The Stephen A. Smith ShowInterview: NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter and Stephen A debate Undefeated Vikings, Cowboys Mess and Bill Belichik's coaching options.
Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown. Recaps Week 3 of the NFL season and Colorado's Hail Mary Victory with Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter.
Let's get right to the NFL.
As I promised y'all we would get to some of the headlines from week three with my man, my next guest. You can catch him every Monday night right here on this show. He's a legend. He's a Hall of Famer. All the man did was catch touchdowns. I'm talking about my boy to one and only, Chris Carter.
What's going on? Big Time?
How are you all good? Bruh? If you know I'm coming on the show every Monday? Man, how how can you start your shows and talk about those shows and not talk about the Purple and what they're doing? Now?
Why should I? Why should I? Oh?
Okay, that's the kind of atturitude was gonna have.
Okaya, because you you forget who your quarterback is. If we talk about Sam Donald, Okay, you can bring up what we're seeing over the first three games.
You're giving me three games.
I could give you six years of ineptitude on his part before.
These three games.
What's the issue? Now? I give you that, But I also have seen you through the years change your strips. I saw you get on the Geno Smith bandwagon after the way he was barraged about his career early. So I do know that you believe that quarterbacks can make a comeback, and especially coaches like we have in Minnesota and Kevin O'Connor who is doing a great job with the quarterbacks. And also i've heard you talk about Baker Mayfield, him getting the new life there in Tampa. Back. Neither one of them have the roster that Minnesota has. Neither one of them have the offensive person in that Minnesota has. So if you're gonna, if you're gonna continue to believe in those quarterbacks, you gotta give oh, please, got to give our guys his credit.
I feel you on that, all right, give him a little credit. I give him a little bit of credit. But you're gonna bring up Geno Smith. I said something to him after he made the playoffs. You're gonna bring me up making Mayfield, I said, center bye after he beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs and then showed up years later in Tampa and he got them in a playoff. They beat the Eagles last year in the playoffs. Okay, you're giving me Sam Donald three games? His sham Donald Sam Donald debt ranked dead last in both completion percentage and passer rating in the NFL from twenty and eighteen to twenty and twenty three among thirty nine quarterbacks with at least one thousand plus pass attempts. So that's what I'm looking at now, what I'm seeing right now, I ain't gonna front I like him, and I know justin Jefferson is that dude. Once Addison comes back, they're gonna be even Mohockerson as well. I get all of that, But why should we be convinced. Why should we be convinced that what we're seeing from the Minnesota Vikers, who, by the way, were even talking about the lead off the show because they ran Roddy Houston yesterday.
They were all over CJ. Strout and those boys.
But why should we look at Sam Donald and believe that what was taking place the previous five or six years ain't gonna suddenly reoccur.
Right, Let's just say you ignore all the person that, you ignore the offensive head coach that we have in Ko, and then now you're gonna ignore the defense With Ryan Flores. That only conversation we have about him was did he affect to his career in the neck? Now we can argue that and a couple of other shows, but he has a top five defense without top five personnet so what they're doing defensively, the amount of confusion that they have put on three straight weeks. The New York Giants totally confused in week number one, Josh Herdy huh, super Bowl quarterback totally confused in week number two, and everyone's fading my buck guy C J. Strapp, a straight stud confused, didn't score until late in the third quarter. So it's just not about Sam Donald. This is about complimentary football. And without a Pro Bowl tight end and without another All Star wide receiver that are out, you know, the Vikings are only going to get better as the season goes on.
But but you see how you slick, You see how you slick.
How you gonna mention San Francisco and don't bring up the fact that Christian McCaffrey out. Okay, Deebo, Samuel got hurt. I mean they got some of their weapons, ain't there. You're just gonna bring up San Francisco like that.
Right right? Absolutely, that's been lost again. San Francisco's having problems. The Vikings exposed them. The Rams took advantage of that. Injuries are part of the game like everyone's doing. The Vikings got their own injuries and everything. Now the next two weeks, okay, they go to Greenboty and then myself and Randy Mass we're gonna be traveling with the Vikings to London when they play that bad Man in London. Right, the next two weeks, right, will will prove a lot as far as getting people on the vandwagon. As far as though the Vikings really are.
Yeah, yeah, I want to see what Sam Donald gonna do against his former teams and that Jets defense.
That's what I see.
But let me transition to the Dallas Cowboyies because they don't have no damn excuse for injuries or anything like that. They can't run the football, can't stop the run, and because of that is why they continuously find themselves in holes. Over the last three they've done outscored eighty three to twenty nine. It's a fifty four point margin in the first half of their last three home losses, the playoff lost to Green Bay and of course getting ran roded by the Saints last week and then getting beat up by the Baltimore Ravens for the first three quarters yesterday. Dallas is season I mean they. I remember one of my colleagues said, they don't have a spine. You can attack the middle. All day, I was begging Jerry Jones to go ahead and get Derek Henry. I tried to be helped. I mean me, I tried to help out the Dallas calboty. I tried to give them assistance. Okay, they wouldn't listen, Go get Dereck Henry. He's gonna be able to run the ball. He's going to protect Dak Prescott because he can run the ball, and you ain't asking them to throw more. And on top of it, all the front running defense that the Dallas Cowboys are. Guess what you could do bottom line is you put them, You give them a lead and let them be able to go outter the quarterback. But you see this number right here, one hundred and fifty one till fifty one. That's Dereck Henry out rushing the Dallas Cowboys entire running game yesterday. What you gotta say about the Cowboys, bro.
Well, first of all, Jerry's Jones wanted him to come on a Dallas discount. You know, he makes his home there in the offseason. He works out there and they didn't even offer him the type of contract that was serious about him coming. So that's the reason why he went to Baltimore. Baltimore is a more proven commodity, especially with their head coach and especially in a playoff situation absent of, you know, their quarterback. We have known Baltimore the last twenty years as being one of the marquee franchises that we had. So Jerry's saying that it was too much money, we know, when you're a billionaire, you can buy whatever you want to. He wasn't going to concentrate on the running game. His fallback plan was going back, and Jerry does this. Once you come to Jared and play for him, he loves you. His fallback plan was to get Ezekiel Elliott on a much reduced contract because he didn't know how much he was going to have to pay Ceedee Lamb or goat Prescott. He ended up paying more money on both of them than he ever expected to pay. And I believe that that helps get in the way of signing someone like their opinion, because Perry is wrong in doing that. And then now you talked about campaign and out loud for Bill Belichick to be the head coach of the Calbolies. And I am telling you stephen A. Now you are talking about oil and water and they do not mix. This is not a good mix. Bill Belichick cannot run this franchise. He cannot run the salary of cap. He is not gonna pay Dak Prescott sixty million. He's not gonna pay ced Lanny. They're gonna have to gut the whole roster to put a roster out there that he wants to see and how he wants to see it. So, yes, Jerry wants to win his way. But Bill Belichick is selfish and strong minded, but he wants to win his way. He can't fool me with this media campaign. He's out all self and dufty with everybody. Oh man, he's got all the answers and soon he become a head coach. That's what he does in Prescott. He acts like a dunner. You gotta know anything about football. So I realize he's trying to rehab his image in the media so that he can get a coaching job. But it will not be the Dallas Cowboys.
That's fine.
It may not be the Dallas Cowboys. But here's what I think you're missing. I didn't say it was gonna be the Dallas calveris. I said it would have been a perfect match. That man wants to coach football, He don't want to talk to the media.
Jerry Jones want to talk to the media all day.
So you got a cat that wants to be in front of the cameras and wants to talk to the media, and a dude that just wants to go out on a football field on Sundays or Mondays or Thursdays and win damn football games.
That's what I'm thinking.
And oh, by the way, what about this notion Chris. Anything he's gonna do is gonna be better than Mike McCarthy. The fact of the matter is, you got the bright lights, you got the allure of Dallas, the pressure that comes with the star and the playing in a billion dollar playpen and being an America's team.
Who's the one person.
