Stephen A. & Mad Dog ‘BULLY’ Swagu for his ELATION over the Quinnen Williams trade 🤣 | First Take

Stephen A. & Mad Dog ‘BULLY’ Swagu for his ELATION over the Quinnen Williams trade 🤣 | First Take

[Music] Good morning. Hello. Welcome to First Take. I’m Shay Cornet. Stephen A is in LA. Swagoo at home in Texas, but you know who’s in the house with me on a Wednesday. Doggy. Hello, Jay. Nice to see you. How you doing? We’ll keep these two in the best we can. We’re going to keep them in check. They’re not here in studio. It might be a little bit easier. Uh let’s hop to yesterday and what went down. The trade deadline was at 400 p.m. Eastern. Several teams made big moves. None bigger though than what the Jets did. They had a complete fire sale, sending Sauce Gardner to the Colts, Quinnon Williams to the Cowboys. Now, Dallas started Tuesday by acquiring linebacker Logan Wilson from the Bengals. Ended right before the deadline, acquiring defensive lineman Quinnon Williams from the Jets, of course. So, Dallas becomes big buyers. They boost their defense in a hurry. Something Jerry Jones did tell Stephen A on his radio show on Monday he was going to do. But is this now enough for a desperate Cowboys team that sits at 3,5 and one? Look, Dallas paid a heavy price to get the Alpro in Williams, sending defensive tackle Mazy Smith in a 2026 second and 2027 first round pick to New York. The Cowboys defense currently ranks second to last in points and yards allowed. And so Swagoo yesterday learning of this news on Sports Center in real time. Let’s play his reaction. Oh, he’s He said something and he did it, y’all. He said it and he did it. Listen, I think this is huge for the Dallas Cowboys. They help bolster their pass rusher, but they also get a guy that plays the run very well. And people probably scratching their head, well, they got Kenny Clark. Kenny Clark was more to solidify the run game. Quinnon is going to be both. And we’ve seen him play at the highest level as one of the defensive tackles in this league. I think this is a hell of a deal for the Dallas Cowboys to get a impact player right now. I love the enthusiasm. The problem is you’re 35 and one. Your reaction, Stephen A, to what Marcus Spears reacted to yesterday on Sports Center. Well, well, well, Shay, you took my thunder. I mean, I I mean, damn. The the man had, you know, pseudo pompoms. I’m not used to seeing that from Swagoo. I don’t know what the hell that’s about. Okay. Great 35 and one, bro. You’re in 11th in the NFC. You ain’t going nowhere this year. I mean, I understand that Quinnon Williams is a baller. I understand he helps your pass rush and he helps against the run and teams certainly shouldn’t be able to run against the Dallas Cowboys with the ease they’ve been doing. So, especially with them and McKenna Clark back there, you know, and over ultimately coming back as well, I get that part. So, for the future, if you’re looking past this season and looking into next year and beyond and you want to sit up there and make a big deal about the C Dallas Cowboys making this move, fine. But last time I checked, this 2025, it’s the 2025 NFL season. There’s eight games to go at the very least. And these brothers are already done this year. They’re 11. Not only are the Eagles ahead of them in the NFC East, the entire NFC North and the entire NFC West is ahead of Cowboys. I mean, you have any idea how embarrassing that is? The in two different divisions. Divisions. Every team in the damn division is ahead of the Dallas Cowboys. I mean, come on. So, all of this stuff, I don’t I don’t get it. I don’t understand it unless you’re looking forward to 2026 and beyond. And that’s what your mentality is. It made no sense to me to see Swag Goo acting like that over on Sports Center last night. I was like, what the hell’s wrong with him? What the hell’s wrong with him? Go ahead, defend yourself, Swagoo. You don’t you don’t have to worry about my happiness. the things that’s going on in my house I’m happy about. So Quinnon Williams coming over to the Dallas Cowboys is a move for the future. And Stephen A, I’ve sat on this show a thousand times and you and I have lamented. Me, you, we were here in Dallas earlier in the week and we lamented about 24 hours to make a move. I’m just glad Jerry did something. We’ve sat on this show three, four years and he’s done nothing in trading or free agency. Remember the conversation we had about Derrick Henry a couple years ago? How he didn’t move, he didn’t budge because he couldn’t afford it. All of those things were a culmination of my happiness about I know but he hasn’t done trades or free agency which is why I have lost my mind on him and the Dallas Cowboys for a number of years for not doing anything. Jerry said that he would be aggressive in this trading cycle and he was aggressive. Quinnon Williams to me is an aggressive move. It’s not about 2025. Although he got on and talked about this year and the impact, I’m glad this move is going to help them in the future as well. Quinnon Williams is a hell of a football player. Also, a lot of