Faulk still has this season to think about retirement.

 Marshall Faulk doesn't know where the retirement rumors started.But the St. Louis Rams' running back, entering his 12th season and coming off another operation on his balky right knee, isn't arguing the logic behind the idea.
"You know what?" he said Thursday. "I heard about it and it was news to me. It doesn't surprise me. It's news."The 2000 NFL MVP knows his clock is ticking. Teammate Aeneas Williams said he evaluates his career options after every season, and now 31-year-old Faulk is in the same situation."This is probably the first year I've thought about it like 'Man, if the body isn't acting right, what do I do? Do I fight through it or do I not play?" Faulk said. "That's something I'm going to have to evaluate after the season."So far, after two days of the Rams' workouts, the body is doing just fine. Faulk has watched himself on film and said he looked "pretty good to myself."Then again, it's early."I'm just day to day with everything: how I feel, how my body feels and just letting it tell me 'Hey, you need to take the next day off' or whatever," Faulk said. "I have to listen to it. It doesn't listen to me -- anymore, I should say."The Rams are taking steps to conserve Faulk, limiting his practice reps and shutting him down for the morning practice during two-a-day workouts. Likely, he won't play much in the preseason, either.Last year, the same knee and a broken hand kept Faulk out of five games and limited him to 818 yards rushing and 45 receptions for 290 yards."If he says his knee is a little bit sore and we need to take some time, then that's what we do," coach Mike Martz said. "He knows exactly what he needs to do to get ready."Last year's experiment with a bulkier Faulk, which Martz had hoped would help the running back deal with the pounding, also has ended. This year, Faulk is back to his svelte self, although the supersizing had nothing to do with the knee injury that required offseason surgery."That was coach Martz's idea, get some of that bulk on so you can withstand it," Martz said. "That wasn't a good idea, and we're kind of going with what Marshall wants now."They've also prepared for the end, drafting running back Steven Jackson in the first round. Jackson, the first running back taken in April, is the heir apparent to Faulk's job."Having guys behind me that are youthful and that I can pass some information along to and hopefully one day, whether it's here or on another team, they can step in and be the guy, they can look back on some of the things I told them about the game," Faulk said.But he won't go willingly. Faulk is no Ricky Williams."I love football. It's in me. I was given a gift to play this game, not just the physical gift but a mental gift to understand it," he said. "It's not all that I have but it's something I have that I love doing and I have a passion for."He even indicated that down the road, it's possible that he could accept a lesser role to extend his career."There's a lot of things that factor in, and that's just being honest," Faulk said.Suffice it to say the retirement talk has served as motivation."It's things people should ask," he said. "Those are the questions that are going to be answered this year."I feel up to the challenge. We'll find out as the season goes."Teammates know Faulk at his best is a difference-maker. From 1998-2001 he became the first player in NFL history to gain 2,000 yards rushing and receiving for four consecutive seasons."I heard the speculation about him retiring and I heard about the knee," wide receiver Torry Holt said. "All I know is he's here, and that puts a smile on our face."

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