The Stephen A. Smith ShowInterview: Peyton Mannings top NFL QBs. Wide receivers and tight ends he would throw to in today's game..
Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
I'll put you on the spot a little bit because obviously these are kind of questions that people would love to hear from you. Your top five quarterbacks in the National Football League in your mind right now.
Who would they be?
First of all?
How about top how about the bottom four after number one?
Because we know anybody coming before Patrick Mahomes.
Right now, Mahomes is the I mean, he's the bully right in the in the NFL. I was telling Stephen A, he's the bully in the in the AFC West. I think our Broncos are going to be uh are going to have a good year this year. They're better. But like I mean, you got to go beat the team in the division. Right when I played for the Colts, that was what Tony Dune you always talked about. Hey, let's go win the division. Let's own the division. If you win the division, you're guaranteed a chance in the playoffs. And now you have a shot if you get hot at the right time. If you don't win the vision, now you're hoping. Now you're scoreboard watching it, right, you're watching that last game, and you hope, you know, somebody beats somebody else. That's that's hard. To count on that. So you know Patrick Mahomes. And the best thing I can say about Patrick Mahomes is he still likes to be coached. I mean, Andy Reid coaches him hard. Andy Reid came from Green Bay Mike Holmgren. He coached Brett far of hard. Right, he told him, Hey, no that's not the read, Brett, don't throw it there, throw it out of bounds. Right, And quarterbacks need to be coached hard. And and Andy Reid coaches Patrick Mahomes hard. And that's good for Patrick. That's bad for NFL defense.
Isn't it?
Right?
So yes, number one, Patrick.
Mahomes Number one.
I got.
Rankings are so hard. I mean, you get in so much trouble you get mad about that.
How about even had the rank him? Just give me the games.
Look, I'm a big fan of Joe Burrow, Right, I'm glad to see him. I'm glad to see him back healthy. Right. I like the way he carries himself.
I like his.
Demeanor out there. He doesn't sweat, he doesn't flinch. He's just kind of calm and cool the whole time. This this justin Herbert is as talented as anybody.
He can throw in.
Hardball, as you know, like I said, the Broncos Division is gonna be tough. I mean, Lamar Jackson does things that just don't seem possible with the football in his hand. He makes throws, he runs, and he's smart about you know, he protects himself too, right. I mean, look, I never could run so that I never had that problem. Right, But you know the thing we were talking about earlier quarterbacks, you know that that that they like to run. You still got to find a way to get out of bounds or get down and be there on the next play.
Right if you get hurt.
I mean, look, defenses, if the quarterback you know, gets hurt, they're probably gonna win that game. So I love the way Lamar carries himself. I think he'll have a great year this year.
More one more.
I mean, like I said, uh, Josh Allens, Josh Allen's is total stunt, totally sud, total stuff, tough. Look I saw him this summer. I mean he is so motivated to bring in a championship to Buffalo.
I love that.
I appreciate that about him, and I think they'll have a good year this year as well.
You're behind center, you're fully healthy.
You're twenty thirty years younger, and today you have an opportunity to be behind center and pick three wide receivers, somebody in the slot, two wide outs, current tight ends, current players, current players, two wideouts, slot receiver, tight end.
Who you got.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna. I'm in an audible which I used to like to do. I'm gonna. I'm gonna move the slot off the sideline. I'm gonna bring in two tight ends.
Okay, all right, okay.
I'm going with Kelsey and Kittle right here, right here.
Okay, now, and now you're in a bind on.
Defense because you go, okay, two tight ends. I better bring in you know, uh, you know, extra linebackers, right and play our base defense. Well, there's no linebacker in the NFL that can cover Kelsey or Kittle. So okay, now we're gonna bring in two DB's and play you know, nickel or dime coverage. Well, those guys aren't built to stop the run. Now we're gonna run the ball at you. So now you've got a major problem on matchups. Kelsey and Kittle make defensive coordinators have long nights, right and that's what you want. You want guys that are making the defense coordinator go, how are we gonna cover this guy?
Right?
Ron Kowski was that way right, And so I'm taking Kelsey and uh and Kittle right there. And then look, I'm putting Justin Jefferson out there out there on the right right. Uh. He is motivated to come back, right, I'll spent some time with him this offseason. I mean, what he did last year, getting back healthy and still having the kind of year that he did. So I'm putting him there. And then you know, I guess just to kind of stay in the in the in the LSU theme, I'm gonna put I'm gonna put Chase on the left, the Chase on.
The left over Tyreek Hill. I'm not putting.
Tyreegan running back running back, that's to me, right, I don't have to have a running back. I just want the receivers right there. No, Tyreek's a matchup nightmare. So there's so many And look, I get to coach that Pro Bowl. I mean, that's a thrill for me to be around these guys, and it's a fun deal.
