How Long Would Jimmy Johnson Have Kept Emmitt Smith?

[Williamsboys]

Until the Twelvth of Never.

 

[Thomas82]

You are making my point for me.

First, the contract took place before the 1997 season. from 1990 to 1996 Emmitt completed 55.4% of his total yardage. This was a 7 year period at an average of 1451 per season.

From 1997 to 2004, he completed 44.6% of his total yardage, an 8 year period with an average of 1024 per season. Injuries began to play a part in his totals which is to be expected of a RB in their 14th season.

Even if I only considered his Cowboy career, Emmitt averaged 1167 yards a season after the contract. It's very good but not enough to justify the amounts he was paid in that 3rd contract.

Emmitt was paid to make defenses account for him? After 1996, how did that work out?

Here is the Cowboy's offensive ranks from 1997 to 2002

1997 20th
1999 16th
2000 25th
2001 29th
2002 30th

A response might be that, well, he was all the Cowboys had. Again, that's my point. Why did they not have more? It's because the contracts of Emmitt, Deion, and others had fractured the cap to the point where they couldn't afford much more.

This was not Emmitt's fault. I am not criticizing Emmitt in any way, I am just pointing out certain facts pertaining to his results.

It's very normal, especially for an NFL RB, to reduce his productivity after a certain point in his career. In his defense, the average RB would have retired long before he was still putting out thousand yard seasons. I'm just saying those thousand yard seasons didn't justify the contract at that particular point of his career.

All of your points are valid, but Emmitt Emmitt actually signed that contract in August of 1996.

 

[Thomas82]

Clearly if Jimmy was still around the Cowboys would go on to win 6 straight Super Bowls, Emmitt surpasses Walter Payton 2 years earlier and eclipses 20k rushing yards. At least that's what happens in my alternate universe. : )

Same thing in mine.

 

[eromeopolk]

Jimmy Johnson wasn't like Jerry Jones, he was more bottom line. Jimmy was more like Belicek. He appreciated his players but he would have handled the salary cap far differently.

Jerry used contracts to reward players and I believe he was influenced by the star power. At the time, I think he considered a player's ability to attract fans when he should have focused entirely on a players future contribution to the success of a team.

Having been a college recruiter and coach for a championship team, Jimmy Johnson placed no value on sentiment. We are talking about a guy who divorced his wife because he knew he couldn't commit the time to both football and a marriage.

Before the 97 season, Jerry Jones signed Emmitt Smith to a huge 7 year contract. Emmitt had been in the league for 7 seasons. He was 28.

Two years prior, Jerry signed Deion Sanders to an historic contract. The repercussions of both contracts was the departure of over a dozen players that had contributed to those championships. It gutted the defense, the LB 's in particular.

They lost several players that had been in the league only 3 to 4 years and were in their prime, guys like Robert Jones, Dixon Edwards, Russel Maryland, Kevin Williams , Darrin Smith, Kenneth Gant, Godfrey Myles, and Brock Marion. Most of these guys were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd draft choices. Some of them even went on to make Pro Bowls for other teams.

It is my opinion, of course, but I believe Jimmy would have let Emmitt walk after the 96 season. He may have then gone to the draft to get someone like Tiki Barber or Corey Dillon. He liked speed so perhaps Barber would have been the pick.

From 1992 to 1996, the Cowboys were a top 5 team in preventing opponent scoring. They were a top ten team in turnover margin.

In 1997, just two seasons after winning the Super Bowl, the Cowboys had a losing season, 6-10. They still had their superstar players, but little else. The dynasty was dead.

Before getting rid of Emmitt, Jimmy would have gotten rid of Troy Aikman who had been injured during the season in all 5 seasons Jimmy Johnson was head coach. Therefore you could keep a multipurpose running back like Emmitt Smith until the tread was really worn off the tires and it was not after the 1996 season.

Jimmy would have swung a Herschel Walker type trade involving Aikman and got more premium multiple pick for multiple years.

 

[Gangsta Spanksta]

Jimmy Johnson wasn't like Jerry Jones, he was more bottom line. Jimmy was more like Belicek. He appreciated his players but he would have handled the salary cap far differently.

Jerry used contracts to reward players and I believe he was influenced by the star power. At the time, I think he considered a player's ability to attract fans when he should have focused entirely on a players future contribution to the success of a team.

