Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Farewell 22

For the last fifteen NFL seasons, Emmitt Smith was number 22 in your playbooks, but number 1 in your hearts. The NFL’s all time leading rusher officially retired as a Cowboy last Thursday. He retired on “America’s Team.” He retired (technically) on the team he started in the league with. Love them or hate them, the Dallas Cowboys were the best team in the NFL in the 1990’s. And they might have just been one of the best teams ever. Their three headed offensive monster was led by the quiet mouth and steady arm of Troy Aikman. All pro wide-out Michael Irvin who was flashy, and a loudmouth. He was the guy you loved to hate. But for fifteen seasons, Emmitt Smith was the opposite. He was the guy whom no matter how much you loathed the Cowboys, you couldn’t help but to root for.

Was he the best running back ever? Probably not. Jim Brown and OJ Simpson come to mind before him. But make me a list of backs who worked harder than the rest, who wanted it more than everyone else, and who never ever put themselves before the team, and your list becomes a lot shorter. Shortened all the way down to Emmitt himself, and the man whom we only need the word Sweetness to remember.

Emmitt ran his way into the record books like he ran over opposing teams: early and often. He rushed for double digit touchdowns in his first year in the league, a feat he would repeat seven more times. And in just his second season, he led the league in rushing with 1,563 yards. He hung up his cleats as the NFL’s all time leader in rushing yards, rushing attempts, and rushing touchdowns. He also finished second to some guy named Jerry Rice in total touchdowns. Greatness should not be measured by statistics, but I’m sure it is comforting to Emmitt to know that if it is, he’s got that pretty much covered.

In a day when athletes often overstay their welcome, and try to play beyond what their bodies tell them to, Emmitt left with respect. He showed in his final season that he could still run and could be counted on twenty-five times a game. He never shied away from hits, and never wanted to come off the field. Emmitt always wanted the ball, and coaches were smart to trust it in his hands. He fumbled the ball just 22 times in a career that saw him touch the ball 4,924 times (4,409 carries and 515 receptions).

He shed tears of joy and appreciation in his retirement press conference. And he thanked Jerry Jones for taking a chance on a 5’10” running back out of Florida. It was Emmitt’s day. And in five more years, he’ll have yet another as a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee in Canton, Ohio. He didn’t have a nickname like his teammates “the Playmaker” or “Prime Time.” He was just plain ‘ol Emmitt Smith. He was just Emmitt Smith on second and short in the preseason, and he was just Emmitt Smith on third and long in the Super Bowl. No matter the situation, in a must win game or a preseason tune-up, he was the ultimate competitor for fifteen years. He was the man that would get the “tough” yards when the clock needed to be eaten up. Players should not always be measured by their numbers, but when they are, 18,355 yards is the longest number a running back can be measured by.