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Shipp Shines As Emmitt's Sub

When Emmitt Smith returns from his broken shoulder blade later
this month, Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis will face a tough
decision: play Smith, the NFL's alltime leading rusher who was
signed as a free agent in the off-season but who was largely
ineffective before he got hurt on Oct. 5, or stick with Marcel
Shipp, who has averaged 122.3 yards per game as Smith's
replacement. In a win over the Bengals on Sunday, Shipp, a
third-year player out of Massachusetts, ran for 141 yards to
become the first Cardinals back to top 100 in consecutive games
since Johnny Johnson in 1992. For the year Shipp is averaging 4.4
yards per carry and Smith 3.0.... The most disturbing sign for
the Rams in their loss to the 49ers was the poor performance by
quarterback Marc Bulger against a heavy rush. San Francisco had
11 pressures, five sacks and two interceptions. "When you get
right in his face, he loses focus," said Niners defensive end
Chidi Ahanotu.... Texans linebacker Jamie Sharper called the red
jerseys his team unveiled on Sunday "feminine." Then the Texans
stole a 14-10 win over Carolina. "If that's feminine," Houston
center Steve McKinney said after the game, "then I guess I like
feminine."