Despite Injuries, Smith Aims For Extended Run -- Bad Hamstring Hampers Dallas Rusher

DALLAS - As the Emmitt Smith legend grows, numbers succeed where adjectives fail.

And here are the totals:

Five NFL seasons, 7,183 yards rushing, three rushing titles, one regular season MVP, one Super Bowl MVP, 75 touchdowns, a 33-3 Dallas record when he rushes for 100 yards, five Pro Bowl selections.

And one bad hamstring.

His magnificent accomplishments are on hold until January when the playoffs arrive, when the Cowboys need him most. A year ago his inability to play at full speed was a major factor in Dallas' shortened post-season.

As the regular season begins, the most talked-about hamstring injury in the history of the Dallas Cowboys seems to be part of Smith's past.

"This year's going to be interesting because this off-season has been geared to finding out what's wrong with my hamstring, strengthening my hamstring, doing whatever I can do to keep it well," Smith said. "The Cowboys have made the effort, I've made the effort to get it as strong as possible. Now it's just a matter of going out and trying to maintain what I've done in the past."

At age 26, he is the NFL's 23rd all-time leading rusher. As breathtaking as many of his carries have been, his consistency sets him apart from the pack. No other back ever had four straight 1,400-yard seasons.

What he has done in five NFL seasons is unprecedented. It gives him the foundation for a legitimate pursuit of Walter Payton's career record (16,726 yards) and at the same time raises questions about Smith's chances for long-term survival.

In five years, Smith has handled the ball on 1,869 rushes and pass receptions. Run down the list of all-time backs, check the figures of the other stars of the '90s, and no one has ever been used like Smith. Or is it abused?

Eric Dickerson, the No. 2 rusher behind Payton, had 58 more carries than Smith in his first five seasons but 103 fewer pass receptions. Dickerson's all-time standing suggests he probably did not suffer harm from the heavy early work load, but he never gained 1,000 yards after his seventh season.

Payton handled the ball on 165 fewer rushes and receptions his first five seasons and also suffered few post-season hits in his early days. Smith already has more than half a season's worth of carries and catches (236) in five post-seasons with Dallas.

"I think it's going to take a toll," said Jimmy Johnson, who coached Smith the first four seasons. "But I'm not as alarmed as some because I know how exceptional a player he is. He doesn't take a lot of big hits. I've seen others that have half the carries who take a lot more punishment."

If Smith is to make a legitimate assault on Payton's record, as is his goal, he will have to show remarkable resilience. At his current pace of 93 yards per game, it will take Smith until the seventh game of the 2001 season - his 12th - to catch Payton. That's without missing a single game to injury.

"I'll be 34 years old in eight years. What do I need to break Payton's record? Seven years? That would be great. So I'm shooting to try to get there before 2001. Another 1,700 yard-season, maybe get one of those 2,000-yard seasons and I'll get there a whole lot quicker," Smith said.

"Believe me, I've sat down and thought about it. I mean 16,000 yards - it's going to take a lot of work and a lot of years."

It took Payton 13 to compile his 9 1/2 miles. He did it by missing only one game his entire career (his rookie year) and by being amazingly productive to the end. Payton rushed for 1,684 yards in his 10th season, 1,333 in his 12th.

While many athletes today talk of leaving their sports early, Smith seeks a longer NFL life as long as it is yielding positive results.

"I want to play as long as I can," he said. "I would like to play a full 13 years in the NFL. It seems like the great ones went out after 13 years, 12 years. (Tony) Dorsett played 12.

"I want to be able to leave on my terms, be happy about what I've done. But I'll try to gut it out as long as I can if I've got a legitimate shot (at Payton)."

Cowboys' running backs coach Joe Brodsky isn't sure where Smith will rank when his career is over. He knows only what he sees.

"Emmitt Smith is better prepared to run the football than at any time in his career," said Brodsky. "I think the light went on over his head as far as what he needs to do to be the player he wants to be. I think all the shouting we did about his conditioning may have been a factor. He wasn't in as good a shape last year as he had been. Now he's in the best shape he's ever been."

Coach Barry Switzer played Smith in the first pre-season game July 29 against Buffalo. Although he handled the ball just three times, he scored a seven-yard touchdown on a pass from Troy Aikman and scored points with the head coach.

"I don't think there's any question he's ready to play. He can have a big year," said Switzer. "He'll get about an extra 50 yards per game if Erik Williams is back."

Most believe that Williams' car accident seven games into the 1994 season had as much to do with Smith's statistical slide last season as did Smith's hamstring injury. His average per carry before the injury (4.1) was barely higher than after (4.0), but Smith already was bothered by injuries.

"When you start having the nagging injuries that I had last year, it wears and tears on your mind. It makes you wonder: Is it ever going to get healed? Am I going to have to deal with this every year? What am I doing wrong? Who do I need to seek for help? What can I do to prevent this?"

A five-year career that has been filled with highlights reached a low point at Candlestick Park on Jan. 15. Smith had missed the final regular-season game in New York because of his pulled left hamstring. With that week off and the bye week that followed, he had almost three full weeks of rest before the Green Bay playoff game. Smith managed only seven carries before reinjuring the hamstring.

The NFC championship in San Francisco came just seven days later.

"It was a horrible feeling going into the game, knowing I couldn't perform my best. I know in my heart if I'd been healthy, we'd have won the game. There's really no doubt about it," Smith said. "I feel like I let myself down, let my teammates down, let the fans down, too, because I wasn't at my fullest.

"It is kind of beyond my control, but that's how I feel. I take losing in that regard personally."

Smith has vowed to be at his best this season. The Cowboys hope and believe that will be the case even while talk continues of having rookie Sherman Williams lighten Smith's load. An accomplished receiver, Williams may make occasional third-down appearances in tight games.

As for replacing Smith in such a way that will significantly decrease his carries, Emmitt frowns and offers a look that says two words: Get real.

"No, no, no," Smith said. "Nobody's sat down with me and said a word. Let me tell you one thing: If Troy's comfortable with him, it might happen. But if Troy ain't comfortable with him, running his routes, blocking to protect the quarterback, it ain't going to change.

"I just don't see how a running back can be thrown in a play here, a play there and make something happen. I couldn't make nothing happen in seven plays my rookie year."

Smith's one regret as a pro is that he failed to gain 1,000 yards in 1990. But after not signing a contract until the Tuesday before the season opener, Smith carried the ball just eight times in his first two games. Even saddled with that slow start, he ran for 937 yards, won Rookie of the Year honors and made a lonely flight to the Pro Bowl unaccompanied by any of his teammates.

"That hurt me. I had to make a stink about it to the press. We were losing games, and I said, `Hell, I'm averaging four yards a carry. Give it to me two times, it's third-and-two. Give it to me again, it's a first down. Just give me the ball."'

He has since been given the ball an unprecedented number of times. No one would dare argue with the results.