‘Smith, a former first-round pick who rushed for 1,124 yards in 1998, has not taken the demotion well. He lashed out at the decision earlier in the week, saying he was being made a scapegoat for a rushing offense that ranks 16th in the NFL in yards (298) but 25th in per-carry average (3.2). And the bulk of that work has been done by Johnson himself, the team’s leading rusher with 109 yards and a 6.8 average. Smith and backup Shawn Bryson have managed 159 yards on 68 carries (2.3). "There aren’t any scapegoats," Phillips said. "We’re 2-1. Make me the scapegoat if we end up 13-3."’