Smith named every offensive lineman he ever played with, and singled out former teammates and Hall of Famers Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman.overalls

“Without you there is no me,” Smith said to Irvin and Aikman. “That’s why we are called ‘The Triplets.’ You cannot have one without the other. Troy, your leadership, dedication and focus helped me become a better football player because I did not want to let you down. Michael, your work ethic, your passion, your love for this sport helped me learn to train and prepare myself differently.”

Smith saved the most gracious part of his speech for fullback Daryl Johnston, who had the duty of playing a largely anonymous role on those Cowboy teams. Johnston, known admiringly as “Moose,” was a vicious blocker. Or as Brandt put it: “Emmitt was one of the greatest running backs ever at running the lead draw … because of Daryl Johnston.”

Johnston was one of the last of a dying breed. Over the past 10 years, the fullback position has faded as teams have gone more to three- and four-receiver sets. There may never be another Daryl Johnston. On Saturday, Smith put his teammate on a pedestal.tn store

“You mean the world to me,” Smith said, tears streaming down his face as he looked at Johnston in the sea of more than 19,000 people. “People don’t understand what it took to be a fullback in our system, the sacrifices you made not simply with your body but your whole spirit. You took care of me as though you were taking care of your little brother.

“Without you, I know today would not have been possible. I love you from the bottom of my heart.”

It was a perfect sendoff by a man who holds the NFL rushing record with 18,355 yards, breaking the mark held by Walter Payton – a record Smith aimed to break when he started as a 21-year-old rookie with the Cowboys.rayban sunglasses

“I was his roommate [in Smith’s rookie year],” Irvin said. “We were sitting in our dorm room at training camp one night and he said that and I was thinking to myself, ‘Who is this crazy cat?’?”

Smith wasn’t exactly crazy, but he was driven to levels most players never comprehend. His drive, much like that possessed by fellow inductee Jerry Rice, drove him past what most people thought was the limit of his talent

“He was a smallish, 199-pound running back who had good, but not great, speed. He had good, but not great, quickness,” Brandt said, running through a scouting report as if he was going into a draft room. “He had a really strong lower body and he was a great, great competitor.

“When I say great competitor, I mean really, truly great.”best price shoes

That quality allowed Smith to outdistance the likes of Payton, a man Smith emulated as he prepared for his career. Smith didn’t have the absurd quickness and ability to change direction like Barry Sanders. He didn’t have the sprinter speed of O.J. Simpson. He didn’t have the size and speed of Eric Dickerson. He didn’t have the explosiveness of Gale Sayers.

While many critics consider those guys better runners, Smith outdistanced them all when it came to production. Morever, Smith has more titles than them combined.

Smith also had a record 164 rushing touchdowns and helped lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles.

“Emmitt’s heart wouldn’t let us fall apart,” Irvin said. “He was the heart of our team, this little guy running right in the middle of all those big ol’ bodies, never going down, never stop running, never stop beating.”

Smith’s speech digressed for a moment into a Tony Robbins-like monologue about goal-setting. He also failed to mention his alma mater, the University of Florida, which isn’t going over well with Gators fans. Nevertheless, his speech was instructive about a man who had a vision of what his life was supposed to be.

“I know it was ordained by God,” Smith said. “And because of this, he has predestined me to do great things in life. The Dallas Cowboys have given me that platform.

“That’s why I did everything I could … to make this team the very best it could be.”

On Saturday night, Smith did it again. As he did for his career, Smith carried the uniform well.

If there is one thing the last year has shown us about Tiger Woods, it's that he isn't going to answer any questions he doesn't want to. nike tn

The last few months have given all sorts of reporters a chance to dig into Tiger's personal life, and as many commenters here at Devil Ball have repeated, it really isn't any of our business, and Woods lets us know that. But, as for the golf, that is our business, since he is the most famous in a handful of hackers, and is going to be asked about his game. clothing store

On Wednesday at Firestone, Tiger was asked about the Ryder Cup. As you may know, Woods is currently ranked ninth in American points, meaning that if everything ended today, he would be out as an automatic pick to be on the United States team, and would then be subjected to one of four captain's picks by Corey Pavin dh

Tiger was asked three times in a row about his thoughts on being a captain's pick. replied.

Q. ?There's been a lot of speculation on the Ryder Cup. We're two weeks out from locking up the top eight. If you were asked to go as a captain's pick, are you all in?

Woods: ?"I'm planning on playing my way into the team."

