Tag: Stephen A. Smith

Paul Finebaum on the future of Nick Saban, Alabama: ‘This dynasty’s window is closing’

Paul Finebaum’s outlook for Nick Saban isn’t great.

For the first time since the College Football Playoff was implemented in 2014, Alabama will (most likely) not be one of the four teams competing for a national championship.

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, whose most recent title was in the 2017-18 season, lost Saturday to Auburn for their second defeat of the season, effectively knocking them out of the playoff picture with so many undefeated and one-loss teams still in the hunt. They also lost earlier this season to LSU, which will play Georgia in the SEC championship game Saturday.

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum says Alabama’s issues are about more than this season, which is why he argues the Saban’s dominance in college football is coming to an end.

“We’re not saying he’s done,” Finebaum said Tuesday on Get Up about the 68-year-old coach. “We’re saying this dynasty’s window is closing very tightly.”

Alabama lost starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a season-ending hip injury earlier this month in the team’s win against Mississippi State, and that was after he missed the Arkansas game in October while recovering from ankle surgery. Sophomore Mac Jones is finishing out the season as the starter, but as we saw against Auburn, even with so many explosive players on offense, he has some catching up to do.

Finebaum explained what he sees as the bigger picture for Saban’s and Alabama’s future.

He said to Get Up host Mike Greenberg:

“It’s been happening very slowly over the past couple years, but I think over the last couple of months, we’ve seen it. It started with the 28-point blowout to Clemson [in the 2018-19 national championship game]. Saban said, ‘We have to get the Alabama factor back.’ It didn’t happen. It has been a really disappointing season. People are saying, ‘Are you kidding? Alabama went 10-2, and they’re still ranked in the top 10.’ But that’s the difference at Alabama. Couple of reasons why, Greeny. Staff turnover has been a constant churn, especially on the defensive side. Recruiting is an issue. They’re still No. 2 or 3 in recruiting, but they’re being pressed hard by Clemson and Georgia.

“And I’ll say this: I know that everyone will be surprised to know that I covered the end of Bear Bryant’s tenure about 38 years ago as a young reporter — yes, young — and I saw some of the very same signs. He’s considered the greatest coach of all time. Saban surpassed him. It looks very similar.”

Not everyone agrees with Finebaum’s assessment, including Dan Orlovsky, who was sitting across from Finebaum and Greenberg. Orlovsky pointed out how Alabama’s most recent title was only two years ago and said the team has plenty to look forward to as its younger players gain experience.

Stephen A. Smith was also not a fan of Finebaum’s argument, calling it “Absolute Blasphemy”.

Finebaum expanded on his initial reaction to Alabama’s loss while on SportsCenter on Sunday. He described the Crimson Tide as lacking discipline and the defensive prowess it’s typically known for, and put the blame squarely on Saban.

He said:

“He promised after the 28-point loss to Clemson that the Alabama factor would be re-established. Has anyone seen it? I haven’t. Penalties and galore. Thirteen penalties, five false starts. There’s no discipline, not enough discipline on this team, and when you start really breaking it down, defense is where the problem is. This team against the last three top-20 opponents has given up 44, 46 and 48 points! That’s not the Nick Saban team I’m accustomed to.”

[vertical-gallery id=874153]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

Stephen A. Smith celebrates Cowboys loss with a cigar

Stephen A. Smith took a victory lap on Friday after the Cowboys’ loss to the Bills.

No one enjoyed the Cowboys’ crushing home loss on Thanksgiving more than Stephen A. Smith, who trolled Cowboys fans with an epic video on Twitter after the game. Smith, who can’t stand the “sickening, nauseating, disgusting” Cowboys fanbase, took a victory lap on Friday’s episode of First Take, and recorded a special show intro wearing a cowboy hat and holding a cigar.

Smith argued that Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has to go, and that it makes no sense for the organization to stand by him after he has struggled to meet expectations for years.

“When a quarterback is struggling, they’ll change up. If a wide receiver, a tight end, an offensive tackle [struggles], they’ll change up…. You’re sitting around appalled at the thought of somebody getting rid of Jason Garrett. You get rid of players every day! Why can’t you get rid of a coach that ain’t getting it done? I don’t understand it. Of course he should be gone right now.”

