Recent Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee Edgerrin James said he thinks "the NFL is overrated" and "not really that hard."
During a recent appearance on Hall of Famer and FOX Sports analyst Shannon Sharpe's Club Shay Shay Podcast, James claimed playing in the NFL was easier than college football.
"I can’t down the sport, but I think for me a lot of the time I was like, man, the NFL is overrated," James said. "I felt like it was overrated because you’re 21, 22 years old, and then I got this dude in the locker room that’s 30, 31, 32, I know he can’t keep up with me. So, the age difference, it made me like, man, this game is like a joke. Now I’m playing with these older guys, they got to be in the cold tub. With us, we just suit up, go play and then do whatever we do."
James achieved immediate success after being selected fourth overall by the Colts in the 1999 NFL Draft, leading the league in rushing yards -- which he also did the following season -- winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award and being selected as a first-team All-Pro during his first season.
The former University of Miami standout spent his first six seasons with the Colts, playing behind fellow future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and excelling as the team's primary running back, in pass protection, and as a receiving option out of the backfield.
James later spent three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (2006-08) and one with the Seattle Seahawks before retiring in 2009.
The four-time Pro Bowler was named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team and inducted into the Colts Ring of Honor.
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