Emmitt Smith was listed “questionable” by the Dallas Cowboys in their official injury report Wednesday, meaning the running back has a 50-50 chance of playing in the NFC championship game Sunday against the 49ers in San Francisco.
Questionable is the perfect designation because everybody expects him to play but nobody knows how well or how long. Backup Blair Thomas took the majority of snaps in practice Wednesday.
Like Walter Payton, Smith is as difficult to read as he is to catch. When Smith smiles and enunciates “I . . . feel . . . fine,” the extent of his hamstring injury is masked.
But there is reason to believe Smith’s injury will prevent him from performing at anywhere near full strength, despite predictions from players on both sides.
“I think, like any great player, you expect him to play and to play well,” 49ers quarterback Steve Young said from Tempe, Ariz., where the team was chased by rain that threatens to make the game soggy.
Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin continued to assure everyone Smith would “be there.” But Smith himself said, “I don’t want to hear about it; I don’t want to talk about it.”
Former teammate Ken Norton, now with the 49ers, cited Smith’s track record of playing “with little injuries” and said, “We are expecting him to be 100 percent and be the focal point of their offense.”
But all indications are this is no little injury and cannot be overcome by grit.
Last year, Smith played against the Giants in New York despite a separated shoulder that caused him “unbelievable” pain, Smith said. He could barely lift his arm, yet played because the Cowboys needed the victory to secure home-field advantage. But the hamstring is a more necessary part of a running back’s anatomy.
Smith’s condition can be compared to Neal Anderson’s hamstring injuries at the end of the Mike Ditka era. Coaches wanted Anderson to play through them, and he never was the same.
Tight hamstring muscles are a routine problem for Smith, which is one reason his current condition is difficult to gauge. Ex-Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson, ever helpful to the Barry Switzer cause, pronounced Smith healthy for the Packers game last week, implying that the injury talk was an exaggeration.
Smith had three weeks rest after being helped off the field in New Orleans Dec. 19, yet lasted less than one quarter against the Packers, carrying the ball seven times and catching one pass before limping off.
“If he hadn’t played in three weeks, how do you expect him to play this week?” Switzer asked after the Packers game, stating his obvious thoughts.
Smith said the twinge he felt was not as bad as he felt in New Orleans, but couldn’t answer whether he could have returned to the Packers game if needed.
“It started to loosen up on the sidelines, and I tried to run again, but loosening up on the sidelines and playing are two different situations,” Smith said. “If you put pressure or torque on the leg to get away, it’s hard to say.”
In his last four games against the 49ers, Smith has gained 114, 92, 88 and 78 yards, with the Cowboys winning the first three and losing the last.
