Edge to the Rescue in Seattle

Point No. 8,450,931 under the heading "Why Preseason Results Are Meaningless" takes us to Seattle. After two games, the Seahawks are 2-0 with wins over Denver and San Diego. But it's hard to get excited over that record given that the Seahawks' running game was about as effective as taking a knee.

In their first game, the Hawks' leading rusher was rookie Devin Moore with 32 yards on eight carries. Last week, quarterback Seneca Wallace led the way with 20 yards -- three other backs averaged less than 2.5 yards per rush. On top of that, projected starter Julius Jones missed the contest with a mysterious leg injury.

So with desperation close to setting in, Seattle reportedly signed veteran Edgerrin James to a one-year deal on Monday. Pro Football Talk first reported the deal.

Here's an appropriate time for the usual disclaimers you'll hear about James these days -- he's 31, already played 10 full seasons and has definitely lost a step.

He's also still arguably as good or better than any of Seattle's other backs.

The Seahawks had high hopes for Jones after bringing him in from Dallas last year, but then he put up a whopping 698 yards as their No. 1 guy and scored just twice. The James signing might hint that Jones is currently more hurt than Seattle's letting on, but even if he's not, it's debatable that the Seahawks could count on him to carry the load. Behind him is T.J. Duckett, a fantasy headache last year with eight touchdowns and just 172 total rushing yards -- he becomes a possible cut now with James in tow. At third-string is Justin Forsett, an athletic guy that has never had a carry in the NFL.

There's not exactly a Walter Payton in there.

So even though Edge isn't a big-play threat (though he never really was -- his longest career rush is 43 yards), this move, while surprising, could be a good one. Or at least an understandable one.

James won't be able to handle 30 carries a night, but he doesn't have to in Seattle. He can split carries with Jones and whoever else remains when the regular season starts, plus add sturdy blocking and a decent set of hands to the backfield. Sort of exactly what he did during a strong postseason with the Cardinals last season, while sharing time with Tim Hightower.

Beyond that, he's been on a lot of winning teams, a resume-booster that the Seahawks no doubt noticed. Oh yeah, and he gets two chances this season to stick it to Arizona for phasing him out.

Edge won't turn Seattle's rushing attack into the best in the league. He will improve it, though, even if that accomplishment doesn't seem like much at the moment.