Emmitt Smith says the Cowboys' early exit from the playoffs is embarrassing

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, the NFL's leading rusher, made it clear in a number of interviews this week of Super Bowl LVIII that he's confused as to why Mike McCarthy is still the team's coach. .

“To be honest, I'm a little surprised the way things have gone over the last few years – removing Kellen [Moore] And controlling the offense and stuff like that,” Smith said on ESPN Radio. “I'm a little surprised. The way our team came out of the playoffs, I'm really surprised. Because for me, I look to my leaders and my players to be ready and prepared for all situations. And unfortunately for us, I don't know if we're as prepared as we need to be.” on him.

“The way we came out of the playoffs this year was not good, put it that way, and it was kind of embarrassing,” Smith added. “It makes you think we either haven't practiced or trained properly in terms of playing situations. … It's not a good look.”

The Cowboys, who won the NFC East championship and were the No. 2 seed in the conference, were the only home team to lose in the Wild Card round, suffering a 48-32 defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys were the only team this season to go undefeated at home in the regular season and have won 16 straight games, the longest home winning streak since 1979-80.

Late in the second quarter, the Cowboys trailed 27-0 after a Dak Prescott interception return for a touchdown.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones told reporters after that loss that he never seriously considered firing McCarthy as head coach. McCarthy is entering the final year of his contract, and sources have told ESPN that there are no plans to extend his deal.

Asked on CBS Sports Radio's “Maggie and Perloff Show” why McCarthy would return to the Cowboys, Smith said: “Because I'm not the general manager.”

The Cowboys have gone 12-5 in each of the past three seasons but have only had one playoff win, a wild-card win at Tampa Bay in 2022. They have lost two playoff games at home under McCarthy.

“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, get ratings every year, or actually go out and win the Super Bowl.”