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By Jon Machota 3h ago
Although Emmitt Smith supported Jason Garrett as Cowboys head coach over the last nine and a half years, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher understands that his former teammate didn’t have enough success to keep his job.
Smith believed a change was “necessary” because of the lack of consistency.
“I think change sometimes is the best thing, especially when you’ve been in the same rut for the last eight or nine years,” Smith told The Athletic. “The rut of inconsistency — one year you’re up, one year you’re down; one year you’re in the playoffs, the next year you’re out. The Cowboys have to really figure out how to develop the consistency and sustain that consistency for a long period of time. It’s possible, and it’s been proven possible. We just have to get back to that level of excellence.”
Smith’s Hall of Fame career included eight Pro Bowls, four NFL rushing titles and three Super Bowl rings. His final Super Bowl appearance came on Jan. 28, 1996. The Cowboys haven’t been back to the NFL’s championship game since.
How far is the current group of Cowboys from returning?
“I don’t think they’re far at all,” Smith said. “I really do believe we have the talent to get there. We definitely have to upgrade the defensive front. We got to learn how to stop the run because teams came in and ran the ball down our throat. It was ridiculous watching them run the ball. We were not as good at stopping the run this year as we were last year. That was a problem. That’s a problem that needs to be fixed.”
The 2019 Cowboys finished 11th in rushing defense, allowing 103.5 rushing yards per game. They were fifth in 2018 at 94.6. Dallas had the league’s No. 1 rushing defense (83.5 yards per game) when it went 13-3 in 2016, the team’s highest single-season win total in the Garrett era.
Garrett helped construct the current group to resemble those Dallas teams of the 1990s, investing significantly in the offensive line and running game. Ezekiel Elliott is coming off his third 1,000-yard rushing season in four years. The two-time rushing champ has 5,405 yards and 40 touchdowns on 1,169 carries in 56 career games.
In comparison, Smith rushed 1,131 times for 4,960 yards and 48 touchdowns through his first 56 career games. He would go on to play in 226 games and rush for 18,355 yards and 164 touchdowns.
“Now that the contract talks are behind him and he has a chance to relax a little bit and recover and get back to work, I think it’s time to get back to work, get back focused,” Smith said when asked what Elliott needs to do to take the next step. “Get all of the distractions out of the way. A good thing about a football season, every year you have a clean slate. After the Super Bowl, everybody starts 0-0.
“You have a whole offseason now to start training and preparing for what you want next year to look like and be like. Everybody has to be on the same page, including Zeke. What’s the mission? What’s the goal? What are we working for? Why are we working this hard? We need to learn how to finish.”
Speaking of the running game, where does Smith stand on the following debate: Should teams run to set up the pass or pass to set up the run?
“Run to set up the pass, period,” Smith said. “Run to set up the pass. I mean, you got to be committed. Now, I know times are changing. Everybody wants to think that a short pass is a long handoff. OK, it sounds good, nice cliche. But you’re still not running the ball when it’s time to close the game out. That’s when the running game is really important and in the trenches is where the toughness of a ball club is developed. That’s what I see with the 49ers. That’s what I’ve seen with the Steelers in the past. That’s what I’ve seen with the Baltimore Ravens. That’s what I’ve seen even with the Cowboys at times.”
Smith was in Miami last week leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl, working with Marriott Bonvoy. He recently participated in a program that allowed fans to run drills while picking his brain about the NFL and his playing days.
Smith’s former Cowboys coach, Jimmy Johnson, was told on a live FOX Jan. 12 broadcast that he would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Johnson was very emotional, choking up as he fought back tears.
“I was very excited for him because I knew he deserved it,” Smith said. “To see his reaction was priceless because here I am looking at a coach that I always held in high regard as a tough guy, as a man that we would call a slave driver. I mean, he would push you to the brink, and he brought out the best in you and forced you to think differently and work hard and push yourself further than you thought you could go yourself. To see him receive that honor and to break down, I’d never seen Jimmy break down before. That was a wonderful thing to see because he is a great person, great man, loves people. To see that side of him was wonderful.”
Smith said it doesn’t bother him that Johnson still isn’t in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. He believes Jerry Jones will finally add him to a group that includes Smith and his former teammates Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Charles Haley, Larry Allen and Darren Woodson.
“I think it’s a matter of time,” Smith said. “Jerry will make that happen. He’s a Hall of Famer now. Every Hall of Famer that I know of is in the Ring of Honor, so I expect the same thing to happen with Jimmy.”
Since Smith’s Cowboys teams won three Super Bowls in four years, the Patriots have gone on to win six. The Broncos have won three, while the Giants, Packers, Ravens and Steelers have each won two.
Were any of those teams close to the Cowboys of the 1990s?
“We were definitely talented from top to bottom,” Smith said. “But I look at New England. Just their run and their consistency on offense and defense, the way they play the game. I look at teams like that. I look at teams like the Ravens, how they’re built inside out.
“But I still think we had the most talent. I don’t think the NFL will ever see a team as talented as our team was. I don’t see that.”
