Rookie James went from inactive to postseason contributor

From afterthought to impact

BY JOSH DUBOW AP Sports Writer

Created: Friday, January 25, 2013 11:38 p.m. CDT

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – LaMichael James has transformed himself from a rookie spectator forced to watch the first 3 months of the season to a key contributor to a Super Bowl team in a matter of weeks for the San Francisco 49ers.

After being inactive the first 12 games of the season, James has become an impact player for the 49ers in their run to the Super Bowl next week against Baltimore.

His long kickoff return set up the go-ahead score in a late-season win in New England. His experience running the zone read helped Colin Kaepernick rush for 181 yards in a win to open the playoffs against Green Bay. Then James got into the scoring act himself last week, starting San Francisco's comeback in a 28-24 win over Atlanta in the NFC championship.

Story Archived

Only the most recent 7 days of articles are available for free. For articles older than 7 days there is a small fee for retrieval from our archive. If you are a registered member of the site, the content is free just by signing in below.

Please sign in with your Comment Member ID and password.

Did you purchase access?

Purchase Access

To allow for flexibility, we offer a variety of options for purchasing articles:

Having trouble?

If you have any technical difficulties, either with your username and password or with the payment options, please contact us by e-mail at archivedesk@shawmedia.com

» Out Here

Wise saw collapse in support

Last week, Sterling Alderwoman Amy Viering attended her last meeting as a city official. She gave the usual praise one hears at such departures. But one compliment stuck out. At the end of her speech, she turned to City Administrator Scott Shumard and said, "You're awesome."

» Out Here

On pensions, Bivins and GOP far apart

Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon, joined with many of his fellow Senate Republicans this week to reject a pension bill sponsored by Democratic Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago. The measure passed 40-16. Bivins had a different reason for his no vote.

Rookie James went from inactive to postseason contributor

From afterthought to impact

Blogs

Wise saw collapse in support

On pensions, Bivins and GOP far apart

Reader Poll

How concerned are you that the IRS targeted conservative political groups for additional and often burdensome scrutiny?

Member ID:
Password: