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The Dallas Cowboys haven’t played in an NFC championship game in more than three decades.
Their drought turned 30 last January, and no matter what measures are taken, nothing has worked.
It’s quite a far cry from the organization’s glory days, with Emmitt Smith running wild in the backfield. And while Smith has been off the field for quite some time, he has an idea of what’s been holding them back.
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Former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (left) shakes hands with owner Jerry Jones after receiving his Hall of Fame ring at halftime of the game against the Detroit Lions at Cowboys Stadium on November 21, 2010. (Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports)
“I think if there’s anything that, in my opinion, has held us back, I think we’ve gotten away from what really helped build the organization from the beginning. In the beginning, there was Jimmie Johnson, Jerry Jones, they both had a crazy passion for what they wanted to accomplish, and winning Super Bowls was the ultimate goal,” Smith said in a recent interview with Pak Gazette Digital.
“Building that team took some sacrifice and some decision-making. And they made the right decisions. They traded players, they got more players and they rebuilt that organization overnight. But putting that together and having a passion for rebuilding the organization and doing it in the past, quickly, that’s what they both did. To me, that’s the blueprint for what this organization should be forever. It’s the hallmark of what this organization should be forever.”
Smith then hinted at 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)
EMMITT SMITH GIVES ADVICE TO A HOPEFUL NFL SON WHO ONCE ADMITTED TO FEELING PRESSURE TO STAY LIVE UP TO THE FAMILY NAME
“You think about the Pittsburgh Steelers, you don’t have to think about toughness, because they’re going to play hard. That’s how the Cowboys should be. 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, they were like that with (Bill) Belichick, and that’s how it was with Robert Kraft and everything else. That’s what they were.
“Organizations have a fiber that made them great. When you see organizations move away from that fiber, now you see how long it takes to get back to where you were before. And I think that’s the problem with the Cowboys. There should be a common thread: excellence on the football field leads to excellence in the licensing world, or in the marketing world, or in the sports world in general, you are the seal. Forget about what’s in your bank account because you can sell a ton of merchandise, and that means “You’re a better marketing team. However, you don’t advocate for excellence when you haven’t won anything in 30 years. That’s what you’re trying to get back.”
Last year’s Cowboys defense was already suspect 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 on January 17, 1993, after their NFC Championship victory against the San Francisco 49ers in San Francisco, CA. The Cowboys won 30-20 and will face the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII. (García/AFP)
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The offseason has been plagued by another contract dispute, as George Pickens was franchise tagged after a career year, his first with the Cowboys.
The Cowboys scored 27.7 points per game, fifth most in the league.
