Games with Names - Dudes on Emmitt Smith

Episode Date: June 27, 2026

We're covering legendary running back, Emmitt Smith! Gronk and Julian Edelman discuss what made Emmitt so great and some of their favorite stories.Support the show: http://www.gameswithnames.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's that time to put on your jersey and wave your flag, whoever you root for. Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breed? And it's beautiful. The guys are young and cute and fit. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force.

From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. Listen to American Football on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Joy is essential and it's also elusive. But now, there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence.

Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me, How to Coppe. If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Open your free IHeart Radio app. Search Joy 101 and listen now. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotfi is presented by CVS. I've been hearing for decades that the markets can solve climate change.

Today, we have more incentives for market solutions than ever and emissions are rising. On this season of drilled, Carbon Cowboys, the story of three market solutions colliding in one multinational boondoggle. You got to get bruises the guy's credit. public kids. They don't get a bit of money. It's now. Listen on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here at the Happiness Lab, we're serving up some hot takes for the summer, big ideas that just might reshape how you think about your well-being, like the radical notion that we should get rid of small talk completely. We talk about current events. We talk about what you do for a living,

but not do you love what you do for a living. Is this your dream job? For more surprising ideas backed by psychological science, check out our new series, Happiness Hot Takes. Listen to the Happiness Lab with me, Dr. Laurie Santos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, Jules, let's get on to our first Thanksgiving guy who has plenty of Thanksgiving ties through the NFL. Let's get on to Emmett Smith. Emmett Smith, running back, Dallas Cowboys from Pensacola, Florida. Let's see what the synopsis of Emmett Smith says from the great AI. Ladies and gentlemen.

We need 10 minutes. I'm at Smith, standing at 5 foot, 9 inches and weighing 221 pounds. That's a big boy for 5.9. Gee. Oh, Mully, what are you? You're 510, what? 198 was my playing weight. Man, man.

I was big, though. That was thick. Yeah, he was even thicker. He was 2C thick. He played running back in the NFL primarily for the Dallas Cowboys and later for the Arizona Cardinals. Draft the 17th overall by the Cowboys in 1990 from the University of Florida. Smith quickly establish himself as a durable, high-calibur player known for his resilience and gility on the field.

He retired as the NFL's all-time leading rusher with 18,355 rushing yards, 164 touchdowns, and earning three Super Bowl rings, all with the Dallas Cowboys, an MVP award and induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Was he first ballot? First ballot for sure. Was he? Was he first ballot for sure? He was first ballot. 100% you should have been.

And here's a quick fun fact. Amit's pregame ritual included eating two packs of peanut, M&Ms, making him one of the most efficient candy-fueled athletes ever, man. Now, that might be the most impressive thing about his career. And I wonder if he ate those peanut M&Ms on Thanksgiving Day after Thanksgiving dinner or if he indulge into some like pumpkin pie instead or some apple pie with some ice cream and whipped cream with a cherry on top. Or did he love those peanut M&Ms that much that he wanted sacrifice even on Thanksgiving?

What do you think? I think it was probably, it became a superstition thing early on. I mean, running backs in their candy. You got Marshon with Skittles. You got Emmett Smith with peanut M&Ms. I mean, it is what it is. These guys are sometimes, like, most of the time the running backs specimen that just needs fuel. And they could eat anything they want because they run in and getting blown up all day.

And they're touching the ball a lot. What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Emmett Smith? One of the greatest running backs of all time. Yeah. Exemplified what being a star really meant, especially being on the Dallas Cowboys. Like he was that star symbol. Yeah. You know, when he was playing with Dallas. Yes, that is.

That is true. Jerry Jones did say that, but he really did exemplify it that much. He exemplified what being a running back truly meant. They truly ran the ball and ran it with, you know, conviction with resilience. And also he's like one of the first guys to truly start that era of everyone wanting to be a running back growing up. Here's the thing.

No one really wants to be running back anymore. It's, it's 2020s. And it's all about being a wide receiver, quarterback, tight end. Back in the day when it was Emmett Smith, everyone wanted to be all of running back. Everyone. 100%. Even myself. And I knew I wasn't a running back.

