The E-James Train Continues to Roll

The numbers are escalating for running back Edgerrin James, who in his second season with the Indianapolis Colts is on the verge of joining an elite list of Hall of Fame runners.

On Wednesday, the NFL chose James the AFC offensive player of the month for October.

“It just goes with the territory,” said James, the only back to rush for 1,000 yards two straight seasons for the Miami Hurricanes before being selected fourth overall in the 1999 draft. “You prepare and you play, plus you’re surrounded by a great group of guys and good things are bound to happen.”

The 6-foot, 216-pound James needs just 26 yards rushing in Chicago on Sunday to reach 2,500 in his 25th NFL game. Only Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson reached the milestone quicker, hitting it in his 23rd game.

Jim Brown also hit the mark in his 25th game and had fewer carries. Brown topped 2,500 yards early in his third season when the league had a 12-game schedule. He gained 2,469 yards on 459 carries during his first two NFL seasons. James goes into the game with 569 carries.

Others who ran for 2,500 yards early in their careers were George Rogers, at 26 games; Earl Campbell, at 27; and Terrell Davis, at 27.

“Numbers like that don’t mean much to me right now. They’re nice, but the only number I worry about is victories and winning the Super Bowl,” James said. “That’s what this game is all about and if we don’t do that, I’ll wait until I’m done playing to think about individual accomplishments.”

He’ll go against the Bears with three consecutive 100-yard rushing games, including a franchise-record 219 at Seattle on Oct. 15. His 482 yards in the past three games represent the best three-game yardage total in club history.

Still, he isn’t satisfied.

“I’ll continue to do the things that I’ve been doing, and try to get more, just keep it going, don’t let it stop here,” James said.

However, his determination has a downside. Seeking to battle for every yard, he lost four fumbles.

“We talk to our players all the time about protecting the football,” coach Jim Mora said. “I’m not worried about it. I don’t like it. He understands that. He’s probably more concerned about it than I am.”

Mora wants his players to battle until an official blows the play dead.

“Sometimes a fumble is inevitable. Sometimes, a guy comes in and does a heck of a job. I don’t see him being careless with the ball. It happens, he’ll work on it.”

James agrees.

“You get into the open field, and you want to make a play, make something happen. You kind of lose sight of the little things,” James said. “That’s one thing I’m going to have to discipline myself.”

James leads the AFC with 10 touchdowns. He has a league-high 921 yards rushing and 1,177 yards from scrimmage. He’s combined with quarterback Peyton Manning and wide receiver Marvin Harrison -- who along with James were Pro Bowl starters last January -- to lead the second most productive offense in the league.

James is on pace to rush for 1,842 yards, while Manning would have 4,876 yards passing by maintaining his production after eight games. Harrison, is on target for an NFL-record 1,924 yards receiving.

If all three keep their pace, Indianapolis would be the first team in league history with a 4,000-yard passer and a 1,500-yard rusher and receiver in consecutive seasons.

The trio has helped Indianapolis open 6-2 for a second consecutive year.

“We’re a team that probably has a little better feel about itself,” Mora said. “Last year after coming off two 3-13 seasons, with each game you won, it was like ‘Wow!’ Now, I think they expect more of themselves.”