A long, successful 13-year career as a running back for the Dallas Cowboys helped Emmitt Smith reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Even 20 years after his retirement, Smith still holds the NFL rushing record, with a seemingly unreachable 18,355 yards.
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During his playing days, the Cowboys were America’s Team. Dallas won three Super Bowls with Smith bumbling through any defense that challenged them. But Smith hasn’t seen the same excellence from the Cowboys since, and he’s disgusted.
Emmitt Smith goes on long rant about modern Dallas Cowboys
As much criticism as the Dallas Cowboys receive, they do still make frequent playoff appearances. The issue is that they haven’t gotten enough wins during the postseason since Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer stopped coaching for Jerry Jones.
Their latest setback came during the Wild Card round in a tough 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers after having the NFL’s highest-scoring offense during the regular season. Needless to say, it was another embarrassing effort for one of the most talented rosters in football.
On Friday, one of their greatest players in franchise history offered his take on the Cowboys, and let’s just say Emmitt Smith didn’t hold back any criticism for his former team. It all began when Smith was asked whether he was surprised that head coach Mike McCarthy wasn’t let go.
“I was completely surprised. I know how disappointed I was as a player to see that product put on the football field. It is not becoming of the Dallas Cowboys’ mystique, respect, the brand. It is not the appropriate representation of the brand itself. Now, Jerry understand these kind of words. The brand, right? The star. Everything has to be pristine, but this was not that. That right there was so disappointing not only to me, but to many of our fans and including people that was like, ‘What is that?’ It wasn’t a good look.”
Emmitt Smith on PFT Live
Then he teed off on the guy who used to cut him checks, with Jerry Jones becoming the next target for Smith’s criticism. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio suggested the Cowboys’ owners’ actions don’t back up his words, and Smith agreed.
“You lose credibility. And if you’re losing credibility, you’re losing respect. You lose respect, you have no honor. At the end of the day, I agree to some level. Things have to change. I thought the reason why I was so convinced that [McCarthy] was going to get fired because last year there was a whole lot of talk about ‘OK, this might be it. If he doesn’t perform this year, OK.’ You’re gonna accept twelve wins and the playoff berth, but you’re gonna accept the way we got kicked out of the playoffs? I mean, dominated. I mean, it’s like we went out and played with our hands tied behind our backs or we left our minds up in [the team facility in] Frisco and didn’t even take it over to AT&T [Stadium] in Arlington. It was such a disappointing thing. It was just bad. It’s bad all the way around. I even hate talking about it because I feel responsible. I feel like I could have helped, and I don’t know how. But, yeah, it was bad.”
Lastly, Smith said he’s almost getting sick and tired of all the hype surrounding the Cowboys each and every season, only to be let down when the playoffs arrive.
“I’m tired of being sold on what the Cowboys could be. I’m tired. I’ve had enough of it because I’m more about what the Cowboys really are. And who we really are and who we were. That’s where I’m at. That’s where everyone else is at. How do you allow this to happen?”
That’s a lot to take in, but if there’s one person who can say whatever he wants about the Cowboys’ standard of play, it’s Smith.