Q. ?If it doesn't happen….

Woods: "I'm planning on playing my way into the team."

Q. ?That's still kind of an equivocation.

Woods: "I'm planning on playing my way into the team." fashion gucci

See, this is where I never quite understand Tiger. It isn't like the reporters at the interview were digging extremely deep. All they were asking was his thoughts on being asked to play in the Ryder Cup as opposed to playing his way onto the team. Sure, by answering it, there might be some ridiculous guard that Tiger lets down, admitting that he might not make it his own way, but it's a valid question that deserves a valid response.

The goal of 2010 was to repair the image that Tiger lost. With acts like this, it sure seems that he still isn't quite ready to push back that stoic veil and let us all into a little of what he's got going on between the ears. gucci sunglasses

Fitch, who also defeated Alves in 2006, has won five in a row since losing to champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 87 in 2008. He has won 21 of his last 22 bouts.

Just 45 seconds into the bout, Fitch dumped Alves on his back and would maul him for long stretches. The crowd booed frequently, as there were few exchanges and Fitch never got near a finish. buy shoes

St. Pierre will defend the belt against Josh Koscheck – coincidentally, a close friend of Fitch’s – at UFC 124 in December.

Fighting in his first bout since being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in May, former welterweight champion Matt Hughes pulled off an unlikely win over black belt Ricardo Almeida. Hughes hammered Almeida with a left hand, which essentially knocked Almeida out on his feet.

Hughes raced in for the finish and caught Almeida with a jiu-jitsu move, slapping on an anaconda choke that put Almeida to sleep. Referee Josh Rosenthal jumped in to stop the bout at 3:15 of the first round.

Junior dos Santos earned a shot at the UFC’s heavyweight title by outslugging a game but overmatched Roy Nelson. Dos Santos hurt Nelson badly in the first with a series of strikes, but Nelson battled hard to the finish. Judges had it 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26.trading

Dos Santos will meet the winner of the title match between champion Brock Lesnar and No. 1 challenger Cain Velasquez, which is scheduled for Oct. 23 at UFC 121 in Anaheim, Calif.

The roly-poly Nelson, who entered the Octagon to “Weird” Al Yankovic’s “I’m Fat,” tried for several takedowns, but he wasn’t able to get dos Santos off of his feet. But Nelson took everything that the power-punching Brazilian could throw.

Dos Santos said he didn’t care whether he wound up fighting Lesnar or Velasquez for the belt.fashion shoes

“I have no preference between those guys,” he said. “I feel very prepared and I train very hard. I want to be champion and I know I am going to be champion.”

Clay Guida pulled out a third-round submission victory over Rafael Dos Anjos, and the seeds of the win were sown in Round 1. It appeared that Dos Anjos broke his jaw from a straight right hand during a Guida flurry in the first round.

In the third, Guida took Dos Anjos down and had him pinned against the cage, pushing Dos Anjos’ jaw back. Dos Anjos couldn’t take it any longer and tapped at 1:51 of the third.

“I’m in here to win, I’m not in here to hurt my opponents. So I apologize for that, Raffy,” Guida said to Dos Anjos in the cage. “You’re a tough son of a gun.”

After taking more than four rounds of pounding from trash-talking challenger Chael Sonnen, a thoroughly beaten-up Silva (27-4) caught Sonnen (25-11-1) in a triangle choke. Sonnen tapped out at 3:10 of the fifth round, though Sonnen complained to referee Josh Rosenthal. He apparently was saying that he didn’t submit, though replays indicated he clearly did.best price

Sonnen took Silva down early in each round and beat him terribly in each. Several times, Rosenthal was leaning in, apparently on the verge of stopping the bout.

The fifth round was no different from the other four. Silva, who was far behind on the scorecards, came out aggressively and tried to end it, but Sonnen took him down again. He was pounding away until Silva slipped on the triangle.mens underwear

Submission defense has been Sonnen’s biggest problem throughout his career, and it was again on his biggest night. But he made himself into a major star, not only with his trash talking but also with his gritty performance.

The victory was the UFC-record 12th in a row for Silva, the longest reigning champion in company history. He has held the title since October 2006.

On the undercard, Jon Fitch outwrestled Thiago Alves, repeatedly taking Alves down and then controlling him on the ground to earn another shot at the UFC welterweight title by winning a unanimous decision. All three judges scored it 30-27 for Fitch, a one-time wrestler at Purdue.

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