That could get Cats locked in and zeroed in and let him know, Yo, you might not have a job tomorrow bumping around with me. You better handle your business. That would be Bill Belichick. What do I got to lose if I'm the Dallas Cowboys? What do I got to lose.
I disagree with you because all cats are not gonna respond for his voice, and that's why New England went after a certain type of guy. There was a certain part in his career that he was able to do that too. When you have a roster like the Cowboys have, he is not going to do that. Now. Do I think he should get a head coach in the league again, Yes, I just can't believe it's in Dubtas. Check this out where he used to work. I believe he's more suited. Michael Prity has not done anything he would make him lose his job in Dabllas, so we shouldn't be talking about this job.
But the guy who's Mike McCarthy has done nothing to lose his job twelve and five and going home in the postseason every time.
But you also are the players that Jerry Simons Okay, they can't stop it, nose believe it in the playoffs. What's he supposed to do about that? Offensively, he's an offensive minded coach. He has a great game plan and he has Dak Prescott playing the best football he's ever played. That is his job. Would you agree with me on that? Before I perceive the point.
No, no, don't.
I don't agree with you on that because he's a Super Bowl champion coach.
He's a guy that's coaching about four or five.
NFC championship games. He's not just some offensive minded dude win the head coach a job. He has been an overseer. He has been somebody who's been a head coach pretty much for the vast.
Majority of his career.
There's no wi you can't look at Mike McCarthy and be like this, well offense, I mean, that's his responsibility.
Was he supposed to do?
You're supposed to find a way to work around the personnel that you have. If you can win twelve games during the regular season, how come you can't win at least two during the postseason.
I don't think that's a Mike McCarthy question. I think that's a Dan Queen and Al Harris, the defensive coordinators there. They could have some injuries down on the stretch bend. He can't beat nobody, and he can't stop the month, and that's what led to their demands. Okay, not only this year, but that's where they were last year. So there's a guy in Washington who's the head coach? Now? That was responsible. God promoted off that defense. So I think that's an appropriate question for someone in Washington. Bill answered, not in.
God, I think you've being a bit diplomatic man. You running for office. You went a four office brought.
If I am, I'm going back to Philadelphia because I do believe that Bill Felliwchick would be a perfect fit in Phelladelphia. I do believe Roseman managed the salary cap and let Bill coach football. I do believe that's championship because Nick, okay, so what every week looks like?
That's where I was going. What you job to say about Nick Sirianni, he college coach, really.
Coach every week he is taking fatal mistakes down on during the game, but he loses the press conference. He comes to the press conference just so said, every mistake on the field is the head coach's fault. Now that's a lot. You can't start the press comics with a big lie. You called the perfect play to the flat throw at the Barkley. He doesn't catch it. Okay, Now it's a bad call because you called the perfect play and your star players he started in getting number one and game number three, didn't do what he normally does. But if you look at his decisions, make there is no rhyman reason. There are no analytics that would support him going for it on fourth than and then going for a field go like there's no sheet that that's on that he's going off of field. He's like a guy playing black jacket sometime on a hit on sixteen. Sometimes I'm gonna stay like man, he is a disaster waiting to happen there in Philadelphia. They have too much time that they cannot overcome their bad coaching.
Well, why are you bringing him up and you're not bringing up Jalen Hurts, who's got to was leading the NFL with twenty six turnovers since last season.
Why you he's got.
Six turnovers in the first three games this year. Why you bringing Nick Sirianni up and we can't bring up our brother Jalen Hurts?
Why not?
No? That to be the next conversation as an elite player endless league. You know, Denny Green, our coach, used to tell us a man, it's a nice exotic sports car you're driving, the quarterback you're driving, we're all sitting smathlets. Every time you turn the ball over, it's a crack, So it's like someone in the car can pass away. It could be faith. Every time over can be faith. He doesn't treat the football that way, so there needs to be a greater emphasis on him not putting the ball in arms rate. And also you have to go to your play caller and because he's air prone, and develop a gaming plan that helps kurtell some of this by not putting the ball because I'm not going to let it.
