Emmitt Smith pinpoints what’s keeping current Cowboys from Super Bowl run

Dallas Cowboys legends like Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and Troy Aikman are never shy about their opinions. They were the ones wearing Cowboys jerseys the last time this team won a Super Bowl, and they are tired of waiting for another championship. While you could consider each of these guys homers when it comes to Dallas, “The Triplets” are also quick to give their feedback and advice on how the current team needs to improve.

Just last week, Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith told Sportscasting.com that the team’s issue isn’t talent, rather execution. Whether the roster is stacked or not, Smith felt that it was the mental toughness the Cowboys lacked. He felt that talent alone couldn’t win championships. Unlike Jerry Jones, he isn’t blindly optimistic heading into every season that ultimately ends up in failure.

Now, in a discussion with Newsday, the 8x Pro Bowler has more to say about the state of the current Cowboys. This time around, he said it’s frustrating to see the Cowboys not live up to their potential – a sentiment many shared in 2021. America’s Team had arguably its most talented roster in years and yet didn’t have the drive, passion, or whatever you want to call it to get past the first round of the playoffs. Smith said the current players have to do a lot of learning about themselves as individuals and then compete together as a team. He feels this team could learn a lot about his roster from the 1990s:

"“One thing I can say about my Dallas Cowboys teams back in the ’90s… there was an overarching commitment from each and every man on the football field to get better and be better and be physically fit and ready to roll once the season came around. Period. What was important was what we did every off-season in terms of our physical training and getting in physical shape ready to go out there and compete, and we did compete. Not only amongst ourselves, but we competed once we got on the football field for four quarters, and there was no holding back. In my opinion, that is the environment that our current Cowboys are missing.”"

Emmitt Smith is disappointed in the Cowboys’ commitment level and subtly disses Mike McCarthy by praising what Jimmy Johnson did for Dallas in the 1990s

We can certainly appreciate the NFL’s leading rusher’s opinions and you’d think this team would too. He seems pretty spot on in saying that while strength and competing with each other in-house is important, competing for a full four quarters on the football field is just as critical. There were many games that the Cowboys almost ended up losing in 2021 because they let their opponents come back late in contests.

What else is holding the Cowboys back? The lessons of a great coach, according to Smith. The former Cowboy believes Mike McCarthy needs to give his team the same wisdom that Jimmy Johnson gave to players before he left Dallas. The three-time Super Bowl champion said the Hall of Fame coach gave his team the tools to be successful.

"“Jimmy gave us what we needed to have. He gave us the foundation that we needed to move forward and to control our own destiny, because we knew how to work, how to prepare, how to train, and we had enough guys on that team to understand. We became leaders on our own football team. That’s what a great coach does. He teaches you the tools that you need to be successful. That’s the one thing about our team (in the 1990’s) that I appreciate.”"

These NFL legends are happy to give their candid advice. Maybe one of these days the staff or roster will start to listen. Coach Emmitt Smith?!