Ashton Jeanty's rookie season with the Las Vegas Raiders didn't go the way that he or a lot of folks wanted it to go. But all one had to do was watch a single Raiders offensive series under Chip Kelly or Greg Olson to understand that practically none of it was the first-year running back's fault.
Hiring Klint Kubiak should do wonders for Jeanty in Las Vegas as he approaches Year 2, not to mention a better offensive line coach and run game coordinator, as well as enforcements up front and in the backfield to pave the way and potentially take some of the pressure off him.
But some people just have blinders up about the Silver and Black. And for a lot of folks, that is easy to understand, as the Raiders haven't exactly been a beacon of success or consistency over the years. But for Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, who recently slammed Jeanty and Las Vegas, it's just baseless.
Emmitt Smith completely missed the mark with criticism of Las Vegas Raiders and Ashton Jeanty
Heavy Sports' Austin Boyd recently conducted an interview with Smith, a Dallas Cowboys legend and all-time great running back. When asked about the Raiders' Jeanty, Smith went on a tirade devoid of any fact or nuance about the Silver and Black.
“You talk about Ashton Jeanty coming out of college and doing the things that he did in college, but he went to the Raiders," Smith said. "He went to the Raiders. “That’s all I have to say: He went to the Raiders. And the Raiders get enamored with Heisman Trophies. You know how many Heisman Trophy winners the Raiders have drafted? And think about how many Heisman Trophy winners that they drafted are actually in the Hall of Fame. I mean, they drafted a ton of Heisman Trophy winners.”
As Boyd pointed out, the franchise has only drafted five Heisman Trophy winners in its illustrious history: Tim Brown, Charles Woodson, Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson, and now Fernando Mendoza. Of course, the former three are Hall of Famers, so the answer to Smith's question is three. Pretty simple.
Jackson is also undoubtedly one of the best athletes of all time and could have ended up in Canton, had it not been for an injury that prematurely ended his career. And Mendoza, of course, hasn't yet played a game. So, a 75% Hall of Fame rate among Heisman Trophy-winning draftees is pretty good.
It also seems as if Smith is under the impression that Jeanty won the Heisman. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought up this point. Jeanty did not, in fact, win the coveted trophy, as he came in second to Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter in somewhat controversial fashion. But I digress.
Smith, like many, is jaded about the Raiders. It's unclear why the NFL's all-time leader in rushes, touches, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and rushing first downs has to be bitter about Las Vegas and push a misleading narrative that, factually speaking, is untrue. But he did.
Jeanty can seemingly add Smith to the list of people that he needs to prove wrong in his sophomore campaign and beyond, though. Raider Nation knows the truth about this young star, and Smith, like everyone else, will see it on the field this coming fall. He won't be able to hide from those facts.
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