[opinary poll=”should-the-cowboys-fire-jason-garrett_fo” customer=”forthewin”]

[vertical-gallery id=873797]

Stephen A. Smith gleefully trolls the Cowboys after Thanksgiving Day loss

Stephen A. Smith gleefully trolls the Cowboys after loss to Bills

The Dallas Cowboys suffered a demoralizing home loss on Thanksgiving Day to the Buffalo Bills, and no one enjoyed reveled in the misery of Cowboys fans more than ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who could barely contain himself in a video he uploaded to Twitter on Thursday night. Smith sipped on a glass of wine and couldn’t stop laughing over the current state of the Cowboys, as Dallas fell to 6-6 with the loss to allow the Eagles right back into the NFC East divisional race.

“You know, I tried to tell y’all…. I’m sitting on Thanksgiving. It’s Thanksgiving evening. Stomach’s full. I’ve eaten very well. Spending beautiful time with my family. My sister Carmen hooked me up, you know what I’m saying? Very, very good evening.

And then what happens? As if I needed another reason to laugh. As if I needed another reason to smile, Josh Allen, some second-year quarterback, rolls into Jerry World looking like the second coming of Joe Montana! Oh, I’m sorry, Lamar Jackson!

You know, First Take’s going to be beautiful tomorrow. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I was tired, I was sleepy, but not anymore!

[uncontrollable laughter]

Hey y’all… HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS?”

First Take is going to be a spectacle on Friday.

[opinary poll=”which-nfc-east-team-is-going-to-make-the” customer=”forthewin”]

[vertical-gallery id=873797]

Stephen A. Smith clarifies his criticism of Colin Kaepernick

Stephen A. Smith sounds off on Colin Kaepernick’s decision to ditch the NFL-organized workout last weekend.

The Colin Kaepernick saga took another surprising twist last weekend, when Kaepernick opted not to participate in an NFL-sanctioned workout in Atlanta at the last minute, and instead staged his own workout at a high school, which was open to the media.

When the workout, which was set to be held at the Atlanta Falcons’ training facility and run by former head coach Hue Jackson, was announced last week, Kaepernick tweeted that he was looking forward to meeting with the various team officials in attendance – but Kaepernick’s camp did not agree to the NFL’s terms of the event. According to Jackson, who appeared on First Take on Friday, he was informed just 10 minutes before the workout was supposed to begin that Kaepernick would not be participating. Jackson said that he spoke to Kaepernick’s agent on Friday, who gave him every indication the previous day that the QB would be working out.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has come under fire for his reactions to Kaepernick’s decision to shirk the NFL, from current and former NFL players, along with co-host Max Kellerman. Earlier this week, Smith said that Kaepernick’s actions proved that he “doesn’t want to play, he wants to be a martyr.” On Thursday, Terrell Owens called out Smith on First Take, saying that Kellerman – who has argued that Kapernick was right to not give the NFL control over his workout – “seemed blacker” than Smith.

On Friday’s episode, Smith clarified some of his earlier comments on the Kaepernick situation, and argued that the timing of Kaepernick’s change of plans indicated that he had been orchestrating the event all along.

“This is where I’m coming from. Somebody’s going to have to explain to me how you [Hue Jackson] just told me that you were on the phone with the representatives for Colin Kaepernick as of Friday, and yet some how, some way, this high school that you went two an hour and 20 minutes away, 51 miles away, was just impromptu.

I don’t know if you know anything about public high schools…. but let me tell you something about a public high school. You’ve got to get permission to use those facilities. You know anybody working on Saturday morning? I don’t.

…. Which means that ultimately, at the time that you were talking to the rep that was giving you every indication that you needed to be [at the Falcons’ facility] because ‘we’re coming,’ OK, that an alternative plan was being put in play.

And why? We see the Colin Kaepernick jerseys out there. So those people just showed up wearing that jersey? No organization whatsoever, huh? ‘I’m with Kaep.’ That’s just an accident? Or the others with t-shirts that said ‘I know my rights.’ That was an accident? That wasn’t planned? That wasn’t orchestrated?

Let’s understand something here. At the end of the day, Colin Kaepernick may indeed want to play football, and I understand that people took issue with my point ‘he don’t wanna play, he wants to be a martyr.’

I meant the martyr part. But I wasn’t literal about saying he doesn’t want to play. What I was trying to state was this: You have a history with the National Football League. A history that obviously is not fair. They have blackballed him. He has been mistreated. It has been unfair. This man deserves to be in the league. He did not violate any laws, he did not violate any bylaws. He should have never been blackballed from the NFL.”

