James has second straight big game

Their paths first crossed in 1999, when Edgerrin James was a rookie sensation in Indianapolis and defensive end Bertrand Berry was in the final year of his rookie contract with the Colts. They parted ways the next year, when Berry went to Denver.

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Their paths intertwined again in Arizona three years ago, and while the clock may be winding down again given James' likely departure at season's end, it's still ticking.

From a starter to the bench and back again, James rekindled yesteryear with a second consecutive week of showing that the 30-year-old can still run. He churned out 73 yards on 16 carries in a 30-24 victory over Atlanta on Saturday, which gives him 30 carries for 173 yards (5.8 yards per carry) in the past two games.

In between, he received plenty of feedback from defensive teammates, most of which revolved around his recent resurgence and impending exit from the Valley.

"They're not ready for me to go yet," James joked.

"I'm proud of him," Berry said. "He could have easily gone in the tank after what's happened this year. We've had our ups and downs and grew up in the league together. ... You don't ever want to see a Hall of Famer walk out the door."

James' longest carry was 10 yards, and twice he ran for no gain.

But he also never lost yardage, and 10 of his 16 attempts went for five yards or more.

"That's the type of game I'm used to," James said.

It was just enough of a selling point. His first three runs of the game (totaling 21 yards) helped the Cardinals execute a flea-flicker touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald.

He also picked up the blitz when the Falcons came after quarterback Kurt Warner (which happened often) when he hit Anquan Boldin for a 71-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

The Cardinals finished with 28 carries for 86 yards on the ground, including a 14-play, 76-yard third-quarter drive capped by Tim Hightower's five-yard touchdown run.

"We had some bumps in the road late, but I think a lot of us, including myself, felt disrespected by a lot of people over in Atlanta," guard Reggie Wells said of the running game. "It's one thing to have that confidence, but it's another thing to think it's going to be a rollover, because we don't allow that out here."

One theory floating around this week was that since the Cardinals had the NFC West wrapped up two-thirds of the way through the season, the Cardinals replaced James with Hightower in the lineup to keep James fresh for the playoffs.

Asked about such an odd premise, James grinned.

"I'm not worried about fresh legs," he said. "I always have fresh legs."