I mean, Emmett Smith is huge. When I think of Emmett Smith, I just think I think of the Cowboys, and I didn't like them. I didn't like him because he was so damn good. I was a 49ers fan. And this was priming like when I was watching football in the 90s. And they were just so good. Him, the triplets, him, Aikman, and Michael Irvin. And it just seemed like that off, he would low you to sleep behind that offensive line.

He'd get lost behind the line. And I just hated him because he'd always beat us in Candlestick. It didn't matter. Cowboys were always beating us except for 95. Peanut F&M's. Did you have any superstitions before games? What was your pregame food? I had a pregame ritual.

I think I remember you just eating hella pasta. I did eat hell of pasta, but there was also the peanut butter and jelly made with my mom's jelly. That was always a routine. I had to do it every single Sunday to get me prepared and get me mentally right that I was on the right track and kept the tradition going of always having a PB&J

with my mom's homemade jelly and then on top of it, a chocolate milk, man. I love chocolate milk to this day and I just felt like, you know, getting that protein in my system and the carbs,

what better way to make the tradition sustainable with my mom's homemade jelly? I'm telling you the best jelly in the game. Did you hear that going around

the uncrustables in the NFL? There's like 7,000. I heard PMT and the boys talking about it. It's crazy because peanut butter and jelly has always been like the athlete snack.

Like you need a little quick calorie burn down. You need to calories, a couple of protein, some sugars, some bread, little fuel right before you get a PBNJ. Throw a little honey on there for a little, little Nass, a little extra sugar. That's what I would do as a kid. What jumps out when you watch Emmett Smith's tape?

I mean, he was a solid receiving back as well as being a great runner. I mean, he has a strong upper body. You've seen defense alignment bounce off of them. Like he can go into a hole and it looks like he's surrounded by five players. And all of a sudden he just has that killer stutter step with the backstep propeller. And then he's out of that freaking like pile of dudes and he's running it to the outside now. And then he's kind of like a rabbit out there. Like all these dogs are chasing this rabbit.

And no, none of these dogs can get the rabbit. And the rabbit is just playing games. Like silly rabbit. He's just, you know, eating the carrot while he's running around everybody. But that's what made him so special too, man. Like no one can get to him in that, that upper body strength along with his ability and his footwork. Yeah. Just his versatility is.

What truly made them that special one so hard to take down. What do you say? Who do you, who'd you hate going against? What kind of defensive ends? Well, shorter stockier. What is Emmys Smith? He's a bowling ball. He's just got built in pad level, man.

That is what it is. You'd watch him get behind the offensive line. It seemed like their offensive line was fucking gigantic. And like he would sit there and be patient. And then he'd have the quickness to jump cut and then hit the fucking hole. Make someone missing the second level. he always had long runs. And that's what, like, I always think of Emmett Smith.

Just a little, little pay shirt runner, pay shirt runner, play behind his pads, low, see the whole hit it and go. And like, man, did he, he did it better than a lot of people. He was the best running back when he retired. He had all the numbers. I remember that. What did you think of it when he went to Arizona? You know, I don't really remember too much when he went to Arizona because he exemplified

being a cowboy, you know, so much. He has insane records, that's for sure. He has the most career rushing. with over 18,000 yards rushing. He has the most career rushing touchdowns at 164. Jesus, that's a lot. Is that beat now? He did at that time.

Is that beat 164 career rushing touchdowns? There's players that have more than 164 career touchdowns, but not rushing touchdowns. And he has the most career rushing attempts as well with over 4,400 too, man. That's what's almost even more impressive? Because what's the number right now that everyone talks about? Running back has about 400 carries and then they get hurt. That's 10,400 carries.

36 fumbles on touching the ball 4,400 times. That's insane. You know, he didn't have like the wow speed. He didn't have the wow like stiff arm, but he was always just always productive. He had the wow lateral cuts. Yeah, but when you think of lateral cuts in this generation, who do you think of?