I got two questions for you about the Eagles in comparison to the Cowboys. Number One, who needs the operative word is need CEC? Who needs Bill Belichick Moore as a head coach the Eagles or the Cowboys?
The Eagles the Cowboys have more personality personnel issues that can't be fixed, like when you don't have run stoppers, like and you don't have good lockers on the offensive line, so you can't even competitively practice against each other to get better. So the physicality of playing football, they're not good. Do they have some good players? Can they pile up some stats and everything? Can they win double digit games? Yes? But the physicality when you are not a superior team on the offensive line, which they are not and haven't been for the last couple of years. And then defensively they're nice. The Lawrence on the edge, Parson on the they are nice. But like the baseball team, man, they are weak through the middle. And you can't play championship football defensively if you're weak through the middle.
If you had your drouthers looking at Mike Zimma, who's a former head coach at your squad, the Minnesota Viks, former head coach of the Minnesota Vik is not a defensive coordinator in Dallas, having replaced Dan Quinn, who's as head coach with the commander is in Washington.
If you had your brothers, you keep.
Mike zimmer or you sit up there and make a call to ESPN and say, you know what, we want our man, Rex Ryan to be.
The next defensive coordinator for this team. What do you do?
Man, don't do that? The rest man don't do this therecs man Rex got a good job. Sunday count down him and Green is talking about people's seat this morning and everything just happy to go lucky. And they don't have the person there. They don't have the attacked style that he wants to play like, man, when you look at him, man, he has some smallers that zero gap one gap to man. You look at him. He got some space heat every team he's ever been on. So that there's Linebackerston roam free. They do have the secondary, especially when they get their cornerback and Bill play that type. But don't do that the rect now, Mike Zimmer is an acquired place. But you have to realize this is a sucker's job. Anybody that takes that when the head coach, and last year it was contract. They just spent over two hundred million on the quarterback, another one hundred and fifty million on the wide receiver. That's a sucker job for a defensive quarter I got to come in there one year as a stop gap. I could do a great job and still get fired. So you get someone like Zamblan who really didn't have anything going on that you know that he could jump on and say yes, I can do that, especially just relationship you know with Jerry. So that's that's a bad job.
Let me transition to the Pittsburgh Steel as my team, because up until this week I was at a mindset hell, I ain't seeing enough from justin field to tell me I don't even think about Russell Wilson. Let me see what he's got. But considering the way Justin Fields played yesterday, two hundred and forty five yards passes to touchdown passes, although he're doing interceptions, running with the football effectively, not really turning the football over, protecting the football, making good decisions, looking like a far much better quarterback in Pittsburgh than he ever looked like in Chicago.
When you look.
At what you're seeing from Justin Fields, is it time to say the experiment or the intrigue has come to an end, that this is Justin Field's job and that's the way it should stay in Pittsburgh.
No, because we've seen him for four years and we know that fundamentally he's not going to be a great passer. Now does he have a better support and cast? This is really about coaching and identity. When he went to Chicago, the identity was saved the franchise. Excuse me, he is not a save the franchise quarterback. He was still very very young as a passer, and it was too much pressure and they didn't have the personnel to be able to do this. Now you can come to Pittsburgh and they acquired Russell, they's so so less of pressure. It's on him every single day when you have a top five defense, the way they do, the way they put pressure on the opposition, the way they make the opposition turn the ball over. They might have the best non quarterback in why playing football. So the amountain pressure that he is under is totally different. So game number one, small little game plan. I came on and showed then and said, hey man, just be careful. It's still gonna be better with Russell because they can win more different ways. Week number two, Oh he did a little bit better. Oh yeah, So we gave him a little more offensive, expanded it, and you can see in week number three, especially in from quarter to to quarter number four, they opened up the game plan. They gave him some throws that he was comfortable with, and like I told you, he can throw the ball actively. But his ability to hit people in stride and get yards after the kids, that's what made his numbers a little more inflated. But you got to give him credit because he graduated from game one game plan to game two to game three. I'm gonna tell you after a month then we can really start having these conversations game Russell, knowing that he's new in Pittsburgh two and on a one year contract, he would even start to understand that if the kid rips all four or five wins, then.
