IRVING, Texas -- Before Emmitt Smith can resume his pursuit of becoming the NFL's career rushing leader, he has to go through a unique training camp with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys begin camp Friday in San Antonio, where some workouts will be inside the Alamodome and others will be on turf in the parking lot.

The kickoff also will signal the start of the real hype surrounding Smith's pending chase of Walter Payton's record.

"Football officially starts then," Smith said. "That's going to be a question that's going to come up at least three or four times a day. I'm going to handle it like a champ. I'm going to handle it with respect and handle it with dignity, and try to have a lot of fun with it."

Smith won't even have a chance to gain any of the 540 yards he needs to surpass Payton until the Sept. 8 season opener against the expansion Houston Texans. Payton's record of 16,726 yards has stood since 1987, three years before Smith began his NFL career.

Going into his 13th season, the 33-year-old Smith has an NFL-record 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons.

While Smith's historic chase will be a centerpiece of the season, there also is renewed optimism surrounding the Cowboys, whose two consecutive seasons under coach Dave Campo have ended 5-11.

Campo said he looks forward to containing training camp to one place after splitting time last year between Wichita Falls and the cooler climate of Oxnard, Calif.

"The idea of being out in the heat a little bit and being in the dome is going to be a real plus," Campo said. "We felt our legs really came back a little bit out in California last year. I think we are going to get that right from the beginning of camp. We are going to get crisper practices, and we are going to be fresher."

Owner Jerry Jones was active in free agency again, adding several key players. Bruce Coslet was hired as the new offensive coordinator. And Dallas had perhaps its best draft since Jones bought the team in 1989.

No longer strapped by $24 million in "dead money" that went to former players such as Troy Aikman and Deion Sanders, Jones signed defenders La'Roi Glover, Kevin Hardy and Bryant Westbrook and deep snapper/tight end Jeff Robinson.

Glover, Hardy and Westbrook bolster a defense that ranked fourth in the NFL last season. Robinson, who played for the St. Louis Rams, fills a key special teams role that was troublesome for the Cowboys last season.

In the draft, the Cowboys got what they considered first-round talent in All-American safety Roy Williams, guard/center Andre Gurode and receiver Antonio Bryant with the first three of their nine picks.

"We weren't looking for backups," Jones said. "The idea was to get guys who can play now and be a potential cornerstone for years to come. Was it luck? Yes. But I think our chances were enhanced dramatically by being willing to take some chances and having some resolve."

Williams is expected to start and Gurode, who played guard at Colorado, could be the starting center. Bryant joins a speedy receiving corps led by Joey Galloway and Raghib Ismail.

Coslet brings a West Coast-style offense, and part of his plan is to put second-year starter Quincy Carter, or whoever is at quarterback, in position to succeed. Coslet plans to turn often to Smith, who was never fond of Jack Reilly's play-calling, and to use the receivers.

Carter, the team's surprise first draft pick in 2001, became Aikman's successor when veteran Tony Banks was cut three weeks into last year's camp. But Carter missed half of the season with thumb and hamstring injuries.

Even as the starter, Carter isn't approaching camp any differently than when he expected to be a backup.

"I've just always taken the attitude of knowing what's behind me and knowing guys behind me are working just as hard as I am to be in the position that I am," Carter said.

Among them is Chad Hutchinson, whose last football game was at Stanford in 1997, before his four-year stint in professional baseball. Jones outbid several other teams and gave Hutchinson a $4.8 million, seven-year deal that included a $3.1 million signing bonus. Carter got only a $3.3 million, five-year deal.

Anthony Wright and Clint Stoerner took turns starting while Carter was injured last year. Ryan Leaf, the former No. 2 overall pick who lost all three of his starts, was released during the offseason.

HBO's reality show, "Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Dallas Cowboys," should have ample story lines. A 16-member crew from NFL Films will have nearly unlimited access for the show that the cable network will broadcast starting July 31.