Getty ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith at Wells Fargo Center in 2021.
New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh may not be ready to collect receipts just yet but NFL analysts are beginning to hand them out willingly after the 4-2 start.
The latest show of support was popular ESPN television personality Stephen A. Smith, who did what he does best and made a huge jump-ship reversal from trashing the Jets this summer to backing them after Week 6 — and quite boldly, might I add.
Jets Win Over Stephen A. Smith With Top-5 Ranking
Let’s not forget that just two months ago, Smith was public enemy number one in Jets land. Heavy on Sports reporter Paul Esden Jr. shared the clip from ESPN’s “First Take” between the lead analyst and guest Emmanuel Acho.
.@stephenasmith absolutely ripped the #Jets saying, ‘we ain’t going to count’ NYJ in AFC East b/c ‘they just stink, we all know’ + ‘when we driving up the New Jersey turnpike & we smell that stench sifting through’ it’s coming from their locker room 😳: 🎥 @FirstTake #TakeFlight
“Well, we ain’t going to count the Jets,” Smith voiced while discussing the New England Patriots’ playoff chances in the AFC East. “They just stink,” he continued, “we all know, and we know when we’re driving up the New Jersey turnpike, and we smell that stench sifting through East Rutherford New Jersey, it’s from the MetLife Stadium locker room of the New York Jets. We all know this! We all know this! It’s a given, we understand it.”
Yesterday on October 18, Smith changed his tune in a big way, ranking the Jets fifth in the entire NFL on First Take! Guest analysts Keyshawn Johnson, Mina Kimes and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo could not believe the sudden change of heart but to his credit, Smith didn’t back down from admitting that the Jets look like the real deal.
.@stephenasmith‘s top five teams in the NFL this week ✍️
1. @Eagles
2. @BuffaloBills
3. @Chiefs
4. @dallascowboys
5. @nyjets
“Bam! The New York Jets!” Smith began at No. 5 on his list. “They walked into Lambeau Field and handled their business with a running game, with [a] pass rush… And they pumped the Green Bay Packers! Made ’em look soft.”
He then proclaimed that “the New York Jets are coming,” highlighting Breece Hall and Sauce Gardner as his two major reasons for the turnaround. The Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles rounded out the ranking in that order.
Stephen A. Takes More Receipts for Jets Fans
Later, when Smith faced backlash from the panel, he explained his Jets selection:
“I’m going with how a team looks — as opposed to surviving, they’re beating people up. That’s what I’m paying attention to with the New York Jets.”
As you’d expect, his fellow ESPN analysts refused to let this one slide.
“The Jets are cute, but they not the fifth-best team in the National Football League,” argued Johnson, a former NYJ first-round pick in 1996. Kimes also laughed about the Jets selection before adding that she likes what they’re doing. Her major concern appeared to be Zach Wilson and the passing attack.
“He hasn’t shown the level of improvement that requires them to be in this top five,” Kimes reasoned while discussing the second-year quarterback.
The Minnesota Vikings were the main team that the crew of panelists seemed to be hung up on as a top-five snub, which led Smith to counter once again. “Something inside of me said — if the Jets went up against the Vikings, they would be all over Kirk Cousins and they would kill him,” he boasted. “That’s what I thought to myself, and that’s why I put the Jets [over Minnesota].”
It just so happens that the Green & White will travel to Minneapolis to play the Vikings in Week 13, but a lot can happen from now until then. In the meantime, it’s just nice to see the conversation surrounding Gang Green shift from perennial loser to top-five contender.
The same old Jets narrative is changing before our eyes.