Why Emmitt will regret leaving

By Steve Goldstein Sports Central Columnist

There's no question that Emmitt Smith has earned the right to choose to continue playing, even if it's with the Cardinals. He is the NFL's all-time leading rusher and undoubtedly one of the 10 best backs ever to play. However, he's lost a step, just like everybody else by the time age 34 comes around. And he'll be playing for a team that lost its top three wide receivers in the offseason. Granted, the Cowboys have had consecutive 5-11 seasons, but the Cowboys also have an owner who wants to win.

The Cardinals' owner, Bill Bidwill, has been constantly bashed since the day he took the redbirds from St. Louis to Phoenix. And he's deserved most of the criticism. The Cardinals had the league's highest ticket prices in their first season in the desert in 1988. Since that time, the Cardinals have made the playoffs only once.

The Cardinals' top draft picks inevitably hold out, missing huge chunks of training camp and sometimes even the entire preseason. But Bidwill allowed his minions to court Emmitt Smith, in the hopes that season ticket sales would skyrocket in Phoenix, an area that loves its Dallas Cowboys.

Ticket sales have increased only slightly, and Smith's presence is probably responsible for most, if not all, of that rise. Head coach Dave McGinnis has praised Smith for the example he's setting for young players and the commitment he's made to winning football games.

Of course, McGinnis is probably the type of guy who personally calls out to the sun every morning to thank it for starting another fantastic day. But he certainly is genuinely thrilled to have Emmitt Smith. Smith's addition, though, is typical of the one-step forward, two-steps back style of Cardinals' management.

One of the few productive offensive players who returned to Arizona this season is running back Marcel Shipp. Most observers think Shipp is better than Smith at this point in their careers. So, yes, Smith does bring a lot of the so-called intangibles, but he's also taking downs away from a player on the rise. And since Shipp signed a new contract in the offseason, the Cardinals are paying about $5 million dollars to two running backs. And they still don't have a proven wide receiver or defensive lineman.

When the Cardinals lose games this season -- probably at least 10 of them -- Emmitt is going to wonder why he came to the organization. Yes, it was nice to be wanted. And it was great to be named the number one running back. But when he's trying to jet through tiny holes against eight-man fronts, he's going to wonder about Texas Stadium. And when the rookie wide receivers are dropping passes, he's going to wonder about Texas Stadium.

But most of all, he's probably going to wish Jon Gruden had signed him to replace Michael Pittman in Tampa. Now that's a team on which Emmitt wouldn't have to worry about tarnishing the old legacy.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.