Having been a college recruiter and coach for a championship team, Jimmy Johnson placed no value on sentiment. We are talking about a guy who divorced his wife because he knew he couldn't commit the time to both football and a marriage.

Before the 97 season, Jerry Jones signed Emmitt Smith to a huge 7 year contract. Emmitt had been in the league for 7 seasons. He was 28.

Two years prior, Jerry signed Deion Sanders to an historic contract. The repercussions of both contracts was the departure of over a dozen players that had contributed to those championships. It gutted the defense, the LB 's in particular.

They lost several players that had been in the league only 3 to 4 years and were in their prime, guys like Robert Jones, Dixon Edwards, Russel Maryland, Kevin Williams , Darrin Smith, Kenneth Gant, Godfrey Myles, and Brock Marion. Most of these guys were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd draft choices. Some of them even went on to make Pro Bowls for other teams.

It is my opinion, of course, but I believe Jimmy would have let Emmitt walk after the 96 season. He may have then gone to the draft to get someone like Tiki Barber or Corey Dillon. He liked speed so perhaps Barber would have been the pick.

From 1992 to 1996, the Cowboys were a top 5 team in preventing opponent scoring. They were a top ten team in turnover margin.

In 1997, just two seasons after winning the Super Bowl, the Cowboys had a losing season, 6-10. They still had their superstar players, but little else. The dynasty was dead.

considering that Jimmy was always trying to find another Emmitt while at Miami, instead of building around the strengths of Marino, I think Emmitt would've stayed. He also could've been trolling but I remember him making a comment when the cowboys got Deion that they would've been able to keep Alvin Harper and some other players. I'm not so sold that Jimmy would get rid of players that have worked for him in the past, and Emmitt got good mileage in Dallas.

 

[Gangsta Spanksta]

If Jimmy hadn't left, everything would have played out differently.
Emmitt Smith might have gained 20,000 rushing yards.
Ernie Zampesie would not have destroyed the offensive philosophy and discipline instilled by Johnson, and Smith would have had plenty of room to run. Zampesie's influence is what ruined Jason Garrett's approach to coaching, the reason the offense stopped producing, and why Smith struggled.
Under Johnson I think Smith would have been around and still productive until 2000, and then retired.

I got no problem with Zampesie time here and don't think he destroyed the offensive philosophy. We had a lot of success with Ernie, especially considering that Norv left right early on. There was a bit where Zampesie the reality of the running game changed a bit and Zampesie didn't adjust in time towards the end of his time here. But well that has more to do with there was a time when everyone knew what the cowboys were going to do, but people couldn't stop them from doing it, and there was a point where they weren't as talented anymore and required an adjustment that zampesie didn't see in time. I think who came after Zampesie as far as OC are concerned were a lot worse until the Parcells era.

 

[gjkoeppen]

You are making my point for me.

It's very normal, especially for an NFL RB, to reduce his productivity after a certain point in his career. In his defense, the average RB would have retired long before he was still putting out thousand yard seasons. I'm just saying those thousand yard seasons didn't justify the contract at that particular point of his career.

Again I seriously doubt that you'll convince very many Cowboys fans or other sporting people that the Cowboys should have release Emmitt, who ended up as the NFL all time leading rusher and not sign who most people in the sporting world think was the best corner back to ever play. BTW Sanders was signed for the 95 season and guess what, he was a ring he earned as a Cowboy. Think as you want but I'm done trying to get you to see what most other people know. Don't bother to reply I'll just ignore it.
.
.

 

[Johnny23]

Emmitt should have been replaced 4 years before he got replaced. Like Aikman, Jerry was afraid to bring in a high pick and hurt their feewings.

Yeah. Imagine Cade McNown in a Cowboys Jersey if we pulled the plug after the 96 season.

 

[plasticman]

Before getting rid of Emmitt, Jimmy would have gotten rid of Troy Aikman who had been injured during the season in all 5 seasons Jimmy Johnson was head coach. Therefore you could keep a multipurpose running back like Emmitt Smith until the tread was really worn off the tires and it was not after the 1996 season.

Jimmy would have swung a Herschel Walker type trade involving Aikman and got more premium multiple pick for multiple years.

Seriously doubt it.