Smith said that Kaepernick’s camp reached out to him when the quarterback was trying to make it back to the NFL, and expressed that Kaepernick simply wanted to play and was willing to put his history with the NFL behind him. For Smith, his actions over the weekend proved otherwise.

“What happened was, he had the [second] workout, and then after the workout, he antagonizes the very commissioner who helped put this together, told him to ‘stop running,’ showed up with a Kunta Kinte shirt on…. I’m saying as a black person, to know that you’re going to do that… There is no black person with sense that thinks that’s going to help them get a job!”

[opinary poll=”is-stephen-a-smith-right-about-colin-kae” customer=”forthewin”]

[vertical-gallery id=871630]

Stephen A. Smith loses it when Terrell Owens says Max Kellerman ‘seems blacker than you’

“You ain’t the only brother out there that’s in the streets.”

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith has faced plenty of criticism this past week for how he responded to Colin Kaepernick’s handling of an NFL-organized workout in Atlanta last Saturday.

Kaepernick opted to hold his own open workout at a high school after the NFL prohibited outside cameras from filming at the Falcons facility and urged him to a sign a conspicuously broad waiver. When Kaepernick’s workout came to a close, Smith joined a number of prominent media members in carrying water for the league.

That prompted co-host Max Kellerman to shut down Smith’s pro-NFL stance on First Take. But on Thursday, Hall of Fame NFL receiver Terrell Owens also went after Smith for the Kaepernick criticism. Owens told Smith that Kellerman “seemed blacker” than Smith for supporting Kaepernick, and the ESPN personality wasn’t happy with the remark.

Smith said in response:

“With all due respect, my brother, Imma check you right now. You don’t cross the line. You don’t cross the line. First of all, like I said, you, Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid, any of y’all that want to debate me in front of black people and talk about what’s best for black people, name the time and place — I’ll show up.

“I don’t want to hear … What’s the definition of blackness? Is there a definitive definition of blackness? Why are you giving the impression that because I don’t march lockstep with every single thing that Colin Kaepernick wants, OK, excuse me … But you just sat up there and used an expression, ‘More blacker.’ Excuse me. I’m from Hollis, Queens, New York City. You ain’t the only brother out there that’s in the streets. I’m in the streets everyday. So, let’s be very clear, and you damn well know that’s the truth. And so my point to you is this, again, I’m not going to disrespect you. I’m not going to go that route. But based just on what you just said, this is supposedly Stephen A. and T.O. going at one another. Did you know that I invited Colin Kaepernick to give him this platform for the entire two hours? … The floor is yours. I also gave that invitation to Eric Reid. I know people at other networks that has given Colin Kaepernick that same thing. They disagreed with him to some degree. Are you questioning their blackness too?”

Owens responded that he didn’t mean the comment as disrespect, which Smith didn’t exactly buy.

Smith had clashed with Eric Reid over the weekend on social media and carried much of that same commentary into the week’s First Take telecasts.

[jwplayer FWUuPAAw-q2aasYxh]

[opinary poll=”is-stephen-a-smith-right-about-colin-kae” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Stephen A. Smith says he’s hearing troubling reports about Kyrie Irving’s attitude

Stephen A. Smith says negative reports about Kyrie Irving’s attitude are circulating.

Kyrie Irving’s temperament has been an ongoing storyline early in the NBA season, and according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Irving’s attitude could be an issue in Brooklyn, where the Nets have gotten off to a 6-8 start.

On October 28th, Jackie MacMullan published an extensive piece on the Nets that included a controversial tidbit from Nets team sources. According to that source, Irving is prone to mood swings, and can “shut down” on the team.

Via ESPN:

“When Irving lapses into these funks, he often shuts down, unwilling to communicate with the coaching staff, front office and, sometimes, even his teammates. Nets team sources say one such episode occurred during Brooklyn’s trip to China, leaving everyone scratching their heads as to what precipitated it.”

Irving responded to the report by noting that he’s a human being, and that everyone goes through mood changes. Kevin Durant defended his teammate during an appearance on First Take, and said that the Nets have had no problems at all with Irving as a teammate.

On Thursday, though, Smith said on First Take that he’s continuing to hear negative things about Kyrie Irving’s attitude from sources.

“I am not hearing good things about Kyrie in Brooklyn. I’m talking about you’re hearing [things]… you’re just hearing about the mood. People are putting stuff out there. I don’t think it’s fair, I don’t know accurate it is. But I am telling, if Kyrie’s listening, I’m telling you there is stuff circulating out there about him from an attitude perspective.”

