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Cowboys must rebuild during Smith's rush to immortality

As a big record looms, Emmitt Smith is focused on moving his team forward.

By DARRELL FRY

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 7, 2001

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Fans stood three-deep along the sidelines in 100-degree heat to watch the Cowboys training camp. When it was over, they crowded around the east end of the field, eager to get an autograph from one player in particular.

Emmitt Smith.

Really, who else is there?

On a team that once had more stars than Star Search, Smith is truly Texas' lone star. Only he and safety Darren Woodson remain from the teams that won three Super Bowls (1993, 1994, 1996) in the 1990s.

Instead of being complemented by other Pro Bowl-caliber players such as Troy Aikman, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin and Erik Williams, Smith is surrounded by a host of rookies and second-year players who still are learning to play in the NFL, let alone for one of the league's most storied franchises.

He essentially is a man on an island, a legend chasing immortality while also trying to keep the present from dying a slow death. His quest to run down Walter Payton on the career rushing list (Smith is 1,560 yards away) is tempered by his responsibility to look after his many inexperienced teammates.

Smith, always the optimist, acknowledges his predicament but maintains it's nothing he can't handle.

"It's different, but what situation is not different when you add new players?" he said. "Different doesn't necessarily mean bad. Different doesn't always mean great, either.

"But different just means an opportunity to do great things and that's the way I look at it. The guys we have here are working hard, trying to build something special here and trying to come together."

Perhaps the toughest part for Smith is getting his younger teammates -- there are 11 rookies on this year's squad -- to be more like himself. To develop the same professionalism. To embrace the same commitment to their craft. To embody the same pride and tradition that Smith adopted from the Cowboy heroes who came before him.

It was a source of concern throughout training camp as Smith tried to school the newcomers on what it means to be a Dallas Cowboy. He had long talks with rookie quarterback Quincy Carter. He told stories about the Super Bowl days.

But more than anything, he has done the same thing he has the past 11 seasons.

He led by example.

"Emmitt has not changed. He's going to be who he is, he's going to run the ball hard and be competitive every time he goes out there," Woodson said. "I get motivated by coming in every year and telling myself I'm the best safety in the league. I get myself going that way. That's how I motivate myself and Emmitt Smith is the exact same way.

"If we can get these younger guys, no matter what the situation is, get them to understand you've got to compete every down, you've got to let the other team know that you are here to play, I think that's when you get that swagger back. But, right now, we don't have it."

As much as Smith tries to downplay it, surpassing Payton's record sits prominently in his mind. "I'll be in my marketing meetings and that number keeps popping up," he told USA Today.

He is already the league's career leader in rushing touchdowns (145), so the yardage record would only further cement his place in history alongside greats such as Jim Brown, Gale Sayers, Barry Sanders and Payton. So would another 1,000-yard season, making him the only player to reach that plateau 11 seasons in a row.

It's not a stretch that Smith, who is 104 yards from passing Sanders for second place, could eclipse Payton's mark this season. He has topped 1,560 yards in a season three times.

But, more likely, he'll need at least two seasons to get it, partly because he's 32 and partly because the Cowboys are expected to struggle offensively with Carter at quarterback.

If the Cowboys can't keep defenses honest with the passing game, opponents will focus on stopping Smith and the running game.

"I don't have to do it all. I've got help," said Smith, who managed 1,203 yards last season on a Dallas team that went 5-11. "You've got (receiver Joey) Galloway; you've got (receiver) Rocket (Ismail). I don't have to do it all. I just need to do my part the best I can and allow everyone else to do their part."

The Bucs, who open Sunday at Dallas, are expecting Smith to try to start his run for the record with a bang.

"That's their bread and butter. He's going to do his thing, try his cut back here and there, get those legs going," Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice said. " ... It's going to be vintage Emmitt, especially because it's the opener in their house."

For Smith, the consummate team player, the record will mean little if the team goes 5-11 again. Or worse.

"If we can put all the pieces of the puzzle together," he said, "then maybe the end result will yield some of the great things we did in the past."

- Staff writer Roger Mills contributed to this report.

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