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EVENTS
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
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'It's my job' Vikings' Smith is a rare superstar without flash
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) -- Robert Smith darts in and out of the Minnesota Vikings' locker room, practically unnoticed. If he talked, reporters would circle him. He probably would have something interesting to say. The scene doesn't interest him at all. He is the same way on the field. If he reaches the end zone against the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game Sunday, he will flit in and out, and won't stop long enough to draw attention to himself. "To me, getting there is the excitement. Winning the game is the excitement," Smith said. "It's not about getting up on a stage and acting like the thing that I did is something that I don't get paid for. I mean, it's my job. "I don't really think it's that big of a deal. Maybe after celebrating a Super Bowl victory I'd be a little bit different. To me, the job's not done yet." Smith has proved plenty by rushing for 1,521 yards over 16 games. The number of games he played might be as important as yards gained, for this is his first complete season as an eight-year pro. He has been sidelined by two knee injuries, serious ankle injuries, an ear infection and chicken pox. He missed 23 games from 1993-96. He tersely said he has done nothing differently this season than in the others. Particles floating in Smith's right knee are not keeping him off the field this season. Whether they are slowing him down is up for debate. Smith said the particles -- which will be removed following the season - have not been a major hindrance, but a drop-off in productivity begs the question. If he isn't hurt, Smith will be due to break free for a long run at any moment Sunday. He led the NFL in rushing before hitting a bump that limited him to 204 yards on 65 carries (3.1 yards per carry) over the past four games. "He'll run for 8, 9 yards, 8, 9 yards," Green Bay Packers safety LeRoy Butler said. "Six yards. Four yards. Lose 1. Lose 3. Eight, 9, 10. Bust one for 80." When he doesn't break one for 20 or 30 yards in a game, something seems to be missing. He is the only NFL player with at least a 70-yard run in each of the past four seasons. "The difference between a 2-yard run and a 50-yard run is the little things," Vikings center Matt Birk said. "We're very close." The Vikings are likely to grind away even against the Giants, the NFC leaders in rushing defense. Smith carried the ball on 15 of the Vikings' 38 plays in the second half of their 34-16 playoff victory over New Orleans last Saturday, helping them control the ball for more than 18 of the final 30 minutes. Head coach Dennis Green vowed to let Smith become more of a workhorse this season. Smith took on the between-the-tackles carries that used to go to ex-Viking Leroy Hoard and carried the ball 295 times, topping his previous high of 249. He wore on opponents, gaining nearly one-third of his yards in fourth quarters. He did it without bravado, on or off the field. "I'm more of a quiet leader, I think," Smith said. "When I go out there and play, I'm not jumping around, I'm not spiking balls. I just go out there and perform. I think that that gives people a message, as well. That's the message, for the most part, that I deliver to my teammates. "We haven't finished the job yet since I've been here. There's only one way to end the season happy, and that's to win a Super Bowl championship. Until then, why not be humble? What do you have to celebrate?"
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