Arizona rookie Arrington has gained only 224 yards in limited action
By Roger Phillips, STAFF WRITER
SANTA CLARA — The Arizona Cardinals were going to shed their impoverished history, and J.J. Arrington was going to be a big part of the reason. Or so the thinking went before the start of the NFL season, a time when the Cardinals seemed to
have rare promise and when Arrington had yet to deal with the realities of being a rookie on a struggling team. The season hasn't worked out as the Cardinals expected. The Cardinals are as bad as ever, and Arrington has yet to make an impact. On Sunday, the Cardinals (3-8) will visit the 49ers (2-9), and Arrington will return to the Bay Area, where he played for California the past two years and starred for the Golden Bears in 2004. "I had a lot of success in the Bay Area," the 22-year-old Arrington said during a phone interview this week. "I'm looking forward to going back." When last seen in these parts, Arrington wasrunning wild for Cal. As a senior, he scored 15 touchdowns and led the nation in rushing with 2,018 yards, and he was the fastest back in the 2005 NFL draft, timed at 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash. After using their first-round selection on Miami cornerback Antrel Rolle, the Cardinals selected Arrington in the second round, 44th overall. He joined a group that included dangerous young receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, along with veteran quarterback Kurt Warner, added as a free agent. But while Fitzgerald and Boldin have had big years, the Cardinals have struggled with the running game. Arrington started two of the first three games, but veteran Marcel Shipp has started the last eight games. Arrington may get the start this weekend, with Shipp listed as doubtful with a neck injury. Arrington has carried the ball only 63 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns, disappointing output by anyone's standards. Cardinals coach Dennis Green said problems with the offensive line have been the biggest thing holding Arrington back. "J.J. is ready to roll," Green said. "I think that he's going to be a very good player. That's what he was out of college. ... The question is, does he have the kind of team around him that will help him do that? So far, with all of our inconsistencies of who is playing, we have not been able to develop (a consistent) run game."
Arrington said he is remaining patient. "I'm just learning the game a little more, and dealing with the length of the season," Arrington said. "It can be a little stressful." For his part, Warner said he sees progress. As much as anything, Warner said, the problem has been that the Cardinals have trailed in most of their games and consequently have often had to abandon the run and put the ball in the air. The Cardinals trail only St. Louis in passing yardage, but are the worst team in the NFL at running the ball. Assessing Arrington, Warner said, "It seems like he's getting to the point where he can really slow the game down and play his type of game. ... That's the thing that's exciting to all of us." Arrington has traveled a long distance in a short time. Only three years ago at this time, the North Carolina native was playing junior-college football at College of the Canyons, before making the move to Cal in 2003. Now, he's in the NFL, albeit playing before the sparse crowds the Cardinals attract in their final season at Sun Devil Stadium before they move into a new facility in 2006. "I'm used to playing in front of 2,000 or 3,000 fans," he said when asked if it is difficult to find inspiration when playing in virtual privacy. Besides, the Cardinals' crowds aren't quite as small as those in junior college. Last weekend, they drew 39,198 for their home loss to Jacksonville. Arrington's bigger concern is that he carried the ball only six times in that game, albeit for 39 yards, 26 on one rush. "I came in knowing it was going to be tough," Arrington said. "I knew nothing was going to be easy, nobody was going to give you nothing in this league."
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