“About to Have a Heart Attack”: Stephen A. Smith Leaves Co-Host Shell-Shocked With His Choice for Victor of NFC East

Stephen A. Smith is known for having strong viewpoints and unfiltered pointers. Smith usually takes a stance and backs it up as best he can. It is very rare when he is unsure of something. Smith is not known for sitting on the fence. On ESPN’s First Take, one such moment reared its head. Shannon Sharpe and Pat McAfee were on hand to witness the occasion. Co-host Molly Qerim asked whether the Dallas Cowboys were on the same level as the Philadelphia Eagles.

McAfee jumped up to enact some of the Cowboys’ plays that fetched them a win at the Los Angeles Chargers. He reminded the expert panel the Eagles had played in the last Super Bowl. Sharpe opined the 4-2 Cowboys had almost caught up to the slightly better 5-1 Eagles. He added the NFC East will be a two-horse race between both sides. When it was Stephen A. Smith’s turn to answer, he could not pick the victor.

Stephen A. Smith unable to pick his victor for the NFC East

Stephen A. Smith, addressing Sharpe and McAfee, confessed he was at a loss. Smith said, “I’m not so sure anymore, fellas. I’m not so sure. I’m not so sure.” Just as the first sentence exited his mouth, Shannon Sharpe yelled out, “Oh, come on! Doom and gloom is Tuesday!” Pat McAfee jumped to his feet once more while his jaw fell to the floor, staying there for a bit.

Smith explained his reasoning further and said, “Let me explain. I know Pat McAfee about to have a heart attack. It’s the truth. I’m not so sure. But it’s by default. I don’t like what I’m seeing from Jalen Hurts right now. He’s tied second in the league for interceptions with Mac Jones, second only to Jimmy Garoppolo.” Stephen A. Smith dove deeper into the statistics to add a little more context.

Smith singled out Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and added, “I’m looking at Jalen Hurts. 40 percent of the time, I mean, when you’re looking at dropbacks, this guy’s 3-7 as a starter when he’s pressured 40 percent or more on his dropbacks. When it’s less, then obviously he’s like 25-5. You look at the Philadelphia Eagles right now, they go where he takes them.” Stephen A. Smith added Jalen Hurts was a far cry from his version on show the previous season.

Another not-so-veiled shot at Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott

With the inevitable then happening, Stephen A. Smith took what is slowly becoming a characteristic dig at Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Smith said, “Last year, he [Hurts] was a league MVP candidate. This year, he has been average. I’m not saying he’s awful by any stretch, love Jalen Hurts, believe in Jalen Hurts. But I can’t definitively look at him and say he’s exponentially better than Dak Prescott.” He affirmed his belief in Hurts’ capabilities.

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Stephen A. Smith opined there was not much to separate the Cowboys and the Eagles, presently. Smith put both starting quarterbacks in the same category. That, according to him, evened the scales between the two sides, at least for the moment. He lauded the Cowboys for their win at the SoFi Stadium.

Stephen A. Smith put forward what he considered a fair assessment of the divide between the Cowboys and the Eagles. McAfee joked very few of Dak Prescott’s entourage would consider him fair-minded. Though he did not pick a side, Smith put forth a cogent argument. It remains to be seen how many on either side agree with his take on this situation.

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