He Has Carried On Long Enough

It isn’t much of a choice to begin with, and it isn’t his alone to make, but it’s the only choice Emmitt Smith has.

Does he do it in Dallas, or does he do it in Detroit?

Does Smith do whatever it takes -- 40 carries, 50 carries, direct snaps from center? -- to get the last 93 yards he needs to finally break Walter Payton’s career rushing record today, at Texas Stadium, in front of the home crowd?

Or does Smith stick to the turtle’s pace he has maintained since 2000 -- he’s averaging 63.8 yards a game in his last 23 games -- and drag it out one week longer, taking the interminable circus on the road, to Detroit, one-time home of the man who should have broken Payton’s record in 1999, Barry Sanders?

If he does it in Dallas: Smith will have done something -- gained as many as 93 yards in a single game -- that he hasn’t done since last December.

If he does it in Detroit: Smith will have done something -- brought Sanders to a Lion game -- that hasn’t been done since 1998. Or then again, maybe not.

If he does it in Dallas: The national NFL writers assigned to chronicle Smith’s jog to history can finally get on with their lives.

If he does it in Detroit: The national NFL writers will have to waste one more week on an otherwise meaningless game in Michigan when they could have been covering San Francisco at Oakland or Tom Brady at Drew Bledsoe.

If he does it in Dallas: The Cowboys can at last get on with the future of the franchise -- i.e., giving the ball to Troy Hambrick.

If he does it in Detroit: Hambrick bides his time another week and the long-stalled Cowboy rebuilding program will have burned yet another half-season.

If he does it in Dallas: Smith will have taken advantage of a can’t-miss opportunity -- four quarters against Seattle’s league-worst rushing defense, which is yielding an average of 190 yards a game.

If he does it in Detroit: Smith will have to grind out the final few feet against a much tougher Lion defense, which is eighth in the league in fewest yards allowed per carry, devout cowards and all.

If he does it in Dallas: Pat Summerall will be on hand to record the moment for posterity, as well he should.

If he does it in Detroit: Some generic off-the-assembly-line voice will probably call the record-breaking run, which will remind everyone again of how badly Fox messed up when it drop-kicked Summerall out of its No. 1 football booth.

If he does it in Dallas: The Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders will be forced to stretch their talents and try to do something they did not know was in their job description: cheer. It’s always inspiring to see horizons expanded.

If he does it in Detroit: The Lions, if they can get the word out in time, might peddle enough tickets to almost sell out a home game.

If he does it in Dallas: The Dallas Morning News can ratchet down the Emmitt watch coverage, which would be the environmentally correct thing to do, as well as the journalistically correct thing, allowing its staff to refocus on the sport that matters in Dallas, pro basketball.

If he does it in Detroit: Smith will have to live with his conscience, knowing he was partly responsible for the Morning News’ cold-blooded slaughter of another forest.

Do it today, Emmitt.

Get the ball, get it done, get the record, get it out of the way.

Save a tree.

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He’s Number ... 8?

Once he logs his 16,727th yard, Smith will rank first in NFL yards rushing, which is quite different from being ranked first among NFL running backs.

In a special-edition magazine commemorating the final leg of Smith’s pursuit, the Sporting News ranks the top 50 running backs of all time. Smith barely cracks the top 10, placing eighth, just ahead of Eric Dickerson and Bronko Nagurski.

On the plus side, he is the top-ranked Cowboy running back, finishing five slots ahead of Tony Dorsett.

On the down side, he’s only No. 2 in Texas, placing three notches behind the old Houston Oiler, Earl Campbell.

A top-seven certain to stir it up in saloons around the Metroplex:

1. JIM BROWN

Why? He’s an NFL icon, he played during pro football’s so-fancied “golden era,” and he fulfilled the ever-popular sportswriter and fan fantasy by going out on top. Played only nine seasons, led the league in rushing in eight, averaged more than 100 yards a game. He’s the NFL equivalent of Babe Ruth, so it’s good he gets his here. He retired in 1965, meaning he won’t stand a chance when MasterCard gets around to an NFL greatest-moments poll.

2. WALTER PAYTON

Why? He held the career rushing record for 15 years, the single-game record for 23 and gained most of his yards while playing for some very bad Chicago Bear teams. He also passed for eight touchdowns in 34 attempts. Yes, the Bears used to throw deep, once upon a time.

3. BARRY SANDERS

Why? He was zeroing in on Payton’s record when he abruptly retired, shortly after turning 30, shortly before the 1999 season. Probably would have had it with one more full season; he was fewer than 1,500 yards away. When he stepped away to try to force a trade that never came, he opened the door for Smith.

4. GALE SAYERS

Why? At 34, a year older than Smith is now, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Scored a record-tying six touchdowns in one game, averaged five yards a carry in his career, but knee injuries limited him to four full seasons and fractions of three others. In this poll, evidently, it’s better to burn out than it is to rust.

5. EARL CAMPBELL

Why? Remember that hit he put on Ram linebacker Isiah Robertson? Robertson never forgot it, and neither will ESPN Classic. Four monstrous seasons -- netted 1,934 yards in 1980 -- before the pounding, given and absorbed, caught up with him.

6. O.J. SIMPSON

Why? The NFL’s first 2,000-yard man and the only reason to watch the Buffalo Bills in the ‘70s. Was once as good as they get, but the tumble was steep and tragic.

7. MARION MOTLEY

Why? Raised in Canton, Ohio, and eventually enshrined there as well. One of the first black athletes to play professional football, he endured much of the same racist resistance that confronted Jackie Robinson. Overcame it to lead the old All-America Football Conference in career rushing, then averaged five yards a carry in five NFL seasons.

But that’s only one magazine’s opinion. This week or next, Smith will have his record, and no one can take that away from him. Give or take another five good years by Marshall Faulk.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

A Running Count

*--* All-time leading rushers in the NFL: No Player Yards 1 Walter Payton 16,726 2 Emmitt Smith 16,634 3 Barry Sanders 15,269 4 Eric Dickerson 13,259 5 Tony Dorsett 12,739 6 Jim Brown 12,312 7 Marcus Allen 12,243 8 Franco Harris 12,120 9 Thurman Thomas 12,072 10 John Riggins 11,352

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