[vertical-gallery id=871630]

[opinary poll=”will-kyrie-irving-win-a-title-with-the-n” customer=”forthewin”]

Stephen A. Smith on backlash over his Kaepernick comments: ‘I’m a black man, you idiots’

Smith was not happy with the criticism.

Colin Kaepernick’s canceled-then-moved workout in Atlanta on Saturday predictably dominated the NFL conversation into the week.

What wasn’t as predictable, though, was who went to bat for the NFL and who defended Kaepernick against the organization that denied him an opportunity to work for three years.

Starting on Sunday, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith took a decidedly pro-NFL stance on the matter. He criticized Kaepernick for how he handled the workout invitation, sparred with Eric Reid on social media and doubted whether Kaepernick even wanted to play football again.

It ultimately took First Take co-host Max Kellerman to shut down Smith’s anti-Kaepernick rhetoric, but Smith’s handling of the situation has in turn sent plenty of backlash his way. During Tuesday’s edition of First Take, Smith issued a response to those who had a problem with his Kaepernick commentary the past couple days.

Smith said:

“When I sit up there, and I sat here yesterday, and I spoke about how his points are eradicated, I’m not talking about the kneeling. I’m not talking about the protesting. I’m a black man, you idiots! You think I have a problem with a man that is kneeling and protesting racial oppression and police brutality? Do you know anything about my history in 25 years in this damn business? From The New York Daily News to the Philadelphia Inquirer to CNN to Fox to ESPN. Do you have any idea about my damn background and the fights that I have taken on the behalf of African Americans throughout this nation’s history? Do you have any idea who the hell you are talking about?”

Smith continued to say that Kaepernick’s actions got in the way of his hopes of returning to the NFL.

You can watch the full segment here.

[jwplayer OTzZbSQQ-q2aasYxh]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Stephen A. Smith and Eric Reid had a heated exchange over Colin Kaepernick’s workout

“Tap dancing for the NFL.”

While Stephen A. Smith’s primary role at ESPN is that of a hot-take artist on First Take, he offered some reporting earlier in the week about Colin Kaepernick’s NFL workout in Atlanta.

Smith reported Wednesday that his “sources” told him that two teams were interested in Kaepernick’s services and that 10 owners didn’t want Kaepernick in the league. Those two teams were free to bring Kaepernick in for individual workouts but declined to do so.

But when disagreements over the terms for Saturday’s hastily planned workout led to Kaepernick holding his own open-to-media event in Atlanta, Smith posted a three-minute video criticizing Kaepernick for how he handled the day. Smith claimed that Kaepernick had no interest in playing in the NFL, which wasn’t met kindly by Panthers safety Eric Reid.

Reid responded to Smith that Kaepernick was right to want to control the narrative against an organization that had shut him out for the past three years. The NFL wanted the event to be closed to the media and handle the video distribution itself, which could have (and probably would have) led to a flurry of anonymous scouts reporting how poorly Kaepernick performed.

Reid continued to criticize Smith for parroting NFL talking points, and that prompted Smith to issue his own response on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

The more you talk, the more ridiculous you sound, @e_reid35. Actually, it’s worse than I thought since you’re the one tweeting at me hours before a damn game. And speaking of the game, weren’t you in Atlanta in attendance for Kaepernick’s workout yesterday — before having to leave EARLY to play for a team in a league you’re feeling so oppressed by? Wasn’t that you? Just asking! Hold on! I have more! That same Malcolm X — who we all revere for life — you just brought up acknowledged there were slight errors in his thinking. You didn’t bring that up? You Eric Reid went through the same process Kap was suppose to be go through and you’re still playing on Sunday. But you didn’t bring that up! And unlike you, walking around and doing nothing but bitching at every turn, myself and many others in the media have religiously called out the NFL for blackballing Kap. We’ve religiously highlighted the unfairness of it all. And some of us have worked behind the scenes, trying to help Jay-Z and others in their quest to get Kap back in the league. Meanwhile, what is Eric Reid doing? Complaining like he wants to be on @firsttake. Failing to stop the run on Sundays. Talking S$&@ about the NFL at every turn…….but asking for that check, no doubt! Yet, I’m the one tap dancing. Why? Because I’m gainfully employed while trying to remind youngsters out her of the pitfalls that lie-in-wait. Meanwhile, someone like you continues to throw professionalism, decorum and decency into the wind — sending folks down a dead-end path — all because your boy isn’t getting precisely his way…..when NO ONE gets their way. So who’s the SELLOUT! Guess what, it’s neither of us. We just have a difference of opinion. I still respect the hell out of your immature, belligerent self. But I’m going to call it like I see it. Kaepernick made a mistake the way he handled all this…….IF he really wants a job in the NFL. Period. And your contribution to all of this doesn’t help. It hurts. It ain’t about you being wrong. It’s about you needing to grow the hell up. Your decision. Your life! Do you!