people don’t know a lot of the accord to my happiness Shay Carnett and Doggy Dog is because Quinnon is like my little brother. So, I’m happy he’s showing up to Dallas as well. It’s a lot that went into that. But the fact that Jerry Jones did something, made a move in the NFL season without talking about, well, we’re gonna try to draft guys well and we gonna figure it out later. He got compensation for the Michael Parsons trade. He used that compensation to go out and get a really good defensive player. I’m happy about that. There is no rain on this parade. My parade looks like it’s driving down Stephen A’s neighborhood street in Miami. It’s all sunshine. And what what do you say, Stephen A? the sunshine and whatever you use. That’s how I feel about Quinton Williams coming to the Dallas. The sun will shine tomorrow. The sun will shine tomorrow. Yeah. Go ahead, doggy. Yes, Steve’s 100% right, Swagu. Who cares? I mean, by the time they get good, he’d be done anyway. I do. Plus, Plus, he anchored the Jet defense for the last whatever it might be, they never won anything. So, it’s not like all of a sudden you took mean Joe Green and sticking with the freaking Dallas Cowboys. They haven’t won anything. They’ve been awful. I’m going to give you their record since he’s been in the Giants. And the same thing goes for Gardner. They haven’t won all the Jets. They made the playoffs since 2010. Boy, the Jets. I never thought I’d say this. They fleeced the Cowboys. They got a number one pick and they got a second round pick. And they unloaded a lot of money for a guy who hasn’t won any games for the Jets. And I don’t care how good you think he is stopping a run. Who cares? By the time the Cowboys get good again, who knows when that might be. He’s 31 years of age because Steviey’s right. They’re going nowhere. The season is over. I’m not interested in Dallas anymore. This is a trade about the Jets, not about the Cowboys. I am shocked because they did something. You’re happy. Oh, you’re smarter than that, Swagoo. You could do something. Make sure it’s the right move. This is not a great move. It it it it does not matter what you say to me, doggy. It you you are not going to change my mind. One, Quinnon Williams is a hell of a football player that’s played a lot of really good football. And you, me, Stephen A, and Shay Cornet know why the Jets haven’t won a damn game cuz they don’t have a quarterback and haven’t had one since he was there. Remember all the talk about, well, they got Aaron Rogers now. This team should compete for a championship or a playoff run. You know why? Because of that defense. Because of the young 95 and Sauce Gardner and how well they were playing. attrition starts to set in when you don’t have a quarterback and you realize I cannot win a game. Quinnon Williams go and play with Dak Prescott. Last time I checked, very good quarterback. All of these things help each other coincide with being better in the future. So they got fleeced or you could be like Dallas ain’t going to make a move this year. It’s not about this year for me. It’s about having players on that side of the football. We’ve talked on this show for seven weeks straight about how Dallas is devoid of talent on the defensive side of the football. They just got what I feel like a cornerstone interior pass rusher and a guy that can impact winning. They got to make more moves like every other team. But I enjoy seeing Quinnon Williams be traded to the Dallas Cowboys. That’s the whole point. Swag goo. You know the the it’s not We know Quinnon Williams could play. I’m not gonna fuss flow with doggy on that level. Act like you know what they didn’t win anything. It wasn’t his damn fault. Just like it wasn’t Source Gardner’s damn fault that the Jets were losing games. We know what the reasons that the Jets are losing G. We know what the biggest reason is. But the point is you, you understand, in the month of November, as Thanksgiving approaches, in the year 2025, fresh off of being there Monday night, fresh off of being there Monday morning, fresh off of Monday night watching the Dallas Cowboys lose, you sitting up on Sports Center less than 24hour later, fanning like you you rocking pompoms because they got somebody like it’s going to do something for them. Now, this season’s over and that’s all I’m saying about you. you was act you were acting like you know what oh my god this is a resurrection that the change has arrived and wait until you see the Dallas Cowboys from here on out and I’m saying damn Jerry you couldn’t have pulled this off two weeks earlier you couldn’t have pulled this off 48 hours earlier maybe if you had done it Sunday and you had Quinnon Williams Monday you wouldn’t have lost Monday night and you wouldn’t be 35 and one and you’d be in the thick of things and you’d be one up on a team like the Arizona Cardinals in the standings or the Chicago Bears even but you didn’t do that. Okay. And that’s what I’m saying about the Dallas Cowboys. I think it’s too little, too late, especially for meaning for this season. That’s all I’m talking