But I'm I'm assuming it's a bigger thrill and coaching the flag football because you owe and two against your brother and you ruined, pretty much ruins your chance to do it in the Olympics in twenty eight.
Right with flag football comes the lost my campaign.
I mean, I'm done.
Look, if I don't get the job, I'll be disappointed. But if Eli gets it, there's gonna be a problem. If Eli is it's part of the opening ceremonies in LA in twenty eight because he beat me in the Pro Bowl flag game, I'm gonna be disappointed.
Explain to me.
Just as a pundit covering the sports watching, I'm looking at Travis Kelsey. He is that dude, make no mistake about it. He's something special.
But I'm like, there's no breakaway speed. It seems it's like he's running the right.
He's always open.
He's just got he's got an incredible feel for just to how to get open in space and zones. Look, on paper, the route is to run twelve yards and break out. Well, he's running that route and in eight yards he sees a defender right where he's going to be. Now he knows he can't get to twelve and fake out and go back in because that's going to mess the quarterback up. So somewhere about nine yards he goes, Okay, I'm not going out there. I'm just gonna curl this thing to the inside. Give my quarterback plenty of time to realize I'm not going out and Mahomes has that quick release and that's just a pain because the defense is like, we should have had the perfect defense calling to stop him, and he audibled on the fly and turned in. That's just hard to defend. He catches everything, He's tough, he's a heck of a player.
They had a team to beat.
Clearly, I watched this kid worthy out of Texas.
As a primary targraphers.
He's going to be special, and that makes their offense potentially even better than last year, because you know they struggled at some times last year. He's a reignt of defending Super Bowl champions and they could they could possibly three peat.
Who's the biggest threat.
To the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC?
Baltimore? I think Baltimore, I think, I think. I think. Look, they're they're motivated. I mean, I mean, I've been there before. Right, you have this incredible regular season, you have all these expectations and you get beating the playoffs, right, and it's disappointing. Look, it's the kind of thing they can kind of kind of make or break you, right where sometimes they go, all right, we got to blow up the whole thing, right, we gotta we gotta change change coaches, getting you players. That's not what we did. We stayed together and the next year I mean the four Super Bowls that I went to, steven A. We had devastating losses the year before, right, the kind of games that you know they might say, well, let's just blow it up. We stuck together and got over the hump the next year. So look, I'm I'm a harrorball fan. I'm a Lamar fan. I think they're motivated. You don't see them talking a lot. You just see them kind of going to work every day. I see them being back in the mix at the end.
Are they the number one threat to the kids to see the chiefs in the AFC or the entire NFL.
I still see the Niners being equally as as motivated as Baltimore. Right, I mean, look, as great as it is to win a Super Bowl, it is as disappointing as you think you would be to lose one. Right, It's so hard. It's so hard to win a game in the NFL. Now, now you've gotta win twelve to get into the playoffs, and you're get in the playoffs. As you know, Steven, every playoff game is seventh game elimination. Right, you got to win three and then you get a Super Bowl and you have a great, great season and then you get beat on a last second drive by Patrick Mahomes and it absolutely rips your heart out. Does that mean you know you had a bad year. No, it means you had some credible year. But it still hurts, but it motivates you. I see them being back in the mixes way.
What about dudes who have great regular seasons and they come playoff time?
It's the app out for them.
I can't find them.
I'm sorry.
Dak Prescott's got two playoff victories in eight years. It's two playoff victories and eight years, Peyton Manning, That's all I'm saying, is.
Not but all it takes, All it takes is one run. All it takes is one run, and I think I'm telling you Dak can do it. All it takes is one run to get hot in the playoffs. Their division, though, is gotten, is tough, right, I mean, the Eagles are still super talented, the Commanders, I'm excited about their new quarterback. Right, and look, I know you know this might not make coming out of your mouth. I still think the Giants are gonna be gonna have a better year this year. They're gonna be tough to be so, I think it's a tough division. It's a tough it's a tough division. So anyway, I think Dak, I think of those cowboys can win the division. I think Dak can get on a run.
He can get there.
He's got the mindset, but he's got to do it right, He's got to do it. Look, look, I live that same that's uh, that same same thing.
Did it for one year, pa, not five.
I mean it is a Daniel did you just say, Daniel, I'm thinking, said Daniel Jones.
You said, Daniel Jones, Right, that's what you were talking about, right, Dak, I said, Dak. I don't know you wanted to Dak, I don't know that.
But look, you're talking.
Aout the division. When you got to the division.
Have you noticed the thing here, I'm a quarterback defender. Now, I pull for these quarterbacks. I want them all, especially here in August. Right, they're all going to Super Bowl. They're all gonna have a great year. Right.
So when you're as a quarterback, basically what you're saying is you're an attorney on behalf a quarterback.
There's always a defense of the defense. It's always a defense.
Right, because I know how hard it is. And in August, we all got a shot, right, we gotta have some help. We gotta have something to go away. But look, I think Dak can do it. And you know, obviously he's got to go and do it, but he can do it.
Dallas, Philadelphia, Detroit or l A.
Who's the biggest threat.
To the San Francisco forty nine is in the NFC.
Detroit Detroit, Troit, Detroit, Dan Campbell. That team takes on their head coaches personality. They are tough, Jared Goff motivated as well. Right you know kind of look, you know, sort of leaves La and everybody kind of says, well, you know, hey, he has played incredibly. I'm in ross Saint Brown might be the toughest receiver in the NFL. I might be taking him in that backfield too. I might take me out of the game and just go Hill and Brown in the backfield. We don't even need a quarterback. So you know the Lions and look they were right there against the Niners. Look, losing a playoff game, it hurts, but it motivates and usually, you know, the good teams come back and have it even better year than next time.
Let me put you on a spot here, Okay, so you know it's the playoffs, and anybody that knows you, they know. I mean, there's three places you can expect to see you. You're gonna see you in Denver. They gonna see you in Indianapolis. They gonna see you at the University of Tennessee, which your.
And that's where they gonna see you.
If a playoff game arrived and it was Indianapolis version, what's Peyon Many?
What direction is Peyton man A going? And I'm talking about in terms of who you rooting for. I don't know that. I don't know they.
I would love to see it. The Colts played the Broncos two years ago in Denver and it was not a good football. He was twelve to nine. It was a putt fest. It was not a good football game. I love to see both these teams in the playoffs. I'm a big fan of ar We got to keep him healthy.
He runs, he runs so good, Anthony.
But you's got to get out of bounds every now and then, right, you got to be there. He's got to be there for all seventeen games. I'm excited to see him coming back. And like I said, I like bo Nicks. I like the way I saw him practice on Friday, So look, I love to see it. But I mean they have ce South Houston like.
Houston, and now he's got Stefan Diggs.
I mean, I hate to say it, but like back in the day, I mean, you know, you played Houston and he felt like that was going to be a win.
Now Houston is a problem, you.
Know what one you know, and I shouldn't.
They shouldn't be a sleeper.
And I'm not bringing up anything negative off field stuff or whatever. I'm just talking strictly on the field. Deshaun Watson's got to step up. That's two hundred and thirty million guaranteed. The Cleveland Brown's got a crew. Their defense is stellar. Miles Garrett is no joke.
You've got some weapons on the offensive side of the ball. But here's the biggest reason I bring this up. Everybody's talking about the AFC North.
They've talking They're talking about Burrow, They're talking about Lamar Jackson. Hell, they've even talked about Russell Wilson and Justin Fields more than DeShawn Watson.
What do you think about it? Fairpoint?
No, it's a fair poet because I think Cleveland. I think their defense is real. I likes the fancy. I think Dashaan knows that, right, he knows it's time, right, let's go out and do something this year. I don't think he has to go out there and light up thirty five points on the border because of Miles Garrett. Right, I think you score twenty, you could probably win that game. Right, But the defense is that good? But uh yeah, certainly I think he knows that. I think I think you think you will.
We're here in New York City.
One of my last couple of questions.
Is anything definitively to look forward to in regards to the New York Giants or the New York Jets.
Yes, yes, yes, take it away.
Let me tell you. Let's just go with the Jets first, right, I'm telling you this, Rogers to Wilson could be a could be a lethal combination. Right, got to stay on the field, got got to get some games under the belt. But I mean he is uh uh Wilson is. I mean, he's he's a lastic as a route runner, right, and I'm not sure you know, uh, you know, one on one bumping run on him is a good idea for any defense, right, So I'm looking forward to seeing that combination. Look, I like Dable, He's been around. I think he's a good play caller. Just he and Jones gotta have some games together, right. We can't, you know, have a couple of games and you have an injury, whatnot. We got to get some gotta get some sweat equity in there, so get a little continuity. Uh yeah, I think that division, you know, is still open to the AFC East. And like I said, I'm looking forward to the Jets first to forty nine ers in the first game. And look, you know, I had an injury. I mean, when you miss an entire year, there's a lot of things you miss about playing and you do want to come back and be the player that that people think you're going to be. Right when I signed with Denver. I was injured, but you know, von Miller didn't.
Want to hear that.
He said, no, no, no, you're still you know, you're still the you know, the Peyton Manning. Then I know, I said, I got a lot of work to do. He's like, no, you're going to be there. I know Aaron feels that way, right. They signed him to be a great player. He got hurt last year. I know he feels that, and I think he'll answer the bill this year.
