Emmitt Smith, Hall of Fame Running Back

Alright, and we continue rockin' and rollin' on this Monday. Zach Yelb shows CBS Sports Radio. The Pro Football Hall of Famer is sitting to the right of me. He, of course, is Emmitt Smith, and he's here on behalf of Emergent to help raise awareness of Narcan nasal spray and the dangers of opioid overdose. Pro Football of Famer Emmitt Smith, always great to see you. How you been?

I've been good, been good, been busy, but good. Well, we'll talk about nasal spray in just a bit, but I have to start you off with your Cowboys tonight because they're coming off that beat down of the 49ers. They're going up against a Chargers team that has a lot of talent, but no one could really trust. Where's the confidence level of the great Emmitt Smith with the Cowboys heading into this one?

There we go. We have to match that energy that the Niners came to the table with, and so tonight I'm hoping that we can rebound by matching that energy offensively and defensively. Because our defense have played very spirited football all season long, which they've been doing for the last couple years. And so, offensively, we just need to raise our intensity level and eliminate some of the mistakes that we make. When you look at Dak, and this is the question that we ask every year, but do you believe the Cowboys one day can win a Super Bowl with him as the quarterbacks? Well, I think we have an opportunity to.

I really do. I think Dak has not quite developed completely as a quarterback because the offense has changed. The offense is different than it was last year. So, I can look at him as being a little green in this new offense and learning the nuances of this new offense. I don't think McCarthy has called them the same plays that Kellen Moore called last year. So, it's a brand new offense, so it takes some time to adjust to it. Now, is he adjusting the way that everybody expects him to adjust?

No. And the offense itself can evolve, can also be in a way that it utilizes the talent that's around him in a much more effective way than we're currently using it. I don't believe that the system itself is really creative enough to get cooked the ball, creative enough to make sure that Gallup has been able to get some catches, and most importantly, C.D. Lamb has been utilizing such a way to where you create matchup issues for C.D.

Lamb to make plays. He's the most talented wire receiver we actually have, but to leave him in a box is not maximizing his talent and relying on others at the time is not really helping them neither. So, I think we just need to rethink about how we approach in our offensive scheme. You were on great Cowboys teams. You were on a standard where it was to win a Super Bowl. And when you haven't been in a Super Bowl or an NFC title game since that 1995 season, I just look around the organization and I wonder, they just stuck in that category of being good, not great. And then Dak's contract, and I think Dak's a good, not great quarterback, is up at the end of the 2024 season. I'm like, you just need to bring in a new quarterback and not extend him a year or two from now to try to elevate the rest of the franchise to change what has been disastrous for the last 20 years.

Well, disastrous. It's funny how people call making the playoff, losing the game, disastrous. But for your standard, that's a credit to what you guys did. Yeah, it is a credit to what we did, but that was in our past and what we're trying to get to right now. There's so many other teams that have yet to make the playoff. The Detroit Lions will be begging to get to the playoffs, so let's not talk about us being so disastrous.

But we are the Dallas Cowboys and the expectations are extremely high, which I do understand and I do appreciate. At the same time, I'm just saying from the standpoint where we sit, have we underachieved? Yes, we have. Can we be better? Yes, we can. Will we be better?

That's remained to be seen. Is Dak the quarterback that can lead us? Who else out there is better than Dak Prescott right now that we can get?

Oh, put it this way. You guys trade for Trey Lance. I don't think he's the answer. What about some of these guys in the draft? I know it's a crapshoot. It is a crapshoot. So why would you go with a crapshoot when you already got somebody that you can develop even further?

Let me throw this one out there. I just think because they're very similar players. Would you rather have Kirk Cousins or Dak Prescott? I'd rather have Dak Prescott.

I'd rather have Dak Prescott because I think Dak Prescott's leadership also is something that I appreciate. Now, can he get a little bit more intense? Yes, he can, but that's not his personality. But he's a very vocal, very, he's a very communicative person.

So he understands where he's at and he's willing to work hard to even get there. And so I think what can happen is McCarthy can expand the offense and allow the offense not to be so systematic. That's what I'm talking about. Having an offense that's so systematic to where you cannot get outside of it. And I think that's where guys are limited. I think that's where the offense is limited.

And I think that's what offense can become very predictable. One more that gets thrown out there, too, is Kyler Murray. Would you rather have Kyler or Dak, assuming Kyler Murray gets back healthy? Well, right now I got Dak. I got Dak. I'm not going to be looking at what ifs and all those kind of things. But, you know, right now we have Dak Prescott and I think he is the quarterback for us right now.

And I think he will be the quarterback for us in the future. I just think that we just need to do things to help everybody. Because when you have an offense that you have to ask yourself the question, what is the offense? I have no clue. You have no clue.

Put it this way. It's an offense that I trust the defense, but in a big spot against a really good team. I don't have confidence that the offense gets the job done.

And why? Because the offense has not told you who they are. They haven't shown you the ability to be a balanced offense at all. They haven't shown you the ability to be a straight passing offense.

They haven't shown you anything outside of just an offense. And there's nothing flashy about our offense. There's nothing that's productive, really that productive about our offense.

There's a lot productive about our defense. But offensively wise, we haven't really been a dominant running team. We haven't even been a dominant passing team. We haven't even been a dominant passing team that can throw the ball down the field. So who are we and what are we? So until we get those questions answered, we're going to be exactly what you see right now.

Mediocre, average at best, until we start to prove something differently. Now, offensive line wise, the line got to come together. We have some young players and mixing and matching here and there and all those kinds of things because of injuries. But we need to come together. We need to commit to something.

Until we commit to who we're going to be, we're going to be just like we are right now. Talking to the Pro Football Hall of Famer and Emmitt Smith. So Austin Neckler expected to play tonight for the Chargers. Personally, he's my favorite running back in the league. I wonder who's your favorite running back these days in the NFL? I really don't have one.

Really don't have one right now. I mean, Jonathan Jacobs just got back. I mean, Josh Jacobs out there in Oakland is doing well. He's just getting back, but they haven't ran him enough. They don't use him the right way.

They don't use him. Again, that's another topic. Again, that's another topic. When you're down at the three-yard line a few weeks ago, yeah, let's throw the ball to Aiden O'Connell who did not give the ball to Josh Jacobs.

My point. So offensively, you're looking at systems. And these systems don't always dictate that the running back should get the ball. The systems are skewed towards the quarterback. I don't care if you're a backup quarterback, as sorry as some of these quarterbacks are, or if you are starting running back that led the league in rushing last year, the system does not dictate that you should get the ball because the system itself has set up the pass. And that's just who the league is, and that's who the league and coaches and offensive coordinators think the whole everybody is, passing quarterbacks.

And everybody does not fit that mold. What about the state of the running back position right now? That's always a big topic. We saw Jonathan Taylor just got paid, but a lot of these running backs, they're putting up big numbers and they're not getting rewarded by the franchise. They're not getting rewarded by the franchise because the franchise don't believe in the running game.

Again, I'm going, do we believe in Tony Pollard enough to get involved 25 times a game or give him 25 touches? Do we believe in our running backs enough to where if Tony Pollard does not touch the ball 20 to 25 times a game, can we mix and match it with someone else back there that can, the combination of the two of them, can we leverage our running game to the point where we can come up with a bootleg or something like that and throw the ball play action off of it? No, we have not done those things because teams and leagues have been so focused on making quarterbacks, the marquee players in the National Football League when the game itself is a complete team sport. There aren't many Patrick Mahomes you're going to find in the National Football League. There aren't many Tom Brady's you're going to find in the National Football League. There aren't many Drew Brees and Peyton Manning's and guys like that.

Those guys are rarities and you'll be lucky to get someone half the size or half the caliber of any of those players. And it's crazy to me now because people say you don't need a bell cow back anymore. Because for the last 10 years, most of the teams that have won have gone by running back by committee. And I could understand then why owners look at it and they go, OK, we'll just get three or four guys in. But it's like you wouldn't want a Christian McCaffrey on your team. You wouldn't want a John detail on your team. The only reason why you went to run back by committee is because what Belichick was able to do with his system, again, his system. And the Chiefs have Mahomes. And the Chiefs have Mahomes. They have Mahomes.

But Belichick had Tom Brady, his system and the Chiefs system. So you don't have Mahomes and Dallas. You got a Dak Prescott that's efficient quarterback enough to throw the ball 35 times a game, maybe 40, maybe. But you got a running game. You should have a running game that should balance that and create more opportunity for Gallup's and everybody else to get down the field with play action. If you run the ball effectively. If we believe in Tony Pollard that much to where we got rid of Zeke Elliott, well, damn it, use him.

Does it annoy you that Zeke's not playing for the Cowboys? It does. Why? Why? Because I thought the one, two punch was awesome.

I thought the one, two punch was awesome. And it does ignore me. It makes me hot that he's not a Dallas Cowboy right now. So then what do you say to people that said, oh, well, Zeke lost the step.

Zeke was slowing down. It was the right move to move on. Well, we're dealing with what we got right now. That's what I would say to people. And don't get mad and remember your statements because those who said those statements remember your statements because you think you the best armchair quarterback or armchair coach in the National Football League or around the world.

It's not that simple. There's a lot of issues that takes place or a lot of things that need to take place in order for a team to be successful. Talking to the Pro Football Hall of Famer and Emmitt Smith, real quickly, your former teammate, now Coach Prime, Deion Sanders. I know it was a rough one this weekend, but what he's done at Colorado has been pretty special. What's kind of been your view on the whole situation? I think, Deion, given time, given a number of recruiting class members to come in and help support and shore up the things that he may need in order to compete at that level that he needs to, it's just a matter of time. But I think he's done a great job thus far.

And I think he's going to continue to do a great job. But again, it's about bringing a team together and coaching staff together. This is their first year. Got to give them time.

They've had some good wins, but they've also had some bad losses. And so, he'll be fine. Tell me about Emergent and Norcan. Well, Emergent and I came together to bring and spread awareness around the Ready to Rescue program, which is acquiring the Norcan nasal spray. So you can help preserve a life or save a life when you find someone in need. I think when we look at what we're trying to do and people that we're trying to reach, a lot of people think, why me?

Why not me? The question I have for you, because at the end of the day, we all are subject to be around someone or have known of someone that have lost their lives to opioid overdoses. And so for us who are here and people that are capable, which everyone is capable, we're asking you to go out and get your Norcan nasal spray and carry it on you, whether you have it in your first aid kit in your house or have it on you in your purse or your pocket or in your car, because you never know when you might run into someone that might be in need. And so that's what we're trying to convince people and make people aware that this right here actually can work and now also can actually save lives.

And you can find out more information about it on www.norcan.com. Last thing I'll ask you, Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith with us. When you get to all the teams of the NFL right now, is there one offense that you go, if I was still playing, I would love to be a part of that offense?

Because I've thought of one right away. Probably the Eagles of last year's offense. With the offensive coordinator from last year that leveraged everything.

But they're doing good right now with Swift. But even though they stumbled yesterday, but they went up a very good defense yesterday too. Without Sauce Gardner and DJ Reid.

Yeah, they went up against a very good defense yesterday. But what offense do you think? Miami. If we're seeing Raheem Mostert and Davon A. Chan do what they're doing right now, getting three, four touchdowns a week. You're the all time leading rusher. You're Emmitt Smith. Miami, they do have a machine going on right now. With Tyreek Hill, Jalen Waddle, Antua and McDaniel.

I thought forever whenever he would speak, I was just not understanding like the inside joke and he kind of creeped me out a little bit. But that dude is a heck of an offensive mind in the NFL. So far, so good. So at the end of the year, Cowboys or what?

I don't know. Divisional round loss again? If we're lucky to get there.

Wow. This team could be regressing this year is what you're saying. It's possible. I mean, the season is long. And I'm looking forward to seeing how we bounce back from last week's loss. Did it bruise our ego enough to where we're hungry to come back out and bring our A game? And that means offensively and defensively along with special teams or did it bruises enough to where we regress?

Let's remain to be seen. He's the Pro Football Hall of Famer, Emmitt Smith. Emmitt, always appreciate your time. Thanks so much for coming in. Thank you.