Although Emmitt Smith supported Jason Garrett as Cowboys head coach over the last nine and a half years, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher understands that his former teammate didn’t have enough success to keep his job.
Smith believed a change was “necessary” because of the lack of consistency.
“I think change sometimes is the best thing, especially when you’ve been in the same rut for the last eight or nine years,” Smith told The Athletic. “The rut of inconsistency — one year you’re up, one year you’re down; one year you’re in the playoffs, the next year you’re out. The Cowboys have to really figure out how to develop the consistency and sustain that consistency for a long period of time. It’s possible, and it’s been proven possible. We just have to get back to that level of excellence.”
Smith’s Hall of Fame career included eight Pro Bowls, four NFL rushing titles and three Super Bowl rings. His final Super Bowl appearance came on Jan. 28, 1996. The Cowboys haven’t been back to the NFL’s championship game since.
How far is the current group of Cowboys from returning?
“I don’t think they’re far at all,” Smith said. “I really do believe we have the talent to get there. We definitely have to upgrade the defensive front. We got to learn how to stop the run because teams came in and ran the ball down our throat. It was ridiculous watching them run the ball. We were not as good at stopping the run this year as we were last year. That was a problem. That’s a problem that needs to be fixed.”
The 2019 Cowboys finished 11th in rushing defense, allowing 103.5 rushing yards per game. They were fifth in 2018 at 94.6. Dallas had the league’s No. 1 rushing defense (83.5 yards per game) when it went 13-3 in 2016, the team’s highest single-season win total in the Garrett era.
Garrett helped construct the current group to resemble those Dallas teams of the 1990s, investing significantly in the offensive line and running game. Ezekiel Elliott is coming off his third 1,000-yard rushing season in four years. The two-time rushing champ has 5,405 yards and 40 touchdowns on 1,169 carries in 56 career games.
In comparison, Smith rushed 1,131 times for 4,960 yards and 48 touchdowns through his first 56 career games. He would go on to play in 226 games and rush for 18,355 yards and 164 touchdowns.
“Now that the contract talks are behind him and he has a chance to relax a little bit and recover and get back to work, I think it’s time to get back to work, get back focused,” Smith said when asked what Elliott needs to do to take the next step. “Get all of the distractions out of the way. A good thing about a football season, every year you have a clean slate. After the Super Bowl, everybody starts 0-0.
“You have a whole offseason now to start training and preparing for what you want next year to look like and be like. Everybody has to be on the same page, including Zeke. What’s the mission? What’s the goal? What are we working for? Why are we working this hard? We need to learn how to finish.”
Speaking of the running game, where does Smith stand on the following debate: Should teams run to set up the pass or pass to set up the run?
“Run to set up the pass, period,” Smith said. “Run to set up the pass. I mean, you got to be committed. Now, I know times are changing. Everybody wants to think that a short pass is a long handoff. OK, it sounds good, nice cliche. But you’re still not running the ball when it’s time to close the game out. That’s when the running game is really important and in the trenches is where the toughness of a ball club is developed. That’s what I see with the 49ers. That’s what I’ve seen with the Steelers in the past. That’s what I’ve seen with the Baltimore Ravens. That’s what I’ve seen even with the Cowboys at times.”
Smith was in Miami last week leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl, working with Marriott Bonvoy. He recently participated in a program that allowed fans to run drills while picking his brain about the NFL and his playing days.
Smith’s former Cowboys coach, Jimmy Johnson, was told on a live FOX Jan. 12 broadcast that he would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Johnson was very emotional, choking up as he fought back tears.
“I was very excited for him because I knew he deserved it,” Smith said. “To see his reaction was priceless because here I am looking at a coach that I always held in high regard as a tough guy, as a man that we would call a slave driver. I mean, he would push you to the brink, and he brought out the best in you and forced you to think differently and work hard and push yourself further than you thought you could go yourself. To see him receive that honor and to break down, I’d never seen Jimmy break down before. That was a wonderful thing to see because he is a great person, great man, loves people. To see that side of him was wonderful.”
Smith said it doesn’t bother him that Johnson still isn’t in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. He believes Jerry Jones will finally add him to a group that includes Smith and his former teammates Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Charles Haley, Larry Allen and Darren Woodson.
“I think it’s a matter of time,” Smith said. “Jerry will make that happen. He’s a Hall of Famer now. Every Hall of Famer that I know of is in the Ring of Honor, so I expect the same thing to happen with Jimmy.”
Since Smith’s Cowboys teams won three Super Bowls in four years, the Patriots have gone on to win six. The Broncos have won three, while the Giants, Packers, Ravens and Steelers have each won two.
Were any of those teams close to the Cowboys of the 1990s?
“We were definitely talented from top to bottom,” Smith said. “But I look at New England. Just their run and their consistency on offense and defense, the way they play the game. I look at teams like that. I look at teams like the Ravens, how they’re built inside out.
“But I still think we had the most talent. I don’t think the NFL will ever see a team as talented as our team was. I don’t see that.”