Emmitt Smith rips teams for not using running backs enough, creating narratives against position

NFL teams mightiness larn a happening oregon 2 from Emmitt Smith.

No 1 successful NFL past has tally for much yards than Smith, who gained 18,355 yards during his 15-year career, mostly with the Dallas Cowboys.

Smith besides holds the NFL grounds for astir rushing attempts, touchdowns and wide touches. When the NFL was a existent ground-and-pound league, Smith dominated everyone successful his path.

But shot has changed a batch since helium retired 20 years ago, and adjacent Smith knows teams are making quarterbacks the stars of the league.

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Dallas Cowboys moving backmost Emmitt Smith (22) makes his mode done San Francisco 49ers antiaircraft backmost Merton Hanks (36) and linebacker Bill Romanowski (53) for a 4-yard summation successful the 2nd 4th of the Cowboys' 38-21 NFC title triumph Jan. 23, 1994, successful Irving, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Because of that, and possibly immoderate analytics, the moving backmost presumption was underused successful caller years. Running backs had occupation getting large contracts arsenic wide managers prioritized different positions.

However, aft important turnover successful the offseason, teams whitethorn present get the hint. And they'll person idiosyncratic similar Saquon Barkley to look at. The Eagles moving backmost is 1 triumph distant from a Lombardi Trophy aft a 2,000-yard regular play aft the Giants decided not to re-sign him to a semipermanent deal.

"There’s been a committedness to the moving crippled from those guys. Prior to that, they were inactive doing prime work, but the accent from the league was each astir the backmost play and however they privation the backmost to beryllium the look of the league," Smith said successful a caller interrogation with Fox News Digital.

He specifically cited Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs, each of whom switched teams successful the offseason.

"Quarterback play has been mediocre astatine champion successful immoderate of these organizations, but yet they inactive privation to speech astir the devaluing of the moving backmost position," Smith said. "I would telephone it the underutilization of the moving backmost versus devaluing that position. And that’s connected the violative coordinators and the league pushing this communicative that the moving backmost presumption is not invaluable enough."

What's not mediocre are the snacks Smith volition beryllium indulging during the Super Bowl. He was successful New Orleans arsenic portion of Pepsi Co's and Frito-Lay's "Chips and Sips" campaign.

"Every clip you person an lawsuit similar the Super Bowl, you gotta person your favourite chips with your favourite soda. Everyone has a accidental to observe thing and bask themselves with immoderate large prime snacks for the large game," Smith said, adding helium "like[s] a small ranch."

Former NFL subordinate Emmitt Smith attends a crippled betwixt the Augustana Vikings and the Duke Blue Devils astatine Cameron Indoor Stadium Nov. 4, 2016, successful Durham, N.C. (Lance King/Getty Images)

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Smith besides seemed to telephone retired the hypocrisy of coaches who upwind up relying connected the moving crippled erstwhile the backmost play isn't up to par.

"Here’s however I look astatine it. Teams speech astir the undervalued moving back, but yet erstwhile teams cannot propulsion the football, oregon the No. 1 backmost goes down, they don’t propulsion the shot the aforesaid mode erstwhile Cooper Rush is successful the game," Smith said. 

"They little his attempts, and conjecture what they do? They thin connected Rico Dowdle and the moving backmost corps of the Dallas Cowboys. … If you tin tally the shot without Dak successful the crippled the mode the Cowboys did the past four, 5 games and beryllium effectual that way, surely you tin bash it that mode with Dak Prescott and beryllium a amended shot squad than what they are close now. 

"Think astir Bijan [Robinson] down successful Atlanta. He’s the champion happening they have. And Michael Penix became a amended backmost each due to the fact that helium had a coagulated moving backmost down him. … But radical don’t privation to speech astir that nary more. They privation to speech astir what Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes are doing."

Super Bowl LIX volition beryllium streamed connected Tubi. (Tubi)

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This season, 5 moving backs ran for astatine slightest 1,400 yards, the astir since 2012. In 2023, determination was lone one. Christian McCaffrey led the league past twelvemonth with 1,459 rushing yards, portion Barkley and Henry (1,921) destroyed that fig this season.

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