ESPN MAGAZINE

Inasmuch as Marshall Faulk is not only a symbol for, but a native of Desire, the squalid New Orleans slum that lent its name to one of the most famous works in American theater; given that he scored seven touchdowns in just his second college game and could have won the Heisman Trophy at least twice; and granted that in his last two pro seasons -- on two different teams under two vastly different circumstances (going from pitiful loser to proud Super celebrator) -- he has led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage, doesn't it figure that we might have actually, uh, noticed him?

Instead, throughout most of his intriguing six-year pro career, Faulk has been fated to linger in that peculiar ozone between irony and anonymity, a name lost beneath the Davises and Smiths and Sanderses except to those fantasy freaks for whom stats are the stuff of dreams.

Until now.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider