The Dallas Cowboys’ decision to hire Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach continues to receive lukewarm reactions, including from team legends.
In an appearance on ESPN Radio’s “Unsportsmanlike,” Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith was asked for his thoughts on the team’s decision to hire Schottenheimer as Mike McCarthy’s replacement. Smith clearly was not enamored with the hire, though he suggested that the franchise’s problems run deeper than simply the selection of head coach.
“Next subject,” Smith said. “I have no reaction. I just don’t know what to say. I know we have to give the man a chance, and I’m willing to give him a chance, an opportunity to turn things around. However, if we don’t align our vision and commitment to that vision, I think we’re going to get a lot of things that we’ve seen in the past, and that doesn’t feel good.
“We need a lot more than Ashton Jeanty. All that talk about having a running back and a running game — there’s nothing wrong with our running game when there’s a commitment to the running game. … I think we’ve gotten so far away from what we all know as the Cowboys’ great teams. You don’t see that balance anymore. You see one way, and that’s disappointing.”
NFL teams are passing more than ever, so that is not just something the Cowboys are doing. That said, he does not sound at all optimistic that Schottenheimer has what it takes to turn things around in Dallas coming off a 7-10 season.
Smith had some scathing comments about the direction of the Cowboys a year ago as well. Obviously, nothing he has seen in the last year is going to make him feel any better about the direction of the franchise, and he certainly is not the only one.
Smith remains the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards. He spent 13 of his 15 NFL seasons with Dallas and remains closely identified with the franchise.
