Emmitt Smith says players should spend a month stretching for 17-game season

PHOENIX, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Emmitt Smith, known as one of the most-durable NFL stars in history, told UPI that modern players should spend a month of the off-season stretching their bruised bodies to prepare for the modern, 17-game schedule.

Smith appeared in 226 regular-season games and 17 playoff games during his 15-year, Hall of Fame career. He missed just five games through his first 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

The NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards (18,355) won three Super Bowls and an MVP during his durable tenure.

"I was telling [Cowboys linebacker] Micah Parsons the other day about getting into Pilates and getting to stretch more," Smith said at Super Bowl radio row Friday at the Phoenix Convention Center.

"Spend the whole first month of the off-season doing nothing but stretching, working on flexibility, the recovery process, get massages and get your body relaxed."

Smith said players should then work their way back into training by using stationary bikes to boost their heart rate. He said he would move later to weight training.

"If I could go back and do it again, that's what I would do," said Smith, who spoke to UPI on behalf of a Bounty paper towel campaign.

Smith's expertise at staying durable is something his son, Stanford running back E.J. Smith also takes advantage of. E.J. sustained a season-ending injury during his junior season. He said he expects to be 100% healthy to start the 2023 season.

"He makes sure I takes my vitamins go to treatment every day," E.J. said. "I'm stretching and just doing the things I need to do to maintain and stay healthy."

College football teams typically play in about a dozen games each season. The NFL regular-season schedule increased from 14 to 16 games a decade before Smith came into the league.

The league added a 17th regular-season game in 2022-23, which Smith said will put more stress on running back health. Those concerns could lead to teams changing their roster strategies for the position.

Running back future

"It's a lot if you have one guy carrying that load for 17 games," Smith said. "I think back to when I played, and I don't know what my body would feel like now."

Smith said the increased workloads will likely lead to teams signing more running backs. It also could spark desire for players to be more well rounded as dual-threat weapons, who can catch and run.

The decrease in a single workhorse style runner -- like Smith once was -- also could lead to better bargaining power for teams who don't want to pay players top dollar, he said.

"I think, from the strategic standpoint, it's one way to keep money down because they can say 'hey, you're not carrying it as much.' But not if you're a guy that has that dual-threat ability and you're [always] on the field," Smith said.

"The best ability is availability. And that's the key to being a football player -- period."

Smith admitted that "it's possible" he might have had decreased usage or had been less productive in today's NFL because of the extra game and desire for teams to use a committee of running backs instead of a bell cow -- a player capable of taking on a large workload and flourishing.

"But it's kind of contradictory," Smith said. "The NFL talks about head trauma and this other stuff and then they add another game.

"Then we want to break it down and minimize the value of that [running back] position. But the position is really more valuable than most people give credit."

As far as credit is concerned, Smith lauded Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott for fighting through injuries and totaling nearly 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 2022.

He said he thinks the Cowboys should keep Elliott and breakout running back Tony Pollard on the roster to compensate for potential injury risk.

Highlight reel plays and explosive seasons might attract many fans, but Smith says consistency and durability are vital to staying in the NFL for as long as he did.

"The key to having a career is to establish yourself as a durable, 'I can count on you' guy," Smith said. "If you can be durable and consistent, you have chance to have a long career in the NFL."

Smith said he will be cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles -- one of the Cowboys' biggest rivals -- in Super Bowl LVII. The Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will meet at 6:30 p.m. EST Sunday on Fox.

"That type of offense -- grinders that wear you down -- that's the way we used to play," Smith said. "Full throttle and in a pressure cooker the whole entire time.

"When you can do that offensively and have a solid defense that can hold up, get turnovers and sack the quarterback, that puts a lot of pressure on the opposing team."