Even then, Smith probably still would be better than half the running backs in the National Football League.
Face it. The only chance the Steelers have of winning Sunday's XXX-rated Super Bowl is if Emmitt Smith doesn't play
The Cowboys are favored by 13 1/2 points over the Steelers. Take away Emmitt, announce he's not playing and the point spread shrinks by nearly a touchdown
"It'd probably drop to about eight points," said John Avello, manager of Bally's Race and Sports Book in Las Vegas. "One player can be worth anywhere from one to four or five points. But you take Emmitt Smith out of the game, and Dallas just lost its running game. It'd be a much close game."
News flash: Emmitt's playing.
Forget about the game being close.
"The whole thing," Steelers linebacker Greg Lloyd said, "is to really get in there and stop Emmit Smith."
Nice plan. but try executing it. the Steelers have a darn good defense, but unless they can sneak a few sledgehammers or an Uzi or two onto the field without an official noticing, there's no stopping Emmitt Smith. Not in a game as big as this.
In big games, the only thing that stops Emmitt is Emmitt. Case in pain: Last season Smith was nagged by injuries to both hamstrings during the playoffs, and the Cowboys failed to return to the Super Bowl for a third consecutive time. Now, some folks will argue the Cowboys didn't return because the San Fransico 49ers were a superior team. Others will disagree, saying if Emmitt had had two good wheels, the Cowboys would now be playing in their fourth Super Bowl in a row.
"I have no control over what happened last year. I cannot take last year back and erase it," Smith said. "I would like to think if I was healthy things might've been different. I don't know how much different, but I would like to think they would be."
Know this: When Emmitt Smith is healthy, he is a load. He was injury-free this season, and lokk what happened. He led the NFL in rushing for the fourth time in six seasons with 1,773 yards, and he broke the league record for touchdowns in a season with 25.
All of that, though, was merely a prelude. Sunday is what matters most to Smith. It's a big day, and it's a big game. And that means big trouble for Pittsburgh.
"Whenever a big game comes up,it's time for the big players to step up and make big plays," said Smith, who's also playing the part of a big shot this week. He's got his own personal limo squiring him around. "Being in the sport I love so much, I want to be the player to make the big plays. That's my approach. I want to be the man that's going to go out and make the big plays and make things happen."
Often, he is
"Emmitt is a very unique individual," Nate Newton said. "He's very powerful for a man who's 5-9, 210 pounds. He's got deceptive speed. He's got great vision. that is his whole key. Great vision. And once he sees a hole, he's got the ability to hit the hole going 90 miles per hour. When you put him in the I formation with a fullback in front of him, somebody to just give him a little space, he can make a lot things happen."
Yeah, like chains move, touchdowns, and defensive coordinators send out for Tums by the carton.
"He gets through cracks that other backs don't," said Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. "The leg-strength factor is great. An arm tackle doesn't slow him down, let alone get him down. He has a tremendous ability to adjust within a two- or three-yard area. It's unique."
Hey, its like Nate Newton said, Emmitt is unique. Emmitt also happens to be capping off what he considers his finest season as a pro.
"I think it was. I honestly believe it was," Smith said. "The stats show it. I was able to achieve a lot of my personal goals, and right now we're one win away from achieving another personal goal, and a team goal as well. Thus far, it's been pretty good."
Sunday, barring a limo driver with a bad sense of direction or a catastrophe, it will get even better.
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