Emmitt Smith proved he wasn't slowing down with a strong 1998 season.

"If he chose to work, it's because he loves to work," Smith said. "I mean, I can retire right to this day. I've achieved so much and won three Super Bowls. I think it'd be easy for me to walk away right now.

"But I'm not in the game to achieve certain things and leave it alone."

Going into the 10th season of a career that's put him in the same tax bracket as the lotto winner and made him a lock for the Hall of Fame, Smith is still going strong.

Barry Sanders' retirement makes the Dallas Cowboys star the leading active rusher and paves the way for Smith to break Walter Payton's all-time rushing record, probably in 2001.

That didn't seem likely this time last year when it seemed like all the pounding his 5-foot-9, 209-pound body had taken over the years was beginning to catch up to him.

Smith was coming off his fewest yards since his rookie year and the fewest touchdowns of his career. His numbers had dropped for a second consecutive season, a sure indication the end was near, right?

Wrong. In 1998, Smith had his most carries, yards and touchdowns since 1995, his best season and the last time Dallas won the Super Bowl.

"I always knew it wasn't over for me," Smith said. "I guess it had to be answered in other people's minds."

Smith has been defying critics ever since he first put on pads.

Constantly knocked for being too short and too slow, he has put together the most impressive balance of individual feats and team success of any running back in NFL history.

No player has rushed for more touchdowns than his 125, and his 12,566 yards are fifth on the all-time list. Smith, though, has won more Super Bowls than all four guys ahead of him combined.

	EMMITT FILE
	Born: May 15, 1969 Drafted: No. 17 overall in 1990 College: Florida (1987-89) NFL: Entering 10th season with Cowboys. Ranks fifth all-time in the NFL in career rushing yardage (12,566) and first in rushing touchdowns (125). Has won four rushing titles and was named NFL MVP in 1993. Super Bowl: A member of three Super Bowl-winning teams, Smith was named MVP of Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994.

Smith is on pace to reach No. 3 on the rushing chart by Thanksgiving, then pass Sanders, presuming he stays retired, in the 2000 season. Smith would catch Payton the following year.

Smith's personal accolades have been a byproduct of his team's glory, and he hope it continues.

"There's an awful lot left to accomplish," Smith said. "I'd like to have five rings. But you've got to get four first, then get to five."

His chances of getting No. 4 are better this year than they've been in a while.

The Dallas offensive line is the first that can compare to the behemoths on the championship teams of '92, '93 and '95. It's no coincidence that Smith's 1996-97 skid happened while running behind worse blockers.

The Cowboys also have a faster, more sure-handed group of receivers, which should stretch defenses, thus creating more room for Smith to run.

"With all that in mind, you can't help but look forward to what we can achieve this season," he said.

The seesaw ride from 10-6 to 6-10 to 10-6 the last three seasons has wiped out Dallas' aura of dominance. Regaining it motivates Smith.

"It's kind of fun to be on this side," he said. "It rekindles your hunger and your desire to achieve greater success.

"When you lose, your motivation is to erase what you just left. We went 10-6 and made the playoffs last year, but we were knocked off in the first round by a team we beat twice in the course of the year.

"A lot of franchises might be satisfied with that, but a lot of franchises haven't been where we were."

Smith has been on quite a roll since that humiliating loss to Arizona on Jan. 2.

At a 30th birthday dinner in May, he proposed to actress Pam Lawrence, a former Miss Virginia who was first runner-up for Miss USA. A few weeks later, Smith beat Dallas Stars sharpshooter Brett Hull in a long drive contest featuring various athletes.

A few weeks after that, Smith reported to training camp a day early. He was walking off the field dripping with sweat after a series of wind sprints and was hit with the news that Sanders had retired.

Smith has laid low ever since, letting Ricky Williams, Jamal Anderson and Lawrence Phillips steal the headlines.

But in late August, in an exhibition game against Denver, Smith sent out a gentle reminder that he's still around.

The Cowboys ran a sweep to the left and Smith waited patiently for two blockers to open a hole. He then took off through it, spun free of the last defender who had any chance of stopping him and cruised to a 29-yard touchdown. He punctuated it by running through the end zone and up a tunnel leading to the locker room.

Although he called the play no big deal, it once again proved Smith is one of the best running backs in the NFL, even if he is on the downside of his career.

"Everybody wants to keep writing him off," said quarterback Troy Aikman. "But he's still going strong."

Despite 2,914 regular-season carries plus another 334 in the postseason, basically another season's worth, Smith isn't even thinking about calling it a career.

"Shoot, I feel good," said Smith, who has four years left on his contract. "My attitude is real young."

When told he looks like he could play 10 more years, Smith laughed and said he doesn't want to stick around that long.

"But I'll tell you," he said, "I think I've got 10 years left in me."