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The Dallas Cowboys have not made an NFC championship game in over three decades.
Their drought turned 30 years old this past January, and no matter what moves are made, nothing has worked.
It is quite a far cry from the glory days of the organization, with Emmitt Smith running wild in the backfield. And while Smith has been off the field for quite some time, he has an inkling of what’s been holding them back.
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Dallas Cowboys former running back Emmitt Smith (left) shakes owner Jerry Jones hand after being presented his hall of fame ring at halftime of the game against the Detroit Lions at Cowboys Stadium on Nov. 21, 2010. (Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports)
“I think if there’s anything that, in my opinion, that has held us back, I think we’ve gotten away from the thing that actually helped build the organization from the beginning. In the beginning, you had Jimmie Johnson, you had Jerry Jones, both of them had mad passion for what they wanted to accomplish, and winning Super Bowls was the ultimate goal,” Smith said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
“Building that team required some sacrifice and some decision-making that took place. And they made the right decisions. They traded away players, they got more players, and they rebuilt that organization overnight. But bringing that thing together and being passionate about rebuilding the organization and doing it in the past, in a quick fashion, that’s what they both did. To me, that’s the blueprint of what this organization should be about forever. It is the hallmark of what this organization should be about forever.”
Smith then hinted at a lack of toughness for the Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (22) prior to facing the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XVIII at the Georgia Dome Jan. 30, 1994. (James D. Smith/USA TODAY Sports)
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“You think about the Pittsburgh Steelers, you don’t have to think about the toughness, because they gonna play tough. That’s how the Cowboys should be. And when you think about the (San Francisco 49ers), they’re somewhat like that now. And when you think about the (New England) Patriots, they were that way with (Bill) Belichick, and it was that way with Robert Kraft and everything else. That’s who they were.
“Organizations have a fiber that made them great. When you see organizations get away from that fiber, now you see how long it takes to get back to where you once were. 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 world of sports in general, you are the hallmark. 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 that way. However, you don’t stand for excellence when you ain’t won nothing in 30 years. That’s what you’re trying to regain.”
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 Jan. 17, 1993, after their victory in the NFC Championship against the San Francisco 49er’s in San Francisco, CA. The Cowboys won 30-20 and will meet the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII. (Garcia/AFP)
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The offseason has been littered with yet another contract dispute, as George Pickens was franchise-tagged following a career year, his first with the Cowboys.
The Cowboys scored 27.7 points per game, the fifth-most in the league.
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