back Monday for the final week, as he had told the coaches he would.
"This week you've got everybody here," he said. "The younger guys, they're a little more up to speed. It's hard to be here when they've got to coach them and please us veterans. You want to practice and you want to get it in, but you've got to wait for them to do all the coaching stuff, the stuff you've already went through. That's the hardest part."
Last year when James was with the Indianapolis Colts, he skipped minicamp because he was upset the team did not give him a long-term contract.
The Cardinals signed James away from the Colts this offseason with a four-year, $30 million contract.
The Cardinals' workouts are from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., when the temperature rises above 90 degrees en route to an afternoon high well into the triple digits. For all of James' nonchalance, he noticed the heat, teammate Anquan Boldin said.
"He came over to my house yesterday and the first thing he said was `Man, it's hot out here,"' Boldin said. "But I tried to tell him when I talked to him when he was back in Florida. I told him when he came back, just be prepared for a little heat."
James, a two-time NFL rushing champion, said he believes he has earned the right to miss some of the routine summer sessions to work out on his own.
Plus, he said, coaches know he will show up in top condition.
"I train harder than we could even practice," he said, "so when I got here it was more mental, getting out here and making sure you do all the little things right."
When he is with the team, he said he leads by example.
"They can see from what I've done in the past and the way I go about things," James said. "Hopefully it rubs off. If it don't, it will be their loss. The NFL, it's a privilege to be here. I cherish every moment. I go out here and try to do what I can to try to get in the Hall of Fame."
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service