Rams' Faulk Cleared to Play Cowboys

ST. LOUIS (AP) _ Marshall Faulk was officially cleared to play on Thursday, although he said there was never a doubt. <br><br>The St. Louis Rams' star running back underwent an MRI exam earlier in

Friday, September 27th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ST. LOUIS (AP) _ Marshall Faulk was officially cleared to play on Thursday, although he said there was never a doubt.

The St. Louis Rams' star running back underwent an MRI exam earlier in the day, three days after he strained his neck, and the test showed no problems. So he'll start Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.

``I'm OK,'' Faulk said after practice Thursday. ``I've always said I was OK. You think positive and positive things will happen.''

Faulk has practiced the last two days, so the test seemed to be a foregone conclusion. He wouldn't say why the MRI exam was not taken until Thursday.

``He's been cleared, he's ready to go,'' coach Mike Martz said. ``He has no problems there and it's all clean.''

Faulk was injured in the second quarter of Monday night's 26-14 loss to the Bucs when he was upended by linebacker Derrick Brooks. He wanted to re-enter the game in the second half, but team doctors wouldn't allow it.

``That's just something that as a player you don't get to say, 'I can go back in,''' Faulk said. ``They don't play with that one.

``They want to run tests and make sure everything is OK before they let you go back in there and have any contact.''

Faulk is listed as questionable.

``He's never had anything like that and it shocked him, and I think it really set him back,'' Martz said. ``But he's so resilient. I don't know how he does it, but he mends quickly.''

Rookie Lamar Gordon, the team's third-round draft pick, is Faulk's backup after moving ahead of Trung Canidate in the Bucs game. But Gordon isn't getting any more reps in practice than usual and Faulk doesn't expect to be limited in any way.

Faulk has scored a touchdown in nine consecutive games, two shy of the team record set by Elroy Hirsch in 1950-51. He's looking forward to playing against the Cowboys' Emmitt Smith, who is 362 yards shy of Walter Payton's career rushing record.

``I love watching him, I just hope he doesn't have a field day,'' Faulk said. ``But a good day.''

In a conference call with St. Louis reporters on Wednesday, Smith said Faulk was the NFL's best running back, but Faulk begged to differ.

``We know who the best is, who set the trend for longevity and all the things Emmitt has done,'' Faulk said. ``Every other back, until someone comes along and does what he's doing, we're in the shadows right now.

``The only thing I've done is I've found a different twist to make a niche in this game for myself with catching the ball out of the backfield and doing some other things.''