Emmitt Smith says Cowboys lost the ‘fiber’ that once made them great
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The Dallas Cowboys haven’t made it to the NFC championship game in over three decades.
This past January, the drought turned 30 years old, and no matter what moves were made, nothing worked.
It’s a far cry from the glory days of the organization, when Emmitt Smith ran wild in the backfield. Even though Smith has been out for a while, he has an inkling of what’s holding them back.
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Former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (left) shakes team owner Jerry Jones’ hand after being presented with his ring of fame during halftime of a game against the Detroit Lions at Cowboys Stadium on November 21, 2010. (Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports)
“I think if there’s anything that’s holding us back, I think we’ve moved away from what really helped build the organization from the very beginning,” Smith said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “In the beginning, you had Jimmie Johnson, you had Jerry Jones, they both had crazy passion for what they wanted to accomplish, and winning Super Bowls was the ultimate goal.”
“It took some sacrifice and decision-making to build this team. And they made the right decisions. They traded players, they acquired more players, and they rebuilt the organization overnight. But to bring that together and be passionate about rebuilding the organization and doing it quickly in the past, that’s what they both did. To me, that’s the blueprint of what this organization should be forever. That’s the hallmark of what this organization should be forever.”
Smith then alluded to the Cowboys’ lack of toughness.
Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (22) before facing the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XVIII at the Georgia Dome on January 30, 1994. (James D. Smith/USA TODAY Sports)
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“If you think about the Pittsburgh Steelers, you don’t have to think about toughness, because they’re going to play tough. That’s what the Cowboys should be like. And when you think about the (San Francisco 49ers), they’re kind of like that now. And when you think about the (New England) Patriots, that’s what they were with (Bill) Belichick and that’s what they were with Robert Kraft and everything else. That’s what they were.
“Organizations have a fabric that makes them great. When you see organizations move away from that fabric, you see now how long it takes to get back to where you once were. And I think that’s the problem with the Cowboys. There has to be a common thread: Excellence on the football field leads to excellence in the licensing world or the marketing world or the sports world in general, you are the hallmark of that. Forget about what’s in your bank account because you can sell a ton of product, and that means you’re a better marketing team that way. But for 30 years, nothing You can’t defend excellence when you don’t gain something, that’s what you’re trying to regain.”
Last year’s Cowboys defense was already questionable even before the team traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. They then allowed a league-high 30.1 points per game en route to a 7-9-1 record.
Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith reacts at Candlestick Park following their NFC Championship victory over the San Francisco 49er’s on January 17, 1993 in San Francisco, California. The Cowboys won 30-20 and will face the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII. (Garcia/AFP)
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The offseason was filled with yet another contract dispute as George Pickens was placed on the franchise tag after a career year, his first with the Cowboys.
The Cowboys scored 27.7 points per game, making them the fifth-highest scoring team in the league.
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