'An Illusion!' Emmitt Smith Questions Cowboys Jerry's 'Mission': 'Win A Super Bowl or Get Ratings?'

'An Illusion!' Emmitt Smith Questions Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones' 'Mission': 'Win A Super Bowl or Get Ratings?'

LAS VEGAS - Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith is the NFL's all-time leading rusher. And this week at Super Bowl LVIII? As much as he loves his Cowboys, he's also become the week's all-time leading Dallas critic.

In addition to suggestion that if he was the Cowboys GM coach Mike McCarthy would be fired, and in addition to expressing "surprise'' at "my leaders ... weren't prepared'' and as a result lost to Green Bay in the playoff opener. ...

Emmitt is going right to the top with his criticism, calling out the motives of team owner Jerry Jones.

"At the end of the day, I don't understand the mission," Smith told 96.7 The Ticket on Friday. "I don't know if the mission is to sell more tickets and then give us the illusion that we're going to be good every year, and to get ratings every year, or to actually go and win a Super Bowl."

Aikman Reveals: Cowboys’ Jerry ‘Distractions’ Reason for Super Bowl Drought?

This is a comment lament from Cowboys media and fans, and increasingly, legendary Dallas players have suggested some of the same. CowboysSI.com has coined the phrase "#53Brands'' for the way some modern-day Cowboys might be reacting to the team's marketing-mindedness - we've also long used this phrase - "Sometimes it seems like the Cowboys are a marketing company that plays football on the side'' - and Emmitt seems to buy into that concept.

The Cowboys have gone 12-5 in each of the past three seasons but have just one playoff victory to show for it. They were heavy favorites against the Packers and got crushed.

"The way we exited the playoffs this year was not a good look, put it that way, and was somewhat embarrassing," Smith said. "It lends you to believe that either we're not trained or coached properly in terms of game-type situations. ... It's not a good look."