The talk of the offseason for the Dallas Cowboys has been centered around defense, but the team’s troubles are not limited to that side of the ball. Just ask Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.
In a criticism that’s hardly new, Smith believes the team has fallen too in love with the aerial game, that they’ve abandoned the run to their own detriment in recent years. Last season, the Cowboys attempted fewer designed runs than 30 of the other 31 teams in the NFL. Only the Falcons attempted fewer.
“I think the Dallas Cowboys are too enamored with the passing game,” Smith said, per the Dallas Morning News. “They’re putting too much pressure on our quarterback and not enough balance on the running game to alleviate some of that pressure in the passing game.
“I don’t think they are committed to running the football like they should be. I think if they can get back to that level of being committed to the run game … they’ll see a tremendous difference in terms of the overall team. I think it would build toughness up front the way it needs to be done. I think it rewards the offensive linemen with the ability to fire off and hit somebody in the mouth versus sitting there and playing catch the whole time and pass blocking the whole time. I think that in itself just changes the mentality of every football player on that team.”
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