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Cardinals running back Emmitt Smith said he plans to play next season in Arizona, but won't say whether he wants to play past that, reports The Washington Post for Monday's editions.
Smith
The NFL's all-time rushing leader told the newspaper that he will play even in a backup position.
"At this point, I'm going to take it one year at a time," Smith told the Post on Friday night. Smith was in the Washington D.C. area for a Special Olympics charity dinner hosted by the NFL Players Association. "Playing next season is definite. Oh, yeah, it's definite. I wouldn't be going through these [offseason] camps if I wasn't definite about next season."
Smith, 34, played for 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, and is in the second season of a two-year contract with Arizona.
Smith, who will turn 35 in May, has rushed for 17,418 yards in 14 NFL seasons and missed just four games in his 13 seasons in Dallas. But last season Smith missed six games to a shoulder injury, and played behind Marcel Shipp for most of the season. Smith rushed for 256 yards to Shipp's 830 and it appears likely Shipp will remain the Cardinals' starter next season.
Smith addressed the idea that new Cardinals coach Dennis Green will keep him in a backup spot behind Shipp for next season.
"Our conversations have not been that extensive, but extensive enough that I understand what's required," Smith said of his dealings with Green. "My vision is his vision. My mission is to help this team win. Starter or backup, it doesn't matter to me. I feel comfortable with where I am. ... The losses [last season] were disappointing. My health, that was just something that happens in this game. I took a serious hit. ... Any man's body would betray him when he takes a serious hit like that."
Green was hired in January to turn the club around after the Cardinals' 4-12 season. Smith said he doesn't regret signing with a club that hasn't had a winning season since 1984.
"I'm happy about it," he told the Post. "I don't regret any decision to go anywhere. This organization has shown a commitment to trying to win. [Ownership] did a great job bringing in Denny Green. This team can be a winner. Why not?"
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