Emmitt fades into the sunset

By Gary Geffen Sports Central Columnist

Willie Mays became a Met, Johnny Unitas became a Charger, Michael Jordan became a Wizard, and now Emmitt Smith is a Cardinal. Smith has joined the pattern of fading stubborn superstar whose ego will not allow him to bow gracefully out of his life-long passion.

Does he realize that only a carnival-like career, weighing more on how much cash a name can bring in rather than one's talent level, is all that awaits? Arizona is the land of sun, is there any better palace to ride out the golden years? Well, excluding Cincinnati, yes, just about anywhere else would do.

When Emmitt and the Cowboys announced they would be parting ways like a divorced couple who stays best friends, Smith seemed confident, smiling into the camera with great bravado, exclaiming how he was still a 1,300-yard running back who wasn't ready to retire and would only accept a starting position.

With that kind of talking, one must be forced to wonder, "How does Emmitt pass his drug test every year?" Here is reality: No. 22 is soon to be 34. His yards-per-carry average last year was his worst-ever at 3.8. Emmitt finished the season gaining 975 yards, his lowest output since his rookie season of 1990. His longest-run last season was a scant 30 yards.

Now a month since being released, only the Arizona Cardinals sniffed the fire hydrant to get a whiff of Smith. What did the Cardinals see in Emmitt that the rest of the NFL failed to? Cash and money! The Cardinals sellout every time they play the Cowboys; sometimes, it is their only sellout of the year. One only needs to look into the Sun Devil Stadium stands and view the sea of Dallas Blue to understand whom the crowd is there to see.

When the NFL decided to go to their four-division conferences last year, they kept Dallas in the East, shifting the Cardinals. At the same time, they gave the Cardinals a game with the Cowboys each season for 10-straight years. It wasn't even below the Cardinal's front office to admit that one of the reasons they were looking at Emmitt was most certainly as a ticket-seller.

It is hard to believe that the Cardinals have any interest in what Emmitt Smith will do on the field as long as he puts cans in the seats. The Cardinals have shown no signs of offseason stability or coming close to having a cohesive unit in tact. So far this offseason, Arizona has said goodbye to starting quarterback Jake Plummer and their best receiver, David Boston. Now they have a new running back. The Cardinals offensive line doesn't exactly scream dominance, either, ranking a very pedestrian 15th on the NFL's rushing chart in 2002.

Emmitt has gone from the Super Bowl Triplets to the Playoff Trip-less. Arizona has known the pleasures of the postseason only once in the past 18 years.

So where does all this leave Emmitt? Well, just where he was so many times last season, caught behind the line of scrimmage. His harsh demands have caused him to settle, like those stars mentioned above, for playing with a team more known for their legacy of losing than anything else.

Emmitt got his starting position, but at what price? To be the bearded lady of the gridiron. The one freak the town talks about all week in anticipation for Sunday afternoon.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.