One of the guys that we'll be talking about a little later. Oh, whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa, wow, whoa, wow, wow. We'll bleep that. We'll bleep that. Well, bleep it. How about the Emmett Smith game? Oh, man, when he, you know, popped out his shoulder and he just kept going while he went

in the locker room for like, what, a minute or so, went to the sidelines, wherever he went. He just came back out and played rest of the game and had like, what, 15 plus carries? Against the Giants. Do you ever remember playing someone banged up and having a ball out like that? Like I was banged up? Yeah, you were banged up. I mean, I never had it to the level of Emmett Smith where he could barely even move his shoulder. And every time he fell, he was practically screaming on the ground.

But he just kept going, going and telling himself that he's not in pain. That's a football player right there, man. You think he got shot up? I don't think so. I think he definitely got Lightikin right up in that shoulder. He put that needle right, direct inject right in there. But if you watch the game, you could tell, man, he's in pain throughout the whole game. Yeah, you're still going to feel a little something.

I've done it. I remember I've shot up that shoulder a thousand times. But you can still feel it, but it just takes the edge off. No, it's kind of numb, but then like you'll feel crackily and stuff. You're like, what the fuck? I mean, I can recall, you know, the AFC championship game. It was not like Emmitt Smith story. But I went up to seem.

It was versus the Baltimore Ravens. It was my second year in the league. I was having that wonderful year. And I caught the ball on the Bernard Pollard. It was kind of a hit drop tackle. Yeah. And I swear, like, 90% of the time on hip drop tackles, the player does get injured that's getting tackled.

I mean, you're just not properly made to fall down that way with someone falling on top of you. If you're falling backwards and someone's on top of you, no problem. But your body is not made for someone to fall on top of you when you're landing on your stomach or on your chest. And that's what happened. Got tackled. He landed on my ankle. It twisted. And I had a super high ankle sprain.

Went in the locker room, got it taped up. And literally I had the same mindset. Hey, I'm not in pain. This is the AFC championship game. I may never be back. If we win this game, we're going to the freaking Super Bowl. That's what you know, you're just dreamed of as a kid. so I had to go back and I'm telling you the shit hurt.

Yeah, it hurt. He's hard. I took, it wasn't lytocaine. It was the Torridor all shot, you know, right there on this spot. I don't think it really did much because, you know, a high ankle sprain. You're in a lot of pain. I mean, I went out there. I was limping a little bit.

No more catches. But some serious blocks to get us to the Super Bowl that year. Pride is like love. You feel it in your heart. IR. Radio. Canada's number one streaming app for radio and podcast. including IHart Pride Canada, your favorite hits and must have party bangers, plus personalized and curated playlists, like back in the day pride.

Come together, celebrate, love. Take pride with you anytime, anywhere. Just ask your smart speaker to play IHartPride, Canada. Stream us on your phone, or listen now at iHeartRadio.ca. I love the sounds, the buzzing from the stadium, the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the place soccer, football, it's home. Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breed?

I inherited that fandom from my mom. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. We go beyond the game to the people and the people, and the stories that make it great.

A soccer game is a festival. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I took an elbow to my head, which cracked my skull. It is an American game. The Brazilians don't like hearing that, though. Are they the only ones that don't like that? Nobody likes that.

As we get ready for the Men's World Cup this summer, listen to American Football as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Hoda Kotby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotbby. Okay, if you know me, you know this. I'm always searching for inspiration, for support, and useful tools to help maximize joy. So this podcast lets us uncover all of that together. We're going to have these meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people,

like when actress Olivia Munn shared how she overcame fierce health challenges that she never saw coming. I've gone through breast cancer and then helped my mother through breast cancer, and that was more difficult. There's a lot of people who understand postpartner depression. I was not prepared for postpartum anxiety. Olympic champ Sean Johnson revealed why she had no choice but to be a gymnast. There was something about gymnastics that was intoxicating to me. It's given me a belief that we all have one of those treasures inside of us. We just have to find it.

Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone is a ton of exciting to me because their new star is Javier Tichorino Hernandez is from a

everything about me. Everyone sees me as a football player but before anything else I'm human. Every single day I'm still learning

how to live with problems, mistakes, relationships, emotions ever since I was born. And I still have so many questions. Where do we come

from? What happens after death? How do you deal with cancellation? Cristiano or Messi? Do aliens exist? What is love? Real Madrid or Varsa?

