Emmit Smith within reach: Emmitt Smith is poised to become the all-time rushing king—but what really excites him is the potential resurgence of the Cowboys in 2002 - Cover Story

Football Digest, August, 2002 by Charean Williams

HE'S LOST A STEP. HE'S NO longer the type of running back who can carry an NFL team on his back. He's not the leader he once was.

Emmitt Smith has heard all of these criticisms the past few years. And now, 12 seasons and 16,187 yards since he left the University of Florida for the Dallas Cowboys in 1990, he really is on his last legs.

Or is he?

"I think people are just like coaches," Cowboys coach Dave Campo says. "They look at speed and all that kind of stuff, and he probably has lost a step. I don't know for sure if he has or not, but I know that over time that happens, so they probably look at him and say, `How could he keep doing this?' Let me assure you: He still has plenty enough to win with."

Which means he also has plenty enough to gain the 540 yards he needs to pass Walter Payton and become the NFL's all-time rushing king. But for Smith, the 2002 season will be about more than individual milestones. With the Cowboys having signed long snapper/tight end Jeff Robinson, defensive tackle La'Roi Glover, and cornerback Bryant Westbrook as free agents during the offseason--not to mention having put together what could be their best draft in years--Smith thinks the team can be competitive. He believes the "right way" for him to get the record is to win games along the way. Says Smith, "I have high hopes for next year. We have some thing going right now."

In many respects, that wasn't the case in 2001. Although Smith rushed for 1,021 yards and established an NFL record with his 11th consecutive 1,000-yard season, it was a frustrating time for him. He endured calls for his job, charges of selfishness, and criticism of his role as a leader.

For much of the season, Smith was at odds with the coaching staff over his place in the offense. He verbally sparred with Campo after the coach questioned Smith's ability to carry the ball 30 times a game anymore. Smith complained about the game plan after getting only 12 carries in a 29-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks last December, saying that offensive coordinator Jack Reilly had abandoned the running game too early. And Smith accused the Cowboys of putting the evaluation of rookie quarterback Quincy Carter ahead of winning.

"I just felt like there was a point in time during the course of the season where I wasn't being utilized to my full potential in terms of being able to help this team get on a winning track," Smith says. "I'm complaining in a sense, yes, but I'm just voicing my opinion in terms of my expectations. I expected the running game to be the one to carry us to achievements, but that didn't happen."

Reilly now is gone, replaced by former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Bruce Coslet, while Smith's former head coach at Florida, Galen Hall, was hired as running backs coach. Furthermore, Campo says he and Smith are closer than they ever have been. "All Emmitt wants to do is to win," Campo says.

Winning always has fueled Smith. In their 1993 regular-season finale against the New York Giants, the Cowboys had the NFC East title, a bye week, home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and a third consecutive rushing title for Smith on the line. The Cowboys rode Smith that game, betting on his heart against the Giants defense.

Forty-two touches and 229 total yards later, Smith was stretched out in the Giants Stadium training room, writhing in pain. Despite playing more than half the game with a separated right shoulder, Smith led the Cowboys to a 16-13 overtime win and earned his rightful place in NFL lore.

"It was just all guts," says NFL analyst John Madden, who called that game. "It was Emmitt just taking over. Sometimes we throw `great' around too much. We throw `warrior' around too much, but in that game against the Giants, Emmitt Smith was a true warrior. You talk about emptying your tank, leaving everything on the field. I'll guarantee you in that game, Emmitt Smith emptied his tank and left everything on the field."

There is, however, much more to Smith than an oversized heart. He also has balance, vision, instinct, toughness, intelligence, dedication, and durability. And even if he has lost a step or two, he remains a focal point of the team's offense despite the fact that backup Troy Hambrick had 113 carries last season. Owner Jerry Jones wouldn't keep Smith around simply as an attraction.

"I'm secure within myself," Smith says. "I know what I'm capable of doing. That's why you get frustrated when your number is not called, when you're not asked to do certain things. When you're the oldest of the bunch, everybody has a tendency to look at you as you're the reason why; you need to move on; you need to turn things over to the youth."

Smith is the last one left from Dallas' legendary "Triplets," the trio of superstars who transformed America's Team from a 1-15 laughingstock in 1989 to a three-time Super Bowl champion. Receiver Michael Irvin's career came to an end with a spinal injury in a 1999 game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Veterans Stadium, and quarterback Troy Aikman retired after the 2000 season because of repeated concussions.