DALLAS — One debate that will always rage through the Dallas Cowboys fan base, regardless of the fortunes of the current team, is who is the greatest player in franchise history.
Certainly quarterbacks, the focal position of the entire NFL, are up for consideration as Roger Staubach led the Cowboys to two Super Bowl victories at the end of the 1971 and 1977 seasons, even earning a Super Bowl MVP in the process.
Troy Aikman not only duplicated Staubach's success in the early 1990s, but added a third Super Bowl win of his own to help Dallas to their five total championships that fans love to reference in arguments with other fan bases.
Bookies.com sought the four best players of all-time for all 32 active franchises, and the Cowboys' results aren't too surprising for anyone born after 1980.
Using Pro Football Reference and its Career Weighted Approximate Value (Career AV) and Hall of Fame Monitor score, they were able to come up with the formula that named running back Emmitt Smith as the greatest Cowboys player ever.
It makes sense that the NFL's all-time leading rusher would be the greatest player in franchise history.
Smith was also a staple of the Cowboys from 1990 to 2002. Only in his rookie season and final season with the team did Smith fail to post 1,000 yards, albeit they were still 900-plus yard campaigns. That is on top of the three Super Bowl wins, Super Bowl MVP, league MVP, four NFL rushing titles, eight Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pro appearances.
The second-greatest Dallas player on the list was Mr. Cowboy, Bob Lilly. The former defensive tackle played in an era when defensive line stats such as sacks were not official, but he nevertheless made an impact with his command of double and triple teams. Lilly, the Cowboys' first ever draft pick and first ever inductee into the Ring of Honor, made 11 Pro Bowls, seven first-team All-Pros and won a Super Bowl at the end of the 1971 season.
Another defensive tackle made the list with Randy White, who similarly had seven first-team All-Pros, nine Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl win to add to his resume. Although White was 29 years old by the time sacks became an official statistic in 1982, he posted three double-digit sack seasons from 1983 to 1985, demonstrating the ferocity that he had playing in the interior of coach Tom Landry's 4-3 Flex defense.
The fourth player on the list was offensive lineman Larry Allen, who remains the only Cowboys player to make the Pro Bowl at four different offensive line positions (left tackle, left guard, right guard, right tackle).
Not only was Allen versatile, but he was strong. Number 73 moved defensive linemen around like practice dummies, and with legendary TV commentator John Madden highlighting his play, Allen got the recognition with 10 Pro Bowls, six first-team All-Pros and a Super Bowl ring at the end of the 1995 season.
For his career, Allen had 11 Pro Bowl selections as he earned one in 2006, his first of his two final NFL seasons spent with the San Francisco 49ers.
The top-four Cowboys have the same thing in common: multiple All-Pros, best at their positions and Super Bowl champions. The standard is high in Dallas, which is why sporting the star comes with such heavy criticism and lofty expectations.
Do you agree with the notion that Emmitt Smith is the all-time best Cowboy? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
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