James closing in on records

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Edgerrin James ends his second NFL season this month and several club and league records are within his reach. <br><br>James needs just one touchdown at Miami on Sunday or against Minnesota

Thursday, December 14th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Edgerrin James ends his second NFL season this month and several club and league records are within his reach.

James needs just one touchdown at Miami on Sunday or against Minnesota on Dec. 24 to finish the season with more touchdowns in his first two years than any player in league history. His three TDs in Monday's 44-20 victory over Buffalo gave him 34 in his first two seasons, tying the league record set by Hall of Famers Gale Sayers and Eric Dickerson.

The former University of Miami star needs just 125 yards rushing in his final two games to move past Earl Campbell and become the second-most successful runner in league history for his first two seasons. James has 3,022 and the league mark is 3,913 by Dickerson.

And individual honors keep accumulating for James, who might be willing to trade some in for tickets to his game this week.

James was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week by the NFL on Wednesday. It's the second time this season he won the weekly honor.

Thoughts of returning to his home state for Sunday's game with the Miami Dolphins, a game the Colts must win to keep their playoff hopes alive, were on his mind more than accolades.

``It has good sides, and bad sides. The bad side is I have to get a bunch of tickets,'' he said. ``It's nice to go down there and see a lot of people that you grew up with.''

James received the weekly honor after recording the 17th 100-yard rushing game of his 30-game NFL career on Monday when he rushed for 111 yards. Only Dickerson, who reached the century mark 24 times as a Colt, has more.

The three touchdowns Monday gave James 17 this season, just three short of the franchise record set by Lenny Moore in 1964.

When James runs for 100 yards, it has been a good sign for Indianapolis. The Colts are 15-2 when he reaches the century mark. He has posted at least 100 scrimmage yards in 13 of 14 games this season and in 22 of the past 24 games.

Last year's NFL rushing leader heads to Miami leading the league in rushing with 1,469 yards and his 1,953 yards from scrimmage also tops the league. He needs just 275 yards from scrimmage to top the club record of 2,227 set by Marshall Faulk in 1998 and he'll move into the league's Top 10 all-time with 38 yards at Miami, moving past players like Emmitt Smith, Jamal Anderson and Barry Sanders.

His progress will be challenged this week by a Miami defense that ranks fifth among the league's 31 teams.

``They come at you real hard. You're not going to just push them around. You've got to go out and execute and make plays,'' James said. ``They're a fast defense. They can move left to right real well. They're real aggressive.''

James, the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowl starter last year, won the award earlier this season after rushing for a franchise-record 219 yards and three touchdowns at Seattle on Oct. 15. He was honored twice in 1999 and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month in November last year and the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month in both September and November last season.

James shares his accolades with his teammates.

``It goes to show everyone is doing their part. The offensive line is doing a great job. We kind of work off each other,'' he said. ``If the passing game is doing well, they're (the defense) is going to back up and try to defend the pass, and then they'll make it better to run the ball.''