about. Look, Marcus, I So, so basically, go ahead. So, basically, you and Doggy don’t want me to be happy about the Dallas Cowboys acquiring somebody that I think going to help them for years to come. That’s what y’all telling me right now? Well, I I I’m I’m saying that you were acting like this season like like like this that was for this season. And I’m saying this is a season going on right now. I never I never implied that right now. I never implied that. But you were waving pom poms. You don’t get trying to bully. You were waving pom poms. Y’all trying to be Y’all trying to bully me because y’all older than me. Y’all trying to bully me because y’all older than me. And I’m not going to let it happen. What I am going to enjoy is the fact that Jerry Jones brought a good defensive player, which y’all been killing Dallas about all season long to help him now and in the future. I don’t care about the playoffs and all of that. I care about him trading for Quinnon Williams, who is going to be a really good DTackle for Dallas going into the future. That’s what I care about. I ain’t talked to y’all one time about this going to help them make the playoffs right now or this going to change the trajectory of the team this year. It’s going to change the trajectory of the team in the future, though. I know you don’t want anyone raining on your parade, but I’m going to do it just a little bit. I hate to break it to you, but this season, Michael Parsons has six and a half sacks. The two guys combined, Kenny Clark and Quinn Williams, have three and a half. You had it in your building and then you let it leave and so we’re trying to make up ground a little. I’m just saying. Hey, why why why do y’all keep belaboring that point? Jerry Jones clearly told y’all he did not want to pay Michael Parsons that much money. That that chapter in series is over. It’s great. We all are you shocked that Michael Parsons got a lot of sacks doggy and Stephen A. Nobody is. We all was going crazy when he was traded from the Cowboys, but that is over. So, so should we continue crying about the spill milk or should we be happy that he got somebody that can help the football team? I’mma choose to be happy he got somebody else. I agree with you. So, we move forward. So, what were they going to do? Sit back and watch this defense continue to be historically bad. No, they went and improved it. So, that’s something positive. So, now as we sit here today and that’s why I’m happy. That’s fair. I ask you, how do you feel about the moves Jerry Jones made today? 24 hours ago, we said one move put him did a terrible job. He brought a guy in from Cincinnati on the worst defensive team in the history of mankind. And by the way, one thing about the Jets defense with Williams in the middle of it last year, they were atrocious against the run. They couldn’t stop anybody. San Francisco week one 180 yards rushing. They couldn’t stop anybody last year defensively against the run. They were the most overrated runs stopping defense I’ve ever seen in my life. That’s for Swagu. He knows that. He don’t think I’m gonna fight him off on that. He knows that. But how in the world can anybody sit there and say they brought in a player here who’s never played in the playoff game, who was anchoring a defense last year that couldn’t stop the run. They gave up a second round pick. They gave up a first round pick, a first round pick, a second round pick, and they gave up they got to take out all the money the guy’s making. I mean, now come on. And I and for a team that’s 35 and one that’s got no chance to make the plays this year, and I mean none. As Stevie said, I’ll back him up for a change. No chance. And they’re gonna and I’m gonna do handstand swagu because they brought Quinnon Williams in. The Jet fan today is doing handstands that they made this move. They’re so excited. Overrated anyway. Now they’re doing handstand. That’s a lie. That’s a lie. That’s not true. St. Jans are not excited. Yes, they are. Jets fans are not. Woody Woody Johnson is the owner of the New York Jets. They have been a walking abomination. There is no way in hell that the Jets Jets fans and stuff like that are doing handstands. Quinn and Williams is gone. They got They love the picks. They love the picks. They love the rebuilding again. They They’re rebuilding again. And Stephen, Doggy, you’re relying on Woody Johnson to make the right choices. Nobody’s confident in that about the New York Jets right now. Sorry, doggy. You’re wrong. Well, Woody’s not making the pick. Stephen GM’s going to make the pick. Speaking of the people that does Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I I hope I hope for the Jets fans sake because they got a hall and it is great to have a lot of picks and and damn near control the draft. It’s great. I just want to remind people they drafted two quarterbacks in the top five over the last 10 years and both of them are gone. So hopefully the new GM and the head coach makes the right decision. Sam Darnold in Seattle looking like the king of the NFL and Zach Wilson is no longer there. So, they’ve