Emmitt Smith says he would pay to keep Murray if he was Cowboys owner

Emmitt Smith enjoyed watching DeMarco Murray break his single-season rushing record this past season with the Dallas Cowboys.

Smith felt Murray deserved it and, more important, was pleased to see the Cowboys go back to the style of play that made them successful in their 1990s heyday behind Smith, quarterback Troy Aikman and wide receiver Michael Irvin.

Smith told a crowd before meeting with the media that he would pay to keep Murray, as well as wide receiver Dez Bryant, if he were in Jerry Jones’ shoes going into free agency.

But, as he quickly reminded the crowd on hand Tuesday morning at a PenFed Credit Union charity event benefiting Home for Our Troops and Toys for Tots, he’s not Jerry Jones.

Smith had nothing but praise for Murray and his 1,845 rushing yards that broke Smith’s Cowboys’ single-season rushing record of 1,773 set in 1995.

“I thought DeMarco had a phenomenal season,” said Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards.

“What I appreciated more about it and what I’ve seen in recent years was the commitment to the balance. That right there was so pleasing. It gave me the feeling of the days of old. I think everybody sensed that feeling, which is a wonderful thing.

“It says this is the way the Dallas Cowboys will be consistent, it’s the way that the Dallas Cowboys will win a lot of games and this is the winning formula for this organization. That, to me, is the hallmark of who the Dallas Cowboys organization should be.”

For all of Murray’s success with the Cowboys last season, there are still questions marks about giving him a lucrative long-term deal.

Nobody knows how much of Murray’s success was because of the stout offensive line, and nobody knows how Murray will rebound from the heavy workload of 2014.

Smith chuckled at the initial notion that the Cowboys could plug anyone in and have success running the ball behind an offensive line that that features three Pro Bowlers in left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick and right guard Zack Martin.

“Who’s thought process is that? That’s the media’s thought process?” Smith said. “That’s the arm chair quarterback, that’s the couch coach and everybody else.

“Just because you have a great offensive line, you’ve got to have a special kind of person behind it.”

Smith also didn’t put too much into the workload. Murray carried it an NFL-high 392 times during the regular-season, and there has been a recent trend of running backs that have seen their production dip significantly after that many carries.

But Smith never had that issue during his career. Smith, like Murray, took on a heavy workload in his age 26 season, carrying it 377 times in 1995. He posted six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons after that, averaging almost 300 carries a season.

“Too much is made of too many things,” Smith said. “There are some stats out there that would showcase the facts as the facts, but I think every player has a big number in them. The question becomes what’s your big number?

“And there are a handful of guys who can produce more than one big number. Are you that guy? That remains to be seen.”

Smith touched on other subjects:

▪  On when he knew it was time to retire even though the Buffalo Bills offered him a contract to play in 2005 and help mentor Willis McGahee: “I had to go through the process of why am I doing it? Am I doing it for the money? Am I doing it for the love of the game? What else is there for me to achieve?

“When I looked at it all, it wasn’t about the money. There wasn’t anything else for me to achieve ... at some point, you’re getting greedy. The only thing left for me to do now is to get hurt. I’m like, that’s not an option. I’m done. I’m done.”

▪  On his career highlight being his first Super Bowl win in 1993: “There was nothing sweeter than that.”

▪  On continuing to give back to the community through events such as Tuesday (fans can enter to win prizes from Smith, Jerry Rice and Joe Theismann here): “Over the years, you grow into this understanding that you have a deeper purpose and a much more broader purpose than just playing football.

“Football is just a vehicle to carry you from Point A to Point B. It has opened doors to do other things and I’ve found great satisfaction in doing these other things, whether it’s starting a new business, having mentors like Roger Staubach or Ervin Johnson or even Jerry Jones himself. But also having the ability to utilize my platform to help others. To me, helping others is one of the most rewarding things.”

▪  On growing up by a Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla. and the extra meaning it carries to give back to charities that support the armed forces: “Without a doubt. I loved watching the fighter jets fly over the city and so forth, seeing the guys working on becoming pilots. I was a big fan of the Blue Angels and still am.

“So going down and having a chance to go down to the military base and walk around and see what they’re doing ... to me, that was my way out. At the time when I was young, I didn’t even think about [football] scholarships, I didn’t think about somebody taking the time to pay my way through school. Thank God I had the ability to receive a scholarship and do the things I was able to do that led to where I’m at today.”

This story was originally published February 17, 2015 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Emmitt Smith says he would pay to keep Murray if he was Cowboys owner."