Emmitt Smith says Cowboys have to be committed to run

One of the biggest criticisms against the Dallas Cowboys during the 2013 season was their willingness to abandon the run. During the 2014 season they had 1,504 rushing yards, a mark that ranked 24th out of 32 teams. Their 336 rushing attempts was second to last with only the Atlanta Falcons rushing the ball less times last season.

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The Cowboys showed commitment to protect their quarterback by drafting offensive lineman Zack Martin. An offensive lineman can also bolster an offense’s ground game and Cowboys’ legend and NFL’s all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith thinks it is a step in the right direction,

“I think that was a positive step,” Smith said, via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “I think they understand now that in order to help our defense, No. 1 we cannot turn the football over and put our defense in a bad position because our defense is not as good as we want it to be. No. 2, we have to protect our quarterback, Tony Romo, who is coming off back surgery, so therefore we have to improve our offensive line.

“No. 3, if we can improve our offensive line, maybe we can get a running game going and take some of the pressure off of Tony, and maybe we can get back to that balance that we need to have in order to maximize the talent that we currently have on our roster.

“Those are the signs that I’ve been looking for. Now, the only thing left for them to do is to be committed. When I say committed, I mean be committed through the entire season no matter who is the running back. That philosophy, to me, will put our team in the right direction.”