Stephen A. & Dan GO AT IT 🗣️ Caleb Williams vs. Cowboys defense debate TURNS HEATED 👀🔥 | First Take

Stephen A. & Dan GO AT IT 🗣️ Caleb Williams vs. Cowboys defense debate TURNS HEATED 👀🔥 | First Take

Hello, good morning. Welcome in to First State. We got Dan Arloski, Cam Newton hanging out with us. Amina Smith here with you and Stephen A. Smith at the site of Monday Night Football where the Ravens will host the Lions. However, you know, we got to start with America’s team right here. The Bears and the Cowboys, they went head-to-head on Sunday. Caleb Williams shined in a dominant 34-4 win. Dak Prescott threw two interceptions, including a crucial one on fourth and goal with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game. Meanwhile, Williams threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns, tying a careerhigh for the quarterback. Vibes are high for the Bears after securing Ben Johnson’s first win. Take a listen. I got one more. I got one more. My bad. My bad. It’s Boss Man’s first home victory. First win. [Music] You know what I got? You know what I got? Repeat after me now. Do better. Never let it rest. Never let it get better. Any better guess. Bears on three. 1 2 3. The vibes are high in Chicago. And let’s start with looking at this Bear side. Caleb’s great performance. Dan, I’ll start with you. Is it more about Caleb Williams or the Cowboys bad defense? No, it’s 100% about Caleb Williams because one, it’s the most professional performance that we’ve seen him have as a Chicago Bear. Certainly, I think two, he’s playing a style that a lot of us question like, can he? It can you have a game where you play at a very high level and not all of us are looking at, wow, look at this wow play. Look at him run around and make these three or four throws that are unbelievably athletic outside the pocket. He’s seeing when the defense busts coverage and rips the touchdown to Romo Dunay. the flee flicker, the ball goes 65 yards down the field. But for me, it’s so much timing and rhythm in the in the confines and the structure of the offense. Are you doing that? Some of the zone throws that he had to to some of his tight ends and receivers. Cowboys defense stinks. No question about it. But this is about Caleb. I point to one play where I go, “Wow.” Athletically, that’s a special play. It was the fourth down when he moves up in the pocket and finds DJ Moore at the back of the end zone. Other than that, this is a professional performance by Caleb Williams. And it’s two weeks in a row where you start to see improvement in ways that you demanded it. That’s a great sign for him and the Bears. Stephen A, what say you? This Well, this is one of the most pathetic takes that Dan Olafi has ever given. Oh, wait a minute. You got to be you you got to be kidding me. You got to be with with your not with your knowledge of football. Listen, I’m not playing. Come on, Dan. Come on, Dan. You know what? You forgotten more football than most people know. You saw how bad Dallas’s defense was in the first half alone. You’ve got a situation where Caleb completed passes 65 yards, 41, 35, 31, and 29 yards all in the first half. What about the flea flicker that DeAndre Swift threw? He threw it up to the damn stands for crying out loud. Caleb Williams had time to call his honey, you know, or order Uber Eats, sit up there and take a phone call and all of a sudden before the fall before fall came down in his hands and then he threw it down to Luther Bird in the third. Okay, come on, man. You saw that. You have no pass rush whatsoever. You only got four sacks over the three games, your the back end of your defense, your secondary, one miscommunication after another. You’ve seen all of this. And we’re going to sit up here today and you’re going to tell me, “Listen, I’m happy for Caleb Williams. The brother’s got skills. I believe in him. I believe his future is bright, but I’m just talking strictly about what you saw yesterday. You gonna sit up there with a straight face and say that was about Caleb Williams instead of a defense that looks absolutely positively horrible. Last but not least, total defense 30th in the NFL. Scoring defense 28th. Pass defense 31st in the NFL. Sacks per game, they’re 29th. Third down defense, they’re dead last. The Dallas Cowboys defense is awful. absolutely awful. You know it, I know it. Anybody with two eyes sees it. And as a result, we got to sit up there and look at what the Dallas Cowboys where they’re going to go from here and what they’re going to be able to do. Last but not least, before I pass this to Cam, before I pass this to Cam and Dio, I definitely want your take on this as well. Cam, I think what transpired yesterday with CD Lamb is damn near a fireable offense to line him up in the back field and give him the ball on a running play. He’s not He’s not Debo. He’s not built for that, y’all. He ain’t Cam. That That That’s like taking Listen, that’s damn near like taking DO and putting him in the back field and say, “Go ahead and run the damn football.” That’s not his game. If you’re paying this man $136 million and he’s got a high ankle sprain because of that. Oh, come on, man. Go ahead, y’all. Go ahead, y’all. Y’all know I don’t. Okay, go ahead. It’s an embarrassing comment by you. So, I will say embarrassing. Embarrassing. Go ahead, Cam. Go ahead. It’s hot in here. It is. It’s a little hot. I like the gate. Y’all coming out the gate today. Stephen Stephen Anthony, I like where you at. Okay, let let me let me unpack this or try to unpack this. First and foremost, with a guy like CD Lamb, you have to find ways to get him the ball no matter what. I mean, in the back field and punt return and kick return in and as a quarterback and Wildcat, it doesn’t matter. He’s that dynamic of a player that you have to get him the football. And understanding this, Stephen A, anybody with two eyes, well, fortunately and unfortunately, I have four eyes today and I saw what you saw. Um, the Dallas defense is is a Travis Shan mockery. I mean, it’s one of those situations that it’s Trayvon Diggs. Like, bro, you like, who is this? He’s like a shell of himself. And I’m like, yo, like he’s slipping and falling. I’m slipping. I’m falling. I can’t get up. I’m falling. I see what you But understand this though, the DBs, it’s like the miscommunication. And we’ve seen these things happen and in in nauseium over the last three weeks. Okay, first week Jaylen Hurst. Jaylen Hurst had