Put Emmitt's record in pencil.

If Barry Sanders had decided to keep playing, we wouldn't be praising Emmitt Smith and his record-breaking achievement. Sanders, not Smith, would have reached Walter Payton's career rushing mark first and would have distanced himself from anything Smith could have eclipsed.

That's the reason I am sure Smith's mark will fall, too. It's not one of those unfathomable accomplishments, such as Dan Marino's career passing yards or Brett Favre's consecutive-games streak.

Of course, it will require a combination of durability, great skills and immense courage to make a run at Smith. Just a few seasons ago, Terre Davis was a contender, and now he is out of football, his legs ruined by injuries. Edgerrin James, another prospect, has yet to regain his skills after a knee injury last year.

But it can be done. Smith admits it without much enthusiasm. He'd rather have his name in ink, not pencil. "I look around and see some possibilities" he says. He names names. When he comes to LaDainian Tomlinson, Smith lingers "I can see him doing it," he says,

Tomlinson, the second-year ...