The Cardinals have been a popular topic with "football scientist" K.C. Joyner lately. He broke down the Cards' offensive linemen when it came to the run game, and now he did the same with Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower. The result? Edge was more efficient than Hightower last season, which really doesn't come as a huge surprise. There were other things that went into the playing time dynamic -- and Edge's disappearance off the playing grid in the middle part of the season -- than just raw numbers. But the numbers don't change the reality, which is that the Cards wanted to get younger and more explosive in the backfield. That's why they drafted Beanie Wells. And as I have said a couple of times, as much as Hightower struggled at times, I still think he has a chance to take a leap forward. Yes, young running backs, if they are good, often show it right away. But don't forget Hightower was from a small school, so his learning curve may have been a little more steep. And Hightower is definitely driven not only to do better, but to fend off Wells and try and keep the starting job.
Measuring Edge vs. Hightower
Jun 04, 2009 at 04:11 AM
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