I'm disappointed in your take.
I ain't gonna lie, I ain't gonna from I'm disappointed in your take.
Russell Wilson to me, what has he shown you to say?
Okay, I mean, don't get me wrong, but week ago, I'm still saying I'm willing to see Russell Wilson. But even though it was at twenty six touchdowns eight interceptions last year, he had an up and down road in Denver last year. The year before that he was awful. The year before that in Seattle, he wasn't that great. So we've seen a precipitous slide in Russell Wilson over the last three years. Why couldn't that be enough to say, hell with that man, we're gonna roll with justin fields rather than what you just articulated.
Well, really, you downplayed how he played last year. Last year, if he played better than you're giving him credit for, he played good football last season, he didn't deserve to be and it was all about money if Sean Payton and power there and dim which led him to end up in Pittsburgh. But he played better in last year's season that deserves in my mind. And the other reason is Justin Fields has only played Russell Wilson the last three weeks when he's been murder Even in those seasons where Russell wasn't playing well, he still played better than Justice medias. So when you look at the numbers and it's because of expectations, I can understand why people would be campaign for him. Justin Bielders, this is the most consistent three weeks that he has had in the NFL. So yes, applaud that. But a man, the stability of the Pittsburgh franchise, the stability of Mike Tomlin talking in your ear man with that voice, that leadership every single day, it's bringing out the best in the kid. Let's see some more. And there's nothing wrong with saying I just need to see a little more.
Well, I'm like, let me ask you this. You got some three in od team's kids a city. I don't like what I'm seeing from them. I'm not worried about Patrick Mahomes. I'm worried about the fact that the checko is out with an injury. Clyde was Ale is gonna be out, you know, post traumatic stress. He's not going to be back for a few more games, obviously. So I'm looking at you know, Travis Kelcey not doing much for receptions for thirty yards yesterday, but in the same breath him and most tight ends in the NFL ain't doing but so great this year as well.
That's a team to be concerned with. That's number one. Number two.
I'm looking at another three and oh team in Seattle or the new coach Mike McDonald. They're handling their business at three and oh with Gino Smith at the quarterback. I'm wondering how legit they are. So I'm looking at Kansas City, I'm looking at Minnesota, I'm looking at Seattle, and I'm wondering, when you see these undefeated teams, who's the fluke amongst them?
Who's the fluke?
Hmm. It's hard to win a NFL game, So to say a team is a flukee. And they won three in a row, maybe the scheduling gods were in their favor and they got two games at home, had an easy game on the road. You can say that about. The Vikings lined up with the Giants in New York, New Jersey. The first week had the Texans and had the forty nine ers at home. Now the Vikings have the best home field advantage enemy the NFL. Like they got real crowd. Why. This is a real why because the people love their Vikings and the way the stadium is fields.
I'm getting on. I'm getting on you here now. I forgive you. I forgive you because you were out there before. I mean, listen, it was cold as hell in Minnesota some years you played there. So you see the new stadium in the zone and everything, it looks good and stuff like that.
I get that part. But in the end, the best fans in America.
Come on now, severy NFL city you go to, every NFL city you go to, you see that.
No, no, no, listen, I said best home field advantaged. I'm talking about. Crowd is in sink with the game. They know exactly when the cheer. They're gonna always support their team. They are very seldom ever booth their team. They look every weekend as an event in Minnesota. That's what I'm trying to tell you. I'm just trying to give you some local knowledge. So as you start to see these teams the way Seatley used to have that advantage, Minnesota has that. Didn't you see that in brock Purty the Super Bowl team? Didn't you see that in CJ. Stroud. Now with that defense that they can put pressure on the quarterback, that's only going to get better. So Minnesota is for real, settle. I think that they are better. Their division is so tough, but I think Seattle is better than what teams anticipate. But man, you have to give a team credit. Man, if they can go three and on now a chance to go a whole month undefeated, you're talking about special stuff. There will only be maybe three to four teams that go a month undefeated in the NFL season. And DCMS already have three wins and he one more. That's impressive and you gotta get the people credit.