been in this position before. The picks mean nothing unless you get them right. I got Williams can play football at a very high level. Can we go back to how Jerry looks though, Stephen? I want your take. You sat down with Jerry Jones on Monday. He told you he was going to make some moves. Stuck to his word. Swag. Who’s excited about that? How do you think Jerry is perceived now today on Wednesday? you’re feeling pretty good about yourself because you believe that you’re looking at the roster and you know it’s vastly improved and as a result of that you’re taking into account the fact that you lost Michael Parsons. We all know nothing replaces that uh but the combination of a Quinnon Williams of a Logan Wilson of a guy like uh you know um I’m sorry you got you got you got Williams you you got Wilson Logan Wilson as well you acquired Kenny Clark kind of things. I think you’re looking at it and you’re saying, “Excuse me, you know what? I also bought myself a little bit more flexibility that I would not have had I resigned Micah Parsons to the dollars that Micah Parsons wanted, which is north of 45$46 million.” And so, you’re looking at it from that standpoint and you’re trying to make the case, you know what, that that you’ve done what you’re supposed to do. I know how Jerry thinks. My flip side to that is in the end, you got to close. And what you what that means is you got to win during the regular season. You got to be in the playoffs. And and you know what? It’s still been 29 years since you’ve been to a conference championship game, let alone a Super Bowl. And it’s obviously going to approach 30 come January 28th. It’ll be 30 years officially. So, I’m looking at it from that standpoint and I’m saying I get where he’s coming from in terms of what he defines and qualifies as success. That don’t mean the rest of us is going to look at it that way. I can look at you and say, “All right, Jerry, you’ve improved this roster. You addressed the needs. You did that.” But just like I brought up with Quinnon Williams, you know what? It would have been nice if Jerry had done this a week earlier. It would have been really really nice if you had pulled this off a week earlier because you might have you might have a loss. I can get behind that. It might have it might have saved you a loss or two. So once again, like Michael Parson, you going to make a move about Michael Parson? Some people don’t have a problem with Michael Parsons being gone, but they all say, “Damn, could you have done it earlier where you had more flexibility and you would have been able to get more compensation than you actually got from Green Bay for him?” Once again, it’s not just the move, it’s about the timing. And when you look at Jerry Jones, that’s what you have to embed in his brain. Look, you all right, fine. That wasn’t the wrong call or this guy was the right call, but look at how late you did it. Look at how long it took. What took you so damn long? Because now now where’s it going to get you? Those are the kind of things that you’re always asking about Jerry in that regard. And that’s the problem. Go ahead, Swagger. It’s Stephen to Stephen A. To Stephen A point, there’s two things that I can agree with him. the timing and the fact that you traded Michael Parsons to an NFC team. I thought those were horrible decisions by Jerry in that particular situation. Now, when we get to this point, right, this is also about putting a the whole of of the parts as opposed to thinking that one guy is going to change the trajectory. And we’ve talked about this. We won’t know if these things are successful for a year or two, right? Like the playoffs this year, it looks very bleak based on where they are right now and what they’ve shown offensively. As much as we talking about the defense, last two weeks on offense have been bad, too, in case anybody been paying attention, which is supposed to be the catalyst for this football team. But ultimately, when we get to the conversation, this is about 26, 27, and going beyond. And Jerry knew if he stood packed and only depended on draft picks as opposed to some proven guys, this fan base would lose their mind. I think people are happy about Quinnon Williams and Logan Wilson, but hopefully it’s just the beginning of trying to build a roster that you actually feel like you can win a championship with. And let me remind everybody, they haven’t done this for a very long time as as as as going to get guys that have played at a high level in this league to bring them over and do a do try to do a great job for them. [Music]

Stephen A. Smith, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Marcus “Swagu” Spears join Shae Cornette on First Take to react to all the biggest moves from the NFL Trade Deadline.

0:00 Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys
1:15 Swagu is over the moon
5:42 Does this really matter?
8:39 Let the ‘bullying’ begin
11:41 How does Jerry Jones look now?
13:52 How do the New York Jets look?
16:48 Revisiting the Micah Parsons trade

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