Bills Central

Cowboys Legend Says Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen Isn’t Elite

Emmitt Smith had a controversial take on Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, as well as other elite quarterbacks.
Randy Gurzi|
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen rolls out during the AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Denver Broncos.
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen rolls out during the AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Denver Broncos. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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Emmitt Smith is a legendary running back who helped the Dallas Cowboys win three Super Bowls. He's the all-time rushing leader and a Hall of Famer, but his take on quarterbacks feels misguided.

Smith was a guest on This is Football with Kevin Clark and dove into the topic of elite quarterbacks. Clark said four elite signal callers were at home right now, naming Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals.

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That led to Smith claiming only one of those players is elite, giving Mahomes the title. When asked if he believes the others are elite, Smith replied "Hell no." Clark said he sees an elite quarterback as someone who opens a championship window, and Smith refuted that. He then dove into why Allen doesn't deserve the distinction.

"First and foremost, Josh Allen had a chance to get his Buffalo Bills to the Super Bowl. You saw how he played. Elite quarterbacks rise up in extreme circumstances and leads his squad. He puts them on his back, and he carries them to where they need to go," Smith said.

"Elite quarterbacks show up when others are not showing up. Elite players show up when others don't show up. Elite players define the game. The game don't define who they are. And so when I look at Patrick Mahomes, I see an elite quarterback that learned how to overcome extreme circumstances. These others are learning how to become an elite quarterback."

Emmitt Smith contradicts his own take

Hall of Fame member Emmitt Smith enters the ceremonies at the Pro Football Hall of Fame-Class of 2025 enshrinement.
Hall of Fame member Emmitt Smith enters the ceremonies at the Pro Football Hall of Fame-Class of 2025 enshrinement. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Smith also used Super Bowl wins as a defining characteristic, praising Terry Bradshaw, Tom Brady, Troy Aikman, and then adding Dan Marino into the list of elite quarterbacks. Clark asked how that's possible since Marino never won a title, and Smith said he carried the team throughout his career.

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"Because that's all that Miami had was Dan Marino. Okay. That's all that they had. And – Sadly to say, and I blame this on Mr. Shula, he didn't do enough to help Dan Marino be better than just relying on his arm the whole time."

Interestingly enough, that's also true of Josh Allen. While Allen has help in James Cook, the Bills haven't given him enough weapons in the passing game. Instead, they're doing exactly what Smith said Miami did, which is rely solely on Allen's arm to get it done.

Allen, who won the NFL MVP following the 2024 season, has proven to be elite, whether Smith agrees or not.

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Randy Gurzi
RANDY GURZI

Randy Gurzi is a graduate of Arizona State and has focused on NFL coverage since 2014.