Well, I mentioned I mentioned Pittsburgh earlier, but those are the four undefeated teams at three and Ozer and Buffalo's undefeated going into the night's game at two and oh, So we'll see what happens. I just think something wrong with you because you talk about Minnesota's for real. With Sam Donald at the quarterbacks, but I just don't understand it. But before I get you on out of here, let me transition.
Real quick to college football. We saw a Shadel.
Sanders throw up to hell Mary, they got a touchdown, ultimately went in the overtime, and Colorado survived versus Bayla. We know that anytime we bring up Colorado, we know what we really really talking about.
We really talked about.
Deon Sanders and what Deon Sanders has the potential to do now. Coming into this season after going four and eleven last year, going through a six game winn the Street, losing seven of their last eight games after the three and oh start, and then transitioned into the Big twelve, everybody was looking at Colorado and saying, what the hell are they gonna do? But right now they two on one in the season. I'm wondering how you feeling about the job Deon Sanders is doing.
What do you see?
I think that Dion has definitely upgraded the program. And that's the end of the talent. When you go into a situation like that, you need so much as far as the support staff to build turn around the culture there. Now, Dion brought a lot of eyeballs. He brought a lot of social media, He brought a lot of blame. But this is just about principal people you can trust in and out the building, and every recruit that he gets there, they have to fly them. There are not enough good players in a two car hour ride radius that most colleges co coaches look at. Two hours in a car, four hours in the car. What kind of kids cannot recruit? Demon does not have that advantage. So he's got to bring all that sizzle and all that attention. Now they have an NFL quarterback, They have one of the best players I have seen played college football in my life coming in Travis Hunt. But to be able to Dion's create this atmosphere. But you know, I work at Florida Atlantic University here in Boca Ratona and player development, player engage. These kids can't handle that atmosphere. So Dion, it's a blessing. The university's making a lot of money, They're getting a lot of eyeballs and clips, but when you come there as a college player, they don't have the focus. And I do believe that's far the main tank. Having every little wanyon, having all these stars like these kids have not grown up that way, and college football is tough. So he is doing a great job. He's drown the program, he's got people believing the economics. He's turned around in that area. But I don't think this is sustainable over a five year period. So for me, Dion is to get this right. This is not Dion's dream job, and Dion will be on the look always.
In an ideal, perfect world, where would you love to see Dean Sanders coaching in college football?
Florida Stateman, it's meant to be Florida. The bottom of one of his mentors there is Florida born, and he will get the kids in Florida. That's the state university. You're talking about, a powerhouse. You're talking about session. Now, he does not have a coaching credentials of Nick Satan. But when Nick Satan left the Dolphins and said I'm not ever going back to pro football and the resources of Alabama and they meta, that's where you saw magic. If Dion will get the Florida State, I do believe that could be magic.
Well, listen, you had a point about that crowd in Minnesota because Stephan Diggs and the Houston Texans were sitting up there and complaining about that noise of that crowd in Minnesota. So You've got that point there, but I'm gonna disagree with you on this point. You know where my ideal place for prime time Dion Sanders would be the SEC. I wish he had got the Texas A and M job. I'd love to see him at Florida. Florida State had their chance to grab their form of All American and to make sure they put him out there, but they chose novel And obviously he did a great, great job last year.
This year not so much.
But could you imagine could you imagine prime Tom and the Swamp?
Could you imagine that?
I know that's a good name. I'm in the college football. If there's someone in Florida's looking for and they got a head coach right now, they're going to Mississippi and get mister lane Kiffy lane Kiffin's coaching pedigree, his offense, exciting that he brings to a university into a campus. Hey, it's one of the county and I believe he's ready for that kind of job.
CEC the one and only Chris carr All he did was catch touchdowns. Ted he made a couple of mistakes. He made a couple of mistakes going up against them. But that's okay, that's okay, that's how I go. I love you, bro, man, I see you next week. I talk to you next week. Man An the one and only Chris Carter right here on the Stephen A. Smith Show, over the digital airways of YouTube, and of course iHeartRadio.
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