Kurt Warner is Very Happy

The Arizona Cardinals signed a top-flight free agent running back on Sunday. As an added bonus, the running back was not at the tail end of his NFL career. The Birds showed they are serious about making a run at the NFC West title with the signing of Edgerrin James. The former Colts running back signed a four-year $30M deal.

The move sets a bad precedent for small market teams. The Birds built a new stadium and now suddenly they are spending money on high-priced free agents. Who does that? Look at baseball�s Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, and Cincinnati Reds. They had the right idea about duping the public into building a new stadium and then just pocketing the profits instead of trying to make the team better.

Now people might expect the Birds to actually go out and win some games.

"It's a nice situation. All they really need was a back," James said. "They've got an MVP quarterback (Kurt Warner), they've got two Pro Bowl receivers (Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald)."

The naysayer will point out that the Cardinals need an offensive line. But just watch how much better the offensive line is next season with James. And Warner, too, who was effective but under duress without a running game last season.

How inept has the Birds rushing attack been?

The Cardinals haven't had a 100-yard rusher since Emmitt Smith gained 106 against Seattle on Oct. 26, 2004. They only topped 100 yards rushing as a team once last season. The Birds haven�t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Adrian Murrell in 1998. James gained at least 100 in 49 of his 95 games with Indianapolis.

We predict the Birds to win the division every year, but this year it could happen.

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