RUNNING WILD

It’s getting cold in Indiana, and that means Edgerrin James will soon lose his personal cook when his mother returns to balmy south Florida.

It’s all part of a change in lifestyle for the Indianapolis Colts rookie running back, who bought a four-bedroom home shortly after the Colts surprised many by taking the former Miami star ahead of Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams.

Julie James, a single parent, raised five sons in a two-room apartment in rural Florida while working in a school cafeteria. Since her son doesn’t cook, she has been preparing his favorite foods.

“It was good for us both having her here,” he said. “She’s helped me adjust.”

Once she’s gone, James plans once again to depend on the generosity of teammates for warm meals after practice.

“Before my mom got here, I started going to Derrick Holmes’ house a lot and I’d eat there. I’ve got a refrigerator full of food, but I just don’t know how to cook, so I don’t waste my time,” he said.

Much of his time is spent on football. Many questioned the Colts for taking James over Williams, but he quickly earned the respect of players and coaches by becoming only the eighth running back in NFL history to rush for 100 yards in his first two games.

James, who was selected the NFL’s offensive rookie of the month for September, is averaging 89.3 yards rushing for his first four NFL games. The former University of Miami star also has 60 yards receiving and his 417 yards from scrimmage is the highest of any rookie.

“The first game I saw that he had something special,” said offensive guard Tarik Glenn. “Whenever you have a guy that comes in and works as hard as he does, it shows the dedication to the game. He has natural talent.”

He has been successful despite a three-week holdout in training camp--and missing the team’s first two preseason games.

“For Edgerrin to do so well so early in the season, it’s a great credit to him that he’s been able to come in after the holdout. History has showed that holdouts don’t usually come in and play particularly well early,” said quarterback Peyton Manning.

While James is focused on football, he’s also thinking about his future--including plans for his new house.

“I’m still considering what I’m going to do. I’m hopefully going to add an indoor pool. I’ll probably have that done in the offseason when I’m in Florida. I’m going to put a basketball court in the backyard,” James said.

Brothers, cousins and friends have been visiting James, along with his 2-year-old daughter Edquisha and her mother.

Though James signed a seven-year contract valued at about $49 million, he hasn’t gone on a spending spree. In addition to the house, he has a new Mercedes-Benz and a dining room set with 12 chairs.

“I didn’t really enjoy the success after being drafted. Once that happened, I didn’t do a lot of partying. I just made my mind up to have my fun on the field,” he said.

He also set some lofty goals, wanting to become one of the league’s best running backs.

“I want to be like Terrell Davis or Michael Jordan,” James said. “Right now I’m just another guy. They’ve shown what they can do and nobody can say anything negative about their talent. That’s the type of player I want to be.”

Relaxing in his backyard with his daughter and a Rottweiler puppy named Zing, James pondered his future.

“I don’t feel like I’m at the top of the world. Some good things have happened. I just want to keep working so that they’ll continue to happen. I want to do well on the field, that’s where I’ll be on top of the world,” he said, with the big smile that is as much of a part of his personality as the gold teeth and dreadlocks.

Life hasn’t been easy for James, who believes overcoming challenges helped him mature.

“I’ve seen a lot of bad things in my life. If you witness it first- hand, you know what not to do and you know what to do,” he said.

His mother’s work ethic motivated James, who plans to share his wealth with her.

“Now for the rest of her life, I just want her to be happy. She can talk about everything she wants and she’ll get it instantly as long as I can do it.”

When the Colts drafted James, he told his mother to quit her job.

“I don’t want my mother to have to work. I’ve seen my aunts, my uncle, my grandmother, they work all their lives and they just die,” James said.

“They didn’t get to enjoy themselves. I don’t want my mom to be like that. I want her to be able to leave the country, go to Paris, anywhere she wants to go.”

Mrs. James already has already drawn up the wish list.

“I want a Lexus. The biggest one they have--a 400.”