The NFL world has almost universally put the onus on Jerry Jones for the Dallas Cowboys‘ lengthy Super Bowl drought.
Yet, Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith does not necessarily believe that to be so.
Smith jumped to defend his former boss and the Cowboys owner/de facto GM and football czar in a recent interview with Jon Machota of The Athletic.
What Did Emmitt Smith Say About Jerry Jones and The Cowboys’ Super Bowl Drought?
Smith, of course, is the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards, 17,162 of which came in a Cowboys uniform. He also was a member of three Super Bowl-champion teams in 1992, 1993 and 1995, each of which was governed by Jones.
So even though Jones is the boss — and common thread — and accrued power and continued to mettle over the past three decades, which is both the Super Bowl drought and Dallas’ league-long dry spell of even reaching the NFC Championship Game, Smith feels any blame Jones gets is wrong.
“Jerry never caught a pass. He never ran the ball, and he d— sure didn’t throw it,” Smith said. “At some point players gotta take ownership of what they’ve been trained and what they’ve been taught to do.”
Smith cited the organizational dysfunction after coach Jimmy Johnson stepped down as Cowboys coach in 1994, which led them to fall short of the Super Bowl despite going 12-4 under Barry Switzer that year.
“We had to do it,” Smith said. “We went back to back, and then we lost our leader. We was in disarray for a year. But as the leadership of that ball club, we took it on ourselves to say this is what we’re going to do.”
He then described how the team leaders — Smith, quarterback Troy Aikman, wide receiver Michael Irvin and others — took command and carried Dallas to the championship in Super Bowl XXX.
“We don’t care who is at the helm,” Smith said. “Our systems are still the same; our process is still the same; we know how to work; we’ve been trained how to work. So that foundation never left.
“Therefore we were able to go back and win our third [Super Bowl].”
What Did Emmitt Smith Say About Cowboys’ Current Leadership?
Though he didn’t name any specific names, Smith clearly was calling out quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, game-wrecking EDGE Micah Parsons and others who have not gotten the Cowboys over the hump in recent memory.
“At some point, you as a player have to take ownership of your development into the leaders that you need to be,” Smith said. “It’s not all about you all the time. It’s about bringing others with you, because you can’t win by yourself.”
Each of the above-listed players has been caught up in a contract dispute with Jones and Dallas brass. Parsons recently requested a trade from the Cowboys since he is holding in over a contract extension from Dallas.
Yet, those players are hardly alone, since there have been numerous players and leaders through the years that have not pushed Dallas to the promised land.
Emmitt Smith Defends Jerry Jones Over Cowboys’ Super Bowl Drought