azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Where's Emmitt?
By Scott Bordow,
Tribune Columnist
TEMPE, Ariz. — Last year, his name was punctuated by an exclamation point.
Emmitt Smith! This year, he's a question mark and a quizzical look. Emmitt Smith?
So it goes for the NFL's all-time leading rusher. A huge story in 2003, he's an afterthought in 2004, the backup running back for the Arizona Cardinals, which is kind of like being shipped second class to Siberia.
This isn't what Smith signed up for, or why the Cardinals signed him.
He was supposed to sell tickets and help win games, in that order. Instead, he rushed for a career-low 256 yards, separated his shoulder, missed six games and, in the end, resembled nothing more than another athlete hanging on past his prime, cashing paychecks in a strange uniform.
Clearly, the Cardinals made a mistake in signing Smith. They overestimated his worth, both on the field and at the box office. Now they're stuck with a 35-year-old backup making $2.5 million this season. And if Josh Scobey continues to impress coach Dennis Green, Smith could be No. 3 on the depth chart. That's a high price for leadership and 2.8 yards per carry. As for Smith, it's hard to criticize his decision, although common sense said he should have retired as a Cowboy instead of running on fumes as a Cardinal.
Who has the right to tell another man he should quit the job he loves? Besides, how many of us would turn down the chance to earn another $7.5 million?
The marriage just didn't work, and it can't be saved. A counselor would recommend a divorce, but the Cardinals aren't going to admit to a public relations gaffe by cutting Smith.
Instead, you get this from Green: “I have a lot of respect for guys who have paid their dues in the NFL. Emmitt Smith is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. I'm just honored to be coaching him and working with him.
“I just think he wants to continue to play and I'm glad he does.”
Smith may not have been what the Cardinals ordered, but he has accepted his demotion and disappearance — has anyone dropped out of sight quicker? — with a quiet professionalism after at first grumbling about being made Marcel Shipp's backup.
A cynic would say Smith has 2.5 million reasons to lay low, but how many other athletes have let their egos run free for far less?
“There's no need for me to be bitter or angry or be upset or totally disappointed,” Smith said Wednesday. “I don't allow my ego or my pride to get in the way of what happens. Yeah, I got an ego. I do have pride, but my pride and ego are not about the job decisions I have to make. I understand what the team needs and what the team requires and Marcel Shipp is definitely the guy to do it.
“I signed up to be the starter, but I understand what my role is. He's No. 1, I'm No. 2.”
That doesn't mean Smith is satisfied being a spare part. He still feels he has a 1,000-yard season left in him. But he isn't going to flex his Hall of Fame muscles if Shipp is the starter, as Green intends.
“Winning,” he said, “is the priority.”
If Smith has any regrets about leaving Dallas, he's not making them public. That would be an unusual admission from a man who has taken few wrong steps throughout his career, and a not-so-subtle slap at the Cardinals.
“Once I make a decision, I make my commitment to it,” he said. “I do everything in my power to make it a successful decision. “Let's put it this way. I was used to winning three Super Bowls in four years in Dallas, and then we didn't win one for a long time. So what's the difference (playing here)?”
Smith said he hasn't decided whether this will be his final season. If he does play in 2005, it certainly won't be with the Cardinals.
He'll leave through the back door, quietly, and when he's gone, it will seem like he was never here.
By Scott Bordow,
Tribune Columnist
TEMPE, Ariz. — Last year, his name was punctuated by an exclamation point.
Emmitt Smith! This year, he's a question mark and a quizzical look. Emmitt Smith?
So it goes for the NFL's all-time leading rusher. A huge story in 2003, he's an afterthought in 2004, the backup running back for the Arizona Cardinals, which is kind of like being shipped second class to Siberia.
This isn't what Smith signed up for, or why the Cardinals signed him.
He was supposed to sell tickets and help win games, in that order. Instead, he rushed for a career-low 256 yards, separated his shoulder, missed six games and, in the end, resembled nothing more than another athlete hanging on past his prime, cashing paychecks in a strange uniform.
Clearly, the Cardinals made a mistake in signing Smith. They overestimated his worth, both on the field and at the box office. Now they're stuck with a 35-year-old backup making $2.5 million this season. And if Josh Scobey continues to impress coach Dennis Green, Smith could be No. 3 on the depth chart. That's a high price for leadership and 2.8 yards per carry. As for Smith, it's hard to criticize his decision, although common sense said he should have retired as a Cowboy instead of running on fumes as a Cardinal.
Who has the right to tell another man he should quit the job he loves? Besides, how many of us would turn down the chance to earn another $7.5 million?
The marriage just didn't work, and it can't be saved. A counselor would recommend a divorce, but the Cardinals aren't going to admit to a public relations gaffe by cutting Smith.
Instead, you get this from Green: “I have a lot of respect for guys who have paid their dues in the NFL. Emmitt Smith is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. I'm just honored to be coaching him and working with him.
“I just think he wants to continue to play and I'm glad he does.”
Smith may not have been what the Cardinals ordered, but he has accepted his demotion and disappearance — has anyone dropped out of sight quicker? — with a quiet professionalism after at first grumbling about being made Marcel Shipp's backup.
A cynic would say Smith has 2.5 million reasons to lay low, but how many other athletes have let their egos run free for far less?
“There's no need for me to be bitter or angry or be upset or totally disappointed,” Smith said Wednesday. “I don't allow my ego or my pride to get in the way of what happens. Yeah, I got an ego. I do have pride, but my pride and ego are not about the job decisions I have to make. I understand what the team needs and what the team requires and Marcel Shipp is definitely the guy to do it.
“I signed up to be the starter, but I understand what my role is. He's No. 1, I'm No. 2.”
That doesn't mean Smith is satisfied being a spare part. He still feels he has a 1,000-yard season left in him. But he isn't going to flex his Hall of Fame muscles if Shipp is the starter, as Green intends.
“Winning,” he said, “is the priority.”
If Smith has any regrets about leaving Dallas, he's not making them public. That would be an unusual admission from a man who has taken few wrong steps throughout his career, and a not-so-subtle slap at the Cardinals.
“Once I make a decision, I make my commitment to it,” he said. “I do everything in my power to make it a successful decision. “Let's put it this way. I was used to winning three Super Bowls in four years in Dallas, and then we didn't win one for a long time. So what's the difference (playing here)?”
Smith said he hasn't decided whether this will be his final season. If he does play in 2005, it certainly won't be with the Cardinals.
He'll leave through the back door, quietly, and when he's gone, it will seem like he was never here.
