Reality rush: Smith vs Hambrick
Clarence E. Hill Jr.
StarTelegram Staff Writer
IRVING - As Emmitt Smith's primary backup the past two seasons, Cowboys running back Troy Hambrick lived in a world of make-believe.
If given the opportunity, the fourth-year veteran believed he could do this better than Smith and he could do that better than Smith.
Hambrick's dream came true when the Cowboys released Smith in the off-season and anointed him as the starter.
But as the Cowboys (2-1) prepare for Sunday's game with the Cardinals (1-3) and the much-anticipated reunion with Smith, who signed a two-year contract with Arizona, Hambrick is finding that his current reality is no fairy tale.
Hambrick, 26, has improved in each of his first three games this season and is coming off a career-high-tying 127 yards rushing against the New York Jets. He also admits that being the starter is much tougher than he imagined.
"We are still winning, but it's been a humbling experience to know how serious this thing is," Hambrick said.
So while his teammates may be heading into Sunday's game looking to pay Smith back for the "trashy" comments he made about the Cowboys during the preseason, Hambrick will bring in a renewed respect for his former teammate.
Hambrick, who disparaged Smith's chase for the all-time rushing record last season with negative comments about his declining abilities, said he now understands what Smith was going through.
"Now I see he was hard at work and I was just the plug-in and change-of-pace guy," Hambrick said. "He was working hard. I thought it was easy, but it's not like that."
Ironically, among the people Hambrick turned to during his early struggles this season was Smith, who remained supportive, telling Hambrick to "keep plugging away and things will open up."
"I regret what I said last year, but I haven't apologized," Hambrick said. "He understands. He didn't have to return my calls or talk to me but my calls go right through. Me and Emmitt have a unique relationship."
Smith echoed those sentiments, saying Hambrick and safety Darren Woodson remain the two people he talks to the most among his former teammates.
"We have a great relationship," Smith said. "I try to talk to him at least once a week. Our relationship is still going to be intact. I have respect for him. He has respect for me. It's nice to see he had a great game last week and it's good to see he is doing well."
Their friendship hasn't altered Hambrick's continued desires to outdo Smith on the field and especially in their first head-to-head battle on Sunday. Hambrick has made a huge statement already, rushing for 240 yards on 61 carries compared with Smith's 193 yards on 59 carries in one more game.
Yet, Smith's stature as a future Hall of Famer and the most celebrated player in Cowboys history remain driving forces for the former understudy.
"Everything I do now is compared to Emmitt," Hambrick said. "I want to be the first Cowboy after Emmitt to get a thousand yards. That would be big. I want to be the first guy to do this after Emmitt and that after Emmitt. But I know I can't do it overnight."
If Hambrick does achieve his goals, he will have Smith partly to thank. The former Savannah State star, who signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, said Smith taught him to be a professional. He has copied Smith's routine of taking care of his body with weekly massages and finds himself coming to Valley Ranch at 7:15 a.m. daily to watch film and study game plans.
Credit for Hambrick's new and mature approach to the game must also be attributed to his being a newlywed, which has given him more focus, and the teachings of Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon and fullback Richie Anderson.
Talks with Parcells after the first two games played a huge role in his success against the Jets. After trying to show off his speed with outside runs to no avail in the previous game against the Giants, Hambrick said he followed his coaches' wishes by ramming it up the middle with his 233-pound frame.
"I'm not ready to put him in Canton just yet," Parcells said. "He ran hard. He ran tough. He didn't give up on any runs. He was a punishing runner. He made yards after contact. He was bringing it in there pretty good."
Said owner Jerry Jones: "[The Jets game] was such a meaningful situation for us, our team, our franchise, to win that game. ... He seemed to have a sense of how much was on the line there. And it wasn't just about, well, let's make a few carries here. I hadn't seen that out of Hambrick. We've seen him get his yards in behind Emmitt. But the other night I was impressed that when it was really on the line, when it was tough, he stepped up to the plate."
And it was a practice tip from Anderson that paid off on the 31-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Hambrick said Anderson had been talking to him in practice about "taking six or seven carries at least 15 yards down the field because when you do it in practice it will feel natural in the game. That's what happened."
Anderson's tips are offset by Carthon's mental beatings.
"Maurice stays on me," Hambrick said. "But I know he believes in me. He makes me learn the game inside and out. I know what coverage they are in. I know where the safety is coming from. In practice he makes me call out the coverage. He makes me know the tendencies of my opponent to the point that he asked where the guy went to college."
Though he believes the Jets game might have been a turning point for him, Hambrick chooses to remain patient. He knows if he hopes to have a future as Smith's permanent successor, he must show consistent production. And even that might not be enough to stop the Cowboys from drafting a running back in the off-season.
"I have to earn it," Hambrick said. "I want to be a Parcells guy. I am going to do everything I need to do. I have to do it week in and week out."
