BuckeyeCardinal
Cantankerous Curmudgeon
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You hear so much negative crap.....it's nice to read the positive....if this has already been posted I apologize.....from NFL.com:
Smith, Cardinals a promising marriage
By Vic Carucci
PHOENIX (March 26, 2003) -- Emmitt Smith could have easily called it quits, and a fair number of us who had watched him at the very top of his game would have applauded the decision.
Way to go, Emmitt. You left just at the right time. You left wearing the same colors you wore at the start of one of the greatest careers in NFL history. You left before the natural forces of aging would make you like something less than the extraordinary talent you have been for the past 13 seasons. You knew when to say when.
Smith, of course, saw it differently. Maybe the Dallas Cowboys were ready to part ways with him, but the NFL's all-time rushing leader wasn't ready to part ways with being a player. That was a large part of why, on Wednesday, Smith agreed to a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals.
But this isn't a mere case of desperation, of Smith hooking on with the first (only?) club that would give him the chance to keep playing.
The situation actually looks far more promising than some of us -- yes, I am raising my hand -- anticipated last month when the Cowboys released Smith.
Emmitt Smith will now suit up for an old division rival before the realignment.
When he expressed his intention to keep playing, I envisioned Smith joining a team that would utilize him in a way not befitting football royalty -- a backup or spot player who would alternate carries with a younger back, provided he could even secure a spot on the roster in training camp.
The Cardinals aren't taking such an approach with Smith. Dave McGinnis, their coach, said that Smith would start and serve as a mentor to second-year pro Marcel Shipp, Arizona's leading rusher last season.
In a news conference in which the star attraction was absent (Smith was due to be formally introduced as the new Cardinal here on Thursday), McGinnis left no doubt about the importance of Smith's role. He presented it as a crowning jewel to an offseason that saw the Cardinals pick up two solid free agents -- quarterback Jeff Blake, to replace Jake Plummer, and safety Dexter Jackson, MVP of Super Bowl XXXVII.
"We're in this business to win football games," McGinnis said. "The first item on his agenda, when Emmitt and I talked, was, 'Coach, how are we going to win?' Believe me, I'm going to use Emmitt Smith to win football games.
"He knows what he has left and he believes that he can be a contributor to what is going on here. This is a very, very positive move for us. Emmitt Smith is going to be a very valuable member of this organization."
The operative words are "valuable" and "organization."
The Cardinals have a long history of struggles. They were 5-11 last season and haven't won a playoff game since 1947.
Smith gives them a major star attraction. He gives them credibility. He gives them hope. Struggling teams usually are in short supply of all three, and the Cardinals intend to fully capitalize on the positive impact that acquiring a player of Smith's stature should have.
Rod Graves, the Cardinals' vice president of football operations, talked about the signing as a "partnership" on and off the field, and that the club recognizes Smith as a "total package." Graves wouldn't divulge details of Smith's contract beyond its length, but it seems clear that he will figure prominently in their marketing and promotional efforts.
"Obviously, we're very excited about having a player of his caliber in the mainstream of our organization," Graves said. "His presence is going to have great magnitude on and off the field. A lot of that went into our pursuit of Emmitt, and we're pleased that we were able to have a meeting of the minds and make this happen."
For the Cardinals, this is a top-flight public relations move.
For Smith, it is the chance to legitimately continue to be a prominent force, provided his body cooperates.
As football marriages go, this one appears to have promise.
Smith, Cardinals a promising marriage
By Vic Carucci
PHOENIX (March 26, 2003) -- Emmitt Smith could have easily called it quits, and a fair number of us who had watched him at the very top of his game would have applauded the decision.
Way to go, Emmitt. You left just at the right time. You left wearing the same colors you wore at the start of one of the greatest careers in NFL history. You left before the natural forces of aging would make you like something less than the extraordinary talent you have been for the past 13 seasons. You knew when to say when.
Smith, of course, saw it differently. Maybe the Dallas Cowboys were ready to part ways with him, but the NFL's all-time rushing leader wasn't ready to part ways with being a player. That was a large part of why, on Wednesday, Smith agreed to a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals.
But this isn't a mere case of desperation, of Smith hooking on with the first (only?) club that would give him the chance to keep playing.
The situation actually looks far more promising than some of us -- yes, I am raising my hand -- anticipated last month when the Cowboys released Smith.
Emmitt Smith will now suit up for an old division rival before the realignment.
When he expressed his intention to keep playing, I envisioned Smith joining a team that would utilize him in a way not befitting football royalty -- a backup or spot player who would alternate carries with a younger back, provided he could even secure a spot on the roster in training camp.
The Cardinals aren't taking such an approach with Smith. Dave McGinnis, their coach, said that Smith would start and serve as a mentor to second-year pro Marcel Shipp, Arizona's leading rusher last season.
In a news conference in which the star attraction was absent (Smith was due to be formally introduced as the new Cardinal here on Thursday), McGinnis left no doubt about the importance of Smith's role. He presented it as a crowning jewel to an offseason that saw the Cardinals pick up two solid free agents -- quarterback Jeff Blake, to replace Jake Plummer, and safety Dexter Jackson, MVP of Super Bowl XXXVII.
"We're in this business to win football games," McGinnis said. "The first item on his agenda, when Emmitt and I talked, was, 'Coach, how are we going to win?' Believe me, I'm going to use Emmitt Smith to win football games.
"He knows what he has left and he believes that he can be a contributor to what is going on here. This is a very, very positive move for us. Emmitt Smith is going to be a very valuable member of this organization."
The operative words are "valuable" and "organization."
The Cardinals have a long history of struggles. They were 5-11 last season and haven't won a playoff game since 1947.
Smith gives them a major star attraction. He gives them credibility. He gives them hope. Struggling teams usually are in short supply of all three, and the Cardinals intend to fully capitalize on the positive impact that acquiring a player of Smith's stature should have.
Rod Graves, the Cardinals' vice president of football operations, talked about the signing as a "partnership" on and off the field, and that the club recognizes Smith as a "total package." Graves wouldn't divulge details of Smith's contract beyond its length, but it seems clear that he will figure prominently in their marketing and promotional efforts.
"Obviously, we're very excited about having a player of his caliber in the mainstream of our organization," Graves said. "His presence is going to have great magnitude on and off the field. A lot of that went into our pursuit of Emmitt, and we're pleased that we were able to have a meeting of the minds and make this happen."
For the Cardinals, this is a top-flight public relations move.
For Smith, it is the chance to legitimately continue to be a prominent force, provided his body cooperates.
As football marriages go, this one appears to have promise.
