Many Cowboys fans have expressed concern over the team’s vision, and Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith also has questions.
On a recent episode of ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike, Smith was asked about Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones’ decision to fire Brian McCarthy and promote former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to the head coaching position. This move has drawn criticism since the team played hard for McCarthy at the end of the season, and Schottenheimer is a journeyman assistant who has no head coaching experience.
“Next subject,” Smith said when asked for his thoughts on Schottenheimer’s hire.”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.”
When Emmitt Smith was asked about the hiring of the new Cowboys head coach, he quickly responded to the @UnSportsESPN crew with, ‘Next subject.’ https://t.co/eXyOeUq8RK
— ESPN Radio (@ESPNRadio) February 12, 2025
“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.”
Jerry Jones seemed poised to hire Deion Sanders, a former Cowboy legend and current Colorado Buffaloes coach, but those talks did not materialize.
“It is kind of disappointing that, from an opportunity standpoint, he wasn’t considered high enough to do it,” Smith said of the decision not to hire Sanders. “But like I said, some things have to play themselves out.”
Smith is not the only former Cowboy to criticize Schottenheimer’s hire. Former star wide receiver Michael Irvin also expressed disappointment over the move.
The lack of support from a legend like Smith will get Jerry Jones’s attention. However, Smith’s point about how the Cowboys have “gotten so far away” from who they were during their championship years will likely sting more.
