Cowboys vs. Bucs EXCLUSIVE: Emmitt Smith Worries About Dallas 'Details' in Playoffs
DALLAS - Hall-of-Fame running back Emmitt Smith doesn't take much lightly. The three-time Super Bowl champion's perseverance is evident in his roles as a husband, father, real estate developer and even "Dancing with the Stars'' champion.
Smith is multi-faceted; but it's his attention to detail that allowed him to do something that no other man in the history of the game has ever done.
Smith holds the NFL's all-time leading rushing record and could stay in the history books, forever. In twenty years, no one has come close to amassing Smith's 18,355 rushing yards. As Smith reminisces on his 15 NFL seasons, 13 with the Dallas Cowboys, he is proud to have left it all on the field.
Paying close attention to detail is a characteristic that he sees as a major weakness for the 2022-23 Cowboys. How confident is Smith in Dallas to make it back to the Super Bowl?
"It is day-to-day and week-to-week as far as I am concerned," Smith told Bri Amaranthus in an exclusive interview. "Until they are able to establish that they want to, and will, play consistent football ... When I see that, then I can say, 'OK, now they are getting the understanding of what it means to be committed offensively, defensively and special-teams-wise - but most importantly, committed as a coaching staff.'"
Dallas has failed to reach the Super Bowl for nearly 27 years. Smith hoisted the Lombardi Trophy before two-time Pro Bowler Micah Parsons was born. The Cowboys haven't made it past the divisional round since winning Super Bowl XXX.
The Cowboys are admittedly looking themselves in the mirror, as Parsons said following their humiliating 26-6 loss to the Washington Commanders, ahead of their Wild Card game vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Smith lives by a motto learned from his former Cowboys special teams coach, Joe Avezzano: "It catches up to you when it catches up to you."
"You don't want to be in a game, when you need that win the most, and you have allowed these little foxes to spoil the vines," Smith continued. "When that happens, it is the little things that is keeping you from handling the big things. That is what I see with our Cowboys right now - they aren't paying attention to all of the finite details. That includes the coaching staff, too."
Dallas hopes to avoid mistakes to survive and advance on Monday night against quarterback Tom Brady and the Bucs.
Smith is teaming up with Bounty Paper Towels as his literal "wing man'' for Super Bowl LVII. On game days, Smith delights his kids with his signature smoked wings and lots of sauce - meaning the paper towels come in handy.
And, Cowboys Nation hopes, that Super Bowl party features a detail-oriented Dallas team.
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