First of all, Aikman was a good price right up until 1998 after which Jerry, once again, buried the future with a shocking 64.5 million 6 year contract with a guaranteed $13 million signing bonus for the 33 year old Aikman. Troy would only play for 2 more seasons and the Cowboys ended up with a $10 million cap hit.

I think Johnson would have kept him until 1998 unless Troy agreed to a lesser deal and he might have.

Then again, you never know. Perhaps Johnson persuades them both to take less, keeps more players, drafts better players. better protection for Aikmen, less workload for Emmitt. I can tell you what wouldn't happen:

Jimmy respected Dieon's talent, but that contract? No way!

Jimmy would not have traded for those WR's, Galloway and Roy Williams, #1 picks were like gold bricks to him.

No debate, Jimmy would have taken Randy Moss. Media perception of his players meant nothing to him. C'mon, he coached the U at the height of their decadence, do you think Randy would have scared him?

And....the 1993 draft board was being built at the time of Jimmy's resignation. He knew all about Larry Allen, one of the scouts he brought with him to Dallas discovered Larry at Sonoma.

Finally...You didn't relax under Jimmy Johnson, he always talked about an environment of discomfort, never being secure in your status as a starter or even a member of the Cowboys. There would have been no letdown, no eating hotdogs on the sideline. Practices would be intense and crisp. The team would be prepared, never overconfident....the Cowboys would have won four in a row, maybe even five.

That's when Jimmy Johnson would have walked away. If Jerry had just left him to continue to do his part while Jerry did his, there would have been no other reason to walk away in 1993 at the height of the success he had created.

 

[DandyDon52]

There's literally zero reason to believe what you do other than you choose to.
Jimmy worked with the same staff in Dallas he had in college.
He went to work in the NFL for an old "oil buddy" and he broke that news to Michael Irvin the day Dallas drafted him a year before the deal was even announced.

Jimmy wanted out of Dallas largely because he didn't want the challenge of re-building the roster in Dallas.
Jimmy didn't know college kids coming out anymore so he wasn't looking to draft guys to replace his stars.

If a younger player beat out his guy with better play sure, he'd move on. But he wasn't managing a cap and cutting guys who were better simply based on cost like BB does.

Dallas didn't have a better back than Emmitt. They traded Emmitt then spent a year with stop gap Hambrick who was worse than Emmitt.
Then after that year they drafted Julius Jones.

Emmitt has just under 1000 yards the year he retired. That was equivalent to Hambrick's career best season.

If an energized Jimmy had been draftting perhaps that would have changed things. But again that feels a bit of a stretch as his drafting in Miami was shoddy at best and he burned out in like 2 years.

and he burned out in like 2 years .......he did not burn out, his mother died and that made him decide to change his life and leave coaching.

 

[DandyDon52]

Seriously doubt it.

First of all, Aikman was a good price right up until 1998 after which Jerry, once again, buried the future with a shocking 64.5 million 6 year contract with a guaranteed $13 million signing bonus for the 33 year old Aikman. Troy would only play for 2 more seasons and the Cowboys ended up with a $10 million cap hit.

I think Johnson would have kept him until 1998 unless Troy agreed to a lesser deal and he might have.

Then again, you never know. Perhaps Johnson persuades them both to take less, keeps more players, drafts better players. better protection for Aikmen, less workload for Emmitt. I can tell you what wouldn't happen:

Jimmy respected Dieon's talent, but that contract? No way!

Jimmy would not have traded for those WR's, Galloway and Roy Williams, #1 picks were like gold bricks to him.

No debate, Jimmy would have taken Randy Moss. Media perception of his players meant nothing to him. C'mon, he coached the U at the height of their decadence, do you think Randy would have scared him?

And....the 1993 draft board was being built at the time of Jimmy's resignation. He knew all about Larry Allen, one of the scouts he brought with him to Dallas discovered Larry at Sonoma.

Finally...You didn't relax under Jimmy Johnson, he always talked about an environment of discomfort, never being secure in your status as a starter or even a member of the Cowboys. There would have been no letdown, no eating hotdogs on the sideline. Practices would be intense and crisp. The team would be prepared, never overconfident....the Cowboys would have won four in a row, maybe even five.

That's when Jimmy Johnson would have walked away. If Jerry had just left him to continue to do his part while Jerry did his, there would have been no other reason to walk away in 1993 at the height of the success he had created.

good post !