Stephen A Smith Apologizes To New Orleans For Saints Quarterback Situation
ESPN analyst Stephen A Smith went on a rant regarding the quarterback situation for the New Orleans Saints. While the battle for the starting position continues, Smith's comments on Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston ends with him apologizing to the city of New Orleans.
See the rant from @stephenasmith via Twitter below.
Before getting into Smith's comments on the quarterback battle in New Orleans, it is important to get the facts straight.
New Orleans Saints insider @nick_underhill provided some clarity where Smith misspoke.
It has been widely understood since Drew Brees' departure from the New Orleans Saints that the starting job would be between Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill. While Winston waited in the wings and learned from Brees last season, Hill stayed active in the offense in a variety of roles. He even started three games when Brees was out, winning three of them.
Winston, who has had plenty of experience as the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has seemingly grown immensely since his last season with the Florida team. On many accounts, Winston seems like he could be the guy to take over where Brees left off if he performs.
On the other hand, Hill has been in the Saints offense for years. But, as Smith puts it, Hill isn't getting any younger. He continues to battle with Winston throughout the preseason for an opportunity to start.
I can't understand Smith's shock regarding the Saints quarterback situation. I don't think any members of the #WhoDatNation expected a decision on the starter to be made before a single pre-season game got played. While the team's fan base certainly would have preferred a rock-solid guy going into the year, that is just not the reality in a world where our hero and savior Drew Brees is no longer at the healm.
What really irks me about Smith's comments is the ending. His apology to the city of New Orleans, with the consolation of, "At least you've still got some good food down there. I'll give you credit for that".
Hey Stephen A Smith. Could you give us some time? If you didn't know, the Saints haven't played a pre-season game yet. These pre-season game will give both Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill the opportunity to show all of their off-season work and prove to Coach Sean Payton who should be the starter.
Competition drives progress. With the starting job on the line, I bet Hill and Winston have worked harder this offseason than any other before. I actually prefer that no QB1 has been named yet, as these two guys are most definitely pushing one another to get better throughout their battle.
By the way, this is no slight at Stephen A Smith who is the absolute best in the world at what he does. He brings the energy and knows how to stir a pot with the best of them.
Saints fans want whoever the best guy is playing quarterback. We still don't know who that is yet. We will watch these pre-season snaps that both Winston and Hill take and of course divulge all of our expert opinions on social media (sarcasm, by the way).
So, just give the Saints coaching staff and team some time to show off what they've got. Who knows, maybe one guy or the other puts on a dazzling performance Saturday night and they name a starter on Sunday. While I don't foresee that being the case, I certainly expect to see both Winston and Hill playing at a level no one has seen out of them before.
What does the #WhoDatNation really want for Christmas this year? I think we all know the answer, but there are some other options below.