From every day an ordinary to the deep and extraordinary. This isn't a normal podcast. Everything here is spontaneous, real, and genuine. This podcast is like a deep talk with your closest friends, where vulnerability comes out. Conspiracy theories end up on the table,

and goals and lessons are shared. All in this life has an order perfect and everything is just. Wait-in me, I'm here to connect. We are here to connect. The Chicharito. I'm Javier, Ticharito-R-Nandes, and together with I-Hara radio, we're going to make the ordinary, extraordinary,

stay close. It is a carac. Listen to learning to be human or IHard Radio, Apple Podcasts, or whatever you get your podcast. What was the craziest injury you ever played through in a game? That crazy snowstorm game. Versed Tennessee? When you guys won 59-0? Yeah.

I'll still at the University of Arizona. I was in the fourth quarter I got to play a bunch. Being a slapstick. Slap dick back then. I caught a ball and Vandabash fell on me and I broke my arm. I snapped my forearm and I look over to Ivan Fiers at the sideline. And I go, coach, I think I'm hurt. He goes, stay in.

Stay in. We ain't got no whatever was out. That's a football coach for you. I'm like, all right, all right. And then freaking Hoyer threw me the ball. Like the next drive, I caught a ball with a broken arm. It was fucking crazy. And I come off and I'm like, chatty, I think I broke my arm, dude.

Like, he's like, oh, well, I think everyone's kind of out right now. I'm like, yeah, all right, whatever. Let's do it. And so play with the broken arm. That sucks. bro. I mean, it's bad ass. It's bad ass to play through an injury, but it does suck, man. It hurts. It hurts like a mother effort. It's part of the game. The guys, the greatest players like Emmett Smith for this situation, when they're banged up, they find a way to be productive

and they adjust their game to the deficiencies with their injury and they still go out and ball. That's what makes a great player. And Emmett Smith was a fucking guy that did that with the shoulder game. What about him? Most all-time rushing yards on Thanksgiving. Day as well with over 1,100 yards. I mean, Turkey Day, he owned it. Most rushing TDs on Thanksgiving, 13. Jesus. His best Thanksgiving was about 29 carries, 155 yards, and three touchdowns in 1996.

He's a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys, and he helps secure back-to-back Super Bowls, and they were both blowout wins versus my hometown, the Buffalo bill. People still talk about those losses, how the bills went to a Super Bowl. I think four years in a row. Was it three or four years in a row? I was only one years old, two years old, three years old, four years old. But it still hurts the city of Buffalo that Emmett Smith put that big of a pounding on them.

And a huge shout out to Jimmy Johnson, Michael Irvin on the team. I mean, what a solid team they had, man. And Troy Aikman, was he the quarterback? Troy, triplets. That's the team right there. The triplets. Now, what do you think of the lions and the cowboys always playing on Thanksgiving? I mean, I love how those teams are the tradition.

I mean, obviously the Cowboys, they're America's team. They draw the most represents the Thanksgiving. You need the Dallas Cowboys on TV. The Detroit Lions, they became so bad at one point that it really... It was like their Super Bowl. Yeah, yeah. It was their Super Bowl because that was like their only prime time game for a long time. At one time, they were like, oh and 15, only 16 in the league.

They were winning two, three games at the time. It rarely wasn't important that Detroit was playing on Thanksgiving. it might have been important for the city. But it was important to all of America that the Dallas Cowboys were playing on Thanksgiving. But now it's just as important when the Detroit Lions are playing. Everyone loves Detroit right now.

They're kind of becoming like America's up-and-coming team. America's up-and-coming team. Of the middle, upper Midwest. They call it Midwest. They call it the Midwest. You know. Upper America. Yeah.

That are bordering the Canada. They're Canada's team, actually. Well, technically, Detroit is the only city where Canada is south of it. Emmett Smith always, he was also known for his game day fits. Yes. He had pullovers, right? Yeah, that's what he's endorsed by now. Pullover diapers.

Oh, depends, right? Yeah. Because he's always dependable in Dallas. He's always dependable in Dallas. Yeah, so now he's representing depends on adult diapers because you can depend on Emmett Smith that take a dump. on the other opposing team. Defense.

Yes, on the defense. It's pretty crazy. He did that whole polka dot like overall outfit back in the day when guys would always wear suit and tie. Like to think about it now, like that's how everyone dresses now. Everyone dresses like it's a fucking runway before the game to get your shot, show that you're cool, your style, this, you're that. And Emmett Smith was like a pioneer in that. Look at that fucking outfit. That's kind of fire.

Would you wear that rob? If it was Halloween. What was your game day? Yeah. What was your game day outfit? My game day outfit, man. You know me. I was a short and t-shirt guy every single week.

That was all. Three T-shirt, free shorts, free sandals. I was showing up every game like that. Guy wore Jordan sandals nine years that I've known him. The same pair in the locker room. That's what he'd roll up in. Just like this. He'd look exactly how he's dressed right now,

just like this because this is all free stuff. And he'd roll up in. game day. For the free shirt. He roll up in the game day. You'd see him in the cafeteria. He'd grab some food. He'd grab a couple of PVNJs.

And I'm good. And then he's good. Just thankful for just the basics, Jules. I don't think I've, I think I've come across Emmett at a like a banquet or a function or a charity event or some event. Emmett just looks like happy and cool and rich anytime I see him. He's got a great smile. He has an age.

He looks exactly the same as he did in high school. I don't think he's got the hair anymore, but salt and pepper beer. I mean, my guy could cut a rug too. Emmett Smith actually won Dancing with the Stars. Does Dola win dancing with stars like Emma Smith? Right now, this is after Dancing with the Stars. Did Danny win? Wait, this is after.

We don't know if Danny won. But right now, we can imaginary think that, like, if he wins and you say he won right now, then we'll look like geniuses. But if we say he didn't, he won and he didn't, didn't win, then we'll look like morons. I think Danny is going to win Dancing with the Stars. You think Danny? No, he won Dancing with the Stars.

Fucking let's go, Dolah. Shout out. Woo! Time. What kind of dude does Emmett Smith? I would say... On three. One, two, three.

Stud. I mean, he was relentless, man. I mean, like dogs, dogs get hurt and they don't care one bit. They just keep on going. Amit Smith just kept going. He's a crazy stud because you think about it. when you think of that generation. Like when I think a dog, I think of someone who, like, he won every year.

He didn't have to have to be a dog. Like, he was the pedigree. Everyone knew he was the guy. One of the faces of the Dallas Cowboys, which was America's team, he had the pedigree. He went on dancing with the stars. He won Dancing with the Stars. You telling me dogs go out there and win some dancing with the stars? No, dogs don't go out and win dancing with the stars.

Studs do. Dogs go out there and dancing with the stars. and lose the first round because they're just so happy to be there. And they're just roofing around and they can't figure out what to do. But they do it at 100 miles now. They do it at 100 miles per hour.

And they're just going out there and just being so careless and running over everything in sight. Motivated to win, but they don't know how to do it. Yeah. So then I just talked to you in. I talked to you in. You talked to me into it.

You all sees a stud. Stud. Stamp it. Mm-hmm. It's that time to put on your jersey and wave your flowers. Whoever you root for. Why do I watch the World Cup?

That's like asking me, why do I breed? And it's beautiful. The guys are young and cute and fit. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari,

and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. Listen to American Football on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Joy is essential and it's also elusive. But now, there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence.

Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me, How to Coppe. If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Open your free IHeart Radio app. Search Joy 101 and listen now. Joy 101 with Hoda Cotfi is presented by CVS. I've been hearing for decades that the markets can solve climate change.

Today, we have more incentives for market solutions than ever and emissions are rising. On this season of drilled, Carbon Cowboys, the story of three market solutions colliding in one multinational boondoggle. You got to give kids. They don't get a bit of money. Listen on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here at the Happiness Lab, we're serving up some hot takes for the summer. Big ideas that just might reshape how you think about your well-being. Like the radical notion that we should get rid of small talk completely.

We talk about current events. We talk about what you do for a living. But not, do you love what you do for a living? Is this your dream job? For more surprising ideas backed by psychological science, check out our new series, Happiness Hot Takes. Listen to the Happiness Lab with me, Dr. Laurie Santos, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thank you.