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What happened to Emmitt Smith?

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Posted: Thu October 9, 1997

People have been asking a lot of questions lately about Emmitt Smith's falling productivity and the decline of the Dallas running game. Last week I set out on a search for the truth.

I think the best way to compare the Emmitt of today to the Emmitt of, say, 1994, is to look at game tapes. So I watched the Dallas opener in 1994 and the Dallas opener in 1997. What I saw was a stark difference in the blocking Emmitt is getting now versus yesterday. He doesn't have that burst and explosion of power, and the ability to cut back that he had. But biggest problem is that too often Emmitt can't get up a head of steam before he gets popped at the line of scrimmage—or behind it.

Unfortunately for Emmitt, I don't think things are going to get better. The Cowboys left-side offensive linemen average 36 years old. Teams have also come to realize that they can blitz heavily on running downs because Troy Aikman doesn't trust WR Anthony Miller or the tight ends to be open.

I wish Smith the best because he is one of the classiest guys I've covered in 14 years around the NFL, but I think he's headed for a frustrating 1,100-yard season.

Are you surprised the 49ers look this good without Jerry Rice?
—John Essayons, Los Molinos, Calif.

Yes. Along with Tampa Bay, San Francisco is the most surprising team in the league. The Niners have pieced together an offensive line that has kept Steve Young upright. Much to everyone's surprise, Young is the most efficient quarterback in the league after six weeks. Even though Young and Jim Druckenmiller have been sacked 19 times, the line has still allowed Young time enough to complete 71% of his passes.

The 49ers have also shown the ability to run effectively for the first time since the Rickey Watters days. No, the Niners haven't played the toughest schedule, but that shouldn't diminish the fact that their defense has played as well as any 49er defense ever has. It's hard to believe San Francisco is a Super Bowl contender without Rice. But it's the truth.

What's wrong with Greg Lloyd?
—Michael C. Tan, Guam

In my opinion, two things:

1. Teams are continually running away from Lloyd because offensive coordinators still fear him and the Pittsburgh defense has gotten thinner in the last couple of years.
2. He's not playing with the reckless abandon that he demonstrated circa 1995, before his major knee injury. Lloyd always had an aura about him that said, "Come to my side of the field and I'm going to put you out of the game." I don't think he has that anymore. He's going to have to work hard to get it back.

In last week's Mailbag, you said Troy Aikman will be remembered as one of the alltime great quarterbacks. How does Steve Young stack up?
—Glenn Adams, Lawrenceville, Ga.

In 1992, for a book I wrote for SI, I picked the top 35 players of all time. This year I was asked to revise and update the book. When I picked the top 35 players again, I put Steve Young 35th. If he wins two more Super Bowls with the 49ers—which we would all agree is unlikely—he'll enter the top 15. If he wins one more, he'll certainly move up to around No. 20 in my estimation. I think any quarterback who wins and who's the most efficient player of his era has to be considered among the best who ever played.

Many people don't recognize the fact that Young has won, and is winning, with a team that's inferior to the one the 49ers had in the 1980s. His résumé isn't as long as Joe Montana's, and he doesn't have as many big wins. But let's see what the next two or three years bring—if he decides to play that long.

Which teams are most adept at evaluating college talent?
—Kevin Layman, St. John's, Newfoundland

1. Pittsburgh. Quietly, the Steelers always seem to replace their departed free agents with very good young players who weren't first-round picks.

2. Green Bay. General manager Ron Wolf has made a bunch of mistakes (most notably CB Terrell Buckley), but look at the talent he has mined after the first round: RB Edgar Bennett, DE Gabe Wilkins, TE Mark Chmura, WR Antonio Freeman, WR Robert Brooks and RB Dorsey Levens.

3. Tampa Bay. Personnel czar Jerry Angelo had a slump in the early 1990s, in part because this team didn't know if it was building for today or building to put a long-term great product on the field, but the Bucs' last two drafts have been tremendous (and I'm not only talking about picking up RB Warrick Dunn and FB Mike Alstott). Donnie Abraham (third round, 1996) will be one of the best corners in the league for years, and Warren Sapp (first round, 1995), a risky pick because of his college baggage, has proven himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the game.

Do you think the Steelers' comeback win over the Ravens will be a turning point for Kordell Stewart?
—Jamison Jenkins, Warren, Ohio

I agree with what Bill Cowher said after the game: There will be more three-interception days for Kordell Stewart. He's an exciting player, but don't forget he's still basically a rookie quarterback. Just like the other young quarterbacks playing now—Steve McNair, Todd Collins—I think Stewart will see things over the next couple of months that will often confuse and frustrate him. It's tough to deal with stuff at game speed. But it really looks like Stewart is going to be a great player.

Lindy Infante has failed at Green Bay and with Indy. Why is he still a head coach? For an "offensive genius," his offense is pathetic. How long until he is fired?
—Dan DeBoest, Des Moines

Indianapolis VP Bill Tobin is not the kind of guy who likes to fire coaches in midseason. But if the Colts continue playing such toothless football, there's little question that he'll have to fire Infante after the season.

I think Infante has been hurt by Jim Harbaugh's lousy year and the fact that Indy's offensive line is a sieve. But I don't disagree with you: Infante's teams have never overachieved.

Will Lions QB Scott Mitchell ever play to the level expected of him, or has his talent been overestimated?
—Larry Porter, Manistee, Mich.

Let's go back in time. I want you to understand what the Detroit Lions bought when Wayne Fontes threw all that money at Mitchell in 1994: They bought a guy who had started seven NFL games and who never had been a terribly accurate or efficient quarterback at any level.

This is Mitchell's fourth season with the Lions, and he's been a 56% passer who has averaged four more TDs per year than interceptions. What is it about him that frustrates you so much? You have to be realistic about a guy's talent, and you have to know that you didn't buy a Steve Young-efficient, Kordell Stewart-athlete type of quarterback when you bought Scott Mitchell. Be happy that you've got the 11th- or 12th-best quarterback in football. If you have that at every position, you're a 10-6 team.

Why aren't the referees full-time employees of the league? If they were, they could train during the week and improve, just like the players. I have to believe they could be better.
—John Hurst, San Diego

This is an age-old question. I've never been convinced that officiating would be better if the officials spent 50 hours per week studying their trade instead of 20. Also, many of these guys have full-time jobs at which they earn well into six figures. How could the NFL pay them enough and challenge them enough to make three hours of work a week worthwhile?

I understand and sympathize with you. So many of the blown calls seem to be preventable, but to improve the quality of officiating and fix most of these errors, we're better off rooting for the return of instant replay.

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