A post shared by Stephen A. Smith (@stephenasmith) on

Smith wrote:

The more you talk, the more ridiculous you sound, @e_reid35. Actually, it’s worse than I thought since you’re the one tweeting at me hours before a damn game. And speaking of the game, weren’t you in Atlanta in attendance for Kaepernick’s workout yesterday — before having to leave EARLY to play for a team in a league you’re feeling so oppressed by? Wasn’t that you? Just asking! Hold on! I have more!

That same Malcolm X — who we all revere for life — you just brought up acknowledged there were slight errors in his thinking. You didn’t bring that up? You Eric Reid went through the same process Kap was suppose to be go through and you’re still playing on Sunday. But you didn’t bring that up! And unlike you, walking around and doing nothing but bitching at every turn, myself and many others in the media have religiously called out the NFL for blackballing Kap. We’ve religiously highlighted the unfairness of it all. And some of us have worked behind the scenes, trying to help Jay-Z and others in their quest to get Kap back in the league. Meanwhile, what is Eric Reid doing? Complaining like he wants to be on @firsttake. Failing to stop the run on Sundays. Talking S$&@ about the NFL at every turn…….but asking for that check, no doubt!

Yet, I’m the one tap dancing. Why? Because I’m gainfully employed while trying to remind youngsters out her of the pitfalls that lie-in-wait. Meanwhile, someone like you continues to throw professionalism, decorum and decency into the wind — sending folks down a dead-end path — all because your boy isn’t getting precisely his way…..when NO ONE gets their way. So who’s the SELLOUT!

Guess what, it’s neither of us. We just have a difference of opinion. I still respect the hell out of your immature, belligerent self. But I’m going to call it like I see it. Kaepernick made a mistake the way he handled all this…….IF he really wants a job in the NFL. Period. And your contribution to all of this doesn’t help. It hurts. It ain’t about you being wrong. It’s about you needing to grow the hell up. Your decision. Your life! Do you!

Kaepernick elected to hold his own workout in Atlanta with media present and proved what we already knew: He’s an NFL-caliber quarterback.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Eric Reid rips Stephen A. Smith for saying Colin Kaepernick doesn’t want to play

Kaepernick showed he still has elite arm talent, finishing off his throwing reps with a 55-yard bomb.

Eric Reid showed up for Colin Kaepernick’s workout in Atlanta last night, which was moved to a different location at the last minute due to yet another conflict with the NFL. Kaepernick’s team wanted transparency. Because the league wouldn’t allow the media in to film his scheduled workout at the Falcons’ practice facility, he held his own at a local high school.

Kaepernick showed he still has elite arm talent, finishing off his throwing reps with a 55-yard bomb.

After the workout was over, there was no shortage of hot takes from the media. One of the worst came from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who took to Twitter and claimed that Kaepernick doesn’t actually want to play because he moved the workout.

This morning, Reid responded to Smith’s take with a few tweets of his own. Here’s what he had to say.

It’s one thing to say Kaepernick isn’t good enough to play in the NFL anymore, but to say he doesn’t want it is simply not true.

Eight teams wound up attending Kaepernick’s event, down from the 25 that were originally supposed to show to the original league-sanctioned workout.

The Panthers were not one of the teams who planned to attend. Owner David Tepper told Reid earlier this week that the team isn’t looking to add a veteran quarterback at this time. However, if that changes he said the team will consider Kaepernick. Reid said he told Tepper he’ll hold him to that.

[lawrence-related id=614181]

[vertical-gallery id=613865]

Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless are …

Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless are poised to pull off a possible reunion at ESPN’s “First Take,” sources told Front Office Sports. Bayless’ current contract with Fox Sports expires in 2020, said sources. Smith refers to Bayless as his “brother from another mother.” The former “First Take” sparring partners could reunite on the “Embrace Debate” morning show that turned them both into national stars. “They both want to make it happen. I’m just not sure ESPN will hit Fox’s number,” said one source.