IRVING, Texas - If there were any questions on just how big it was to see Emmitt Smith break the NFL's all-time rushing record Sunday, it was answered right there in the middle of his media session during the noon hour Monday in the Cowboys locker room.
That's when Smith answered his cell phone in the middle of a question, knowing of course, he was expecting an important call.
Seconds later, Smith was up and trying to weave his way through the cameras and microphones to find some open space, muttering as he walked, "Hello, Mr. Bush."
As in George Bush, the President of the United States.
Smith spoke to the President in what he tried to make a private conversation, although the cameras and reporters didn't give him too much space, and that, too seemed just fine with Smith, who returned to his interview nearly five minutes later with even a bigger smile on his face.
"Wow, that was pretty cool," said Smith, who met President Bush this past June when he was appointed to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. "Me and him have spent some time together before. But he sounded pretty excited. He just congratulated me and said the whole world was watching. It's like everyone in the country is behind you and wanting you to get it. That makes it even more special."
Yes, Smith's cell phone was working overtime the last few days. He said he turned it off hours before Sunday's game and didn't turn it back on until Monday morning, nearly 24 hours of being just an expensive answering machine.
"I had about 34 messages on there from a lot of friends and family," said Smith. "Just people congratulating me and telling me how proud they are. It means a lot, it really does."
Of those people, Smith said former teammates such as Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Erik Williams were among the messages, along with Walter Payton's son, Jarret, a running back for the University of Miami.
But Smith was too busy with his Sunday night celebration to be on the phone too long. After riding away from Texas Stadium in a brand new Lamborghini, a gift from his wife Pat, in which Smith said "she paid for it herself," the running back hosted quite a party for selected family members and friends who made the trip in from Florida.
It's been a wild weekend for the Smith family, and one that Emmitt is finally ready to move on from. Luckily, he said, he'll always have the memory to hold on to.
"We still treat this like the 24-hour rule," Smith said referring to a team rule set to keep the players from dwelling on a big win or loss for no longer than a day and to get ready for the next opponent. "This is different, because I'll never forget it. I'll always have this, until someone comes along and breaks it. But even then, it will always be a special day."
The chances of someone breaking the record seem as unlikely now as it did when Smith first entered the league back in 1990, even though the precocious running back from the University Florida had the nerve to write down becoming the NFL rushing leader as one of his goals. But in today's NFL, where injuries are becoming more common by the year and the salary cap does take a toll on extended careers, Smith said it would take quite a career to surpass his mark, which he plans on extending for at least "another two years."
"I don't know how long it's going to last," Smith said of the record, which currently stands at 16,743 yards. "I mean, the game is still evolving. There are some unique circumstances some people are going to have to deal with, free agency and all of those things, salary cap and all those things. I don't know if you are going to find anybody to do it with one team like Walter did it and like I did it. That's going to be tough."
Of the current active players, the closest to Smith is Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis, a 10-year veteran who has 11,112 yards. He actually missed Sunday's game because of injury and is no real threat to break the record because he lacks the breakaway speed to start catching up with a lot of big games. One player who does possess that kind of speed is St. Louis running back Marshall Faulk, who has 9,619 yards, but will turn 30 before the start of next season. Plus, he is such a big part of the passing game for the Rams, and even the Colts during his first five seasons, that he likely won't get enough carries to produce enough yards.
Then comes backs such as Curtis Martin (9,619 yards) and Eddie George (8,250), both of whom have missed games this season because of injuries.
So everyone behind Emmitt Smith is still way behind Smith, who can still up the ante for the remaining eight games this year, and who knows how many games after that.
"I don't know what's going to happen but I still think that I have the ability to produce at a high level for a few more years," Smith said again Monday. "I'd like to be here, but I know how the league is now, with the constant evaluating of younger players and older players. I'm not sure how this whole thing is going to play out. But for now, I know I'm going to continue to work and try to get even better."
A scary thought for the rest of the pack, when even the king isn't satisfied.
** Nick Eatman can be reached at NicksMail@DallasCowboys.net
Year by Year Stats
In 1990, he rushed for 937 yards on 241 carries scoring 11 TD's
In 1991, he rushed for 1,563 yards on 365 carries scoring 12 TD's
In 1992, he rushed for 1,713 yards on 373 carries scoring 18 TD's
In 1993, he rushed for 1,486 yards on 283 carries scoring 9 TD's
In 1994, he rushed for 1,484 yards on 368 carries scoring 21 TD's
In 1995, he rushed for 1,773 yards on 377 carries scoring 25 TD's
In 1996, he rushed for 1,204 yards on 327 carries scoring 12 TD's
In 1997, he rushed for 1,074 yards on 261 carries scoring 4 TD's
In 1998, he rushed for 1,332 yards on 319 carries scoring 13 TD's
In 1999, he rushed for 1,397 yards on 329 carries scoring 11 TD's
In 2000, he rushed for 1,203 yards on 294 carries scoring 9 TD's
In 2001, he rushed for 1,021 yards on 261 carries scoring 3 TD's
In 2002, he rushed for 975 yards on 254 carries scoring 5 TD's
Emmitt finished his Dallas Career with 17,162 yards on 4052 carries scoring 153 TD's
To see how he does in Arizona,
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