Stephen A. Smith didn’t need much time to enjoy the Cowboys’ Week 1 collapse.
After Dallas stumbled in a loss to the New York Giants on Sunday night, the ESPN host wasted no time taking his victory lap. Smith opened his video with a laugh and then delivered the line Cowboys critics know all too well: "How many times am I gonna be right?"
Smith asked after getting in a good laugh to begin his video. "How many times am I gonna be right?
Just be patient. They won't let you down."
That was vintage Stephen A., the loudest and most persistent voice in the long-running chorus of Cowboys skepticism. He’s built a reputation for warning people not to get carried away with the preseason buzz around Dallas, even as he spends plenty of time talking about the team on "First Take."
Smith had already been trading jabs with fellow ESPN personality and NFL insider Adam Schefter before the season began. Schefter had bought into the optimism around Dallas and its defense, saying a few weeks ago: "I got some bad news for Stephen A.
Smith. The Dallas Cowboys are coming.
They are coming this year and Stephen A. is going to be tested," Schefter said a few weeks ago. "I'm telling you right now, it's going to be a long, nervous, anxious year for Stephen A.
Smith. Be ready.”
Smith’s response was immediate and sharp: "OMG! (Adam Schefter) has to get TESTED. He just went on (Get Up), mentioned MY NAME, and swore that the (Dallas Cowboys) are coming," Smith responded to Schefter.
"Like I'm supposed to be worried. They've got the great Schefty hooked now.
So sad! I can't believe I have to tell HIM.....
'Just be patient! Wait for the fall.
It's coming.'
Sunday night gave Smith a fresh opening, and he leaned right into it. He also pointed out that Michael Irvin was scheduled to join him on "First Take" Monday morning.
On the field, the problems were bigger than any debate show feud. Dallas didn’t just play poorly; the defense looked nowhere near fixed, despite hopes that things would be different in 2026. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker also took heat for a game plan that didn’t hold up and for not making the right adjustments to what New York was doing.
And when the offense failed to do its part, the game got away for good. Once Dallas fell behind that way, there wasn’t much left to work with against a Giants team it was supposed to handle.
It’s still early, and there’s a long road left before anyone can stamp the 2026 Cowboys as the same old Cowboys. But after one ugly night, Smith got exactly the kind of evidence he’s spent years waiting for.
In Other News...
Mavericks Still Have One Big Kyrie Problem To Solve
Training camp is approaching with Dallas still trying to sort out what life looks like at point guard once Kyrie Irving is fully back from ACL recovery. The roster around him has changed quite a bit, with several previous guards moved out and the team trying to patch the position with new faces and internal options. Marcus Sasser and rookie Sergio De Larrea are part of that effort, but the Mavericks are also staring at the possibility that they may need to lean on Cooper Flagg or Naji Marshall at times just to get through the early part of the year.
The bigger question is whether the front office is done searching. Dallas still has room to keep reshaping the backcourt, and the current mix does not fully answer how the team wants to cover those minutes behind Irving. If the guard group still looks thin once camp gets going, the Mavericks could be forced to use one of their frontcourt pieces as trade material to bring in another handler before the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Martin Could Fill A Mavericks Need That Still Has No Answer
Dallas has done a good job of bolstering its wing depth and adding shooting, but one familiar issue still hangs over the roster: perimeter defense. Caleb Martin could end up being part of the answer. The 30-year-old small forward brings the kind of defensive tools the Mavericks need on the perimeter, and even with his offense going in fits and starts and a history of injuries, he is expected to get a real chance to carve out playing time.
For a team that wants more resistance against opposing star guards, Martins fit is easy to see alongside Kyrie Irvings return in the backcourt mix. The bigger question is whether that defensive promise turns into a steady role when the games start to matter, because Dallas still has to decide how much trust to place in him on a night-to-night basis. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Fans Wont Like This New Kyrie Irving Trade Debate
A speculative three-team trade proposal has started stirring up the usual kind of offseason buzz around Kyrie Irving, and it is the sort of idea Mavericks fans are likely to take personally. The framework would shuffle Irving, Darius Garland, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and a future first-round pick across Miami, Dallas and the Clippers, with the concept built more around star-chasing than around what makes sense for each roster.
From Dallas side, the skepticism is pretty straightforward. The front office says it has no intention of moving Irving, who is recovering from injury and expected to return, and one Mavericks insider was blunt in grading the teams side of the proposal poorly because it would not deliver enough help in return. The concern is less about the headline names than the cost, especially when a deal would force the team to part with precious future assets and take on another significant obligation. [Read more 🡒]