somewhat of a good game but not anywhere elite. Russell Wilson the following week and he’s playing like let Russ cook easy big guy. He going to give you one. I told you he going to give you one. Third week, you got Caleb Williams. And it’s like, yo, Caleb Williams needed that type of performance for the fan base, for the coaching staff, and most importantly for himself to see that he can play at a high level. So, I’m with Dan O when he says a professional performance. And in this league, you have to perform when you need to perform and when it’s favorable for you to perform. Yeah. So, and that’s my thing. So, in regards to the Caleb thing, and this is why Stephen A, it’s outrageous for you to go, well, it’s about the Cowboys defense. One, we knew the defense was bad going into it. We’ve seen it. Okay. So then the the the question was we saw the Bears be bad too, but we s got hurt. So the the Bears were at advantage because it was only George Pickkins. It’s about Caleb Williams because one, and Cam knows this, when you as a quarterback and the defense makes a mistake, do you make him pay for it? He did that. And then two, are you making mistakes that are hurting your football team, which we’ve seen Caleb do, which we’ve watched him do when it comes to you’re making it too hard, you’re trying to do too much, you’re not playing. Yes, Stephen. A the take away the flick flicker. Okay, then he’s going to be 18. He’ll be 18 to 28 yards. Listen, you know what? You can’t have it both ways. Yes, you you can’t you can’t have it both ways. You can’t sit up there with your iPad dissecting stuff on a big screen for first take, get up, sports center, and every NFL live and everybody in between teaching us about football the way that few can. Okay? And then all of a sudden, you want to engage in selective amnesia because you want to for over the latest quarterback, Mr. Quarterback lover. That’s who you are. That’s who you are. And the bottom line is this. When Excuse me. Excuse me. The question is when you talk about Caleb’s performance more about him or than the Cowboys defense? The Dallas Cowboys defense is horrific? No pass rush, no secondary, can’t stop a damn cold. And you’re telling me that we’re going to sit up there and ignore the fact that Caleb Williams again, who I believe in, who will progress, who has potential. I love the kid and I think he’s got a bright future. I believe in him. But he’s sacked 68 times last year. Okay, he was getting sacked thus far this year. What happens against the Cowboys? He didn’t get touched like I told you. He called this lady. He sat up there and called Uber Eats. He took phone call. He was doing everything back there before he threw a damn pass cuz he sat up there looking pretty. Y’all are quarterbacks that I’m talking about here. How much How often do you see a cat have that much time to throw the football in the pocket? You saw it. Where was the rush? Where’s the pressure? You ain’t got no pressure. You can’t defend the pass. Come on. Come on, Dan. Listen. This is your problem. Go ahead. Go ahead. What’s my problem? What’s my problem? Style that he hasn’t done in the NFL on a consistent basis. We’re looking for development. Dr. Dude, Caleb, we’ve seen him make jaw dropping. I’m not taking anything away from Caleb. So, when I’m saying the Cowboys defense, that’s the bigger story. How awful they are. No, it’s not. We know their defense is awful. We knew when the from the moment they traded Micah, it was going to be bad. This was the opportunity to watch Caleb play and continue to develop playing in a style that he hasn’t played. And also, this is coming from the guy that was skeptical about it. This was coming from the guy that said, “Take Jaden over Caleb cuz I like this offense.” This was coming from the guy that was skeptical about the Ben Caleb marriage. Look, the guy Let me help you out. It would have been It would have been a bigger story. It would have been a bigger story if the Cowboys defense looked decent and Caleb looked bad because we would have been wondering about his future if he could have do something against this defense. But the fact that he was able to do what he did in the first half alone looking at Dallas’s defense, you’re like, damn, this is this is really this is worse than we thought. That’s all I’m saying. So I think you know with analy I’m I’m I’m in unfamiliar territory right here usually like I’m like mitigating like do I do see him he s he don’t know what to do. I I love where we at though. I love where we at. But I would say this the thing about uh uh Dan’s point is I think everybody wanted to see growth. Yeah. And steps to say, “Okay, you’re a first pick of the draft pick.” Yeah. Hey, let’s figure this out. Yeah. Hey, are you making the the the the are you turning in a direction that’s getting you closer to positioning your team to say, “Okay, we we got us one.” And then we can build around that. Yeah. Well, there’s times where Caleb is in a position where it’s like, “Hold on, hold on. Is this a bust?” Yeah. And and and this is coming from a person that I’ve challenged him last week on my own platform by just saying, “Hey, bro. Let’s change the narrative. We don’t worry about the the the the fingernails and you know you all the semantics that makes you unique and Jenz’s leader of you know free spirit like man. Hey bro, look at that cam. Hey dog, can we come down to the do y’all see how open these people are? That’s cool. But that’s Stephen A. But you got to make is bad. We know that the defense but you got to but like that’s why like you one he’s got to make the plays and the throws. He’s got to see it the right way, get it out on time and do a structure. But I’ll go if we walked out of this game and he has the same statline and then five or six of those plays or him running around holding the ball for nine or 10 seconds making some of these draw dropping throws. I’d be like it’s not going to carry over. But this was I guess my point is I guess my point is who can’t make those. Look at how wide open these people are. Go back to the highlights, please. There’s nobody in the vicinity. Look at them. Look at them. I I think the followup there’s nobody there. The followup will be how do you bounce back after success with Kayla? Now to Stephen A’s point, I’m with you, bro. The bigger story is, okay, Dallas, we have to find some type of solution in the defensive front. Okay, we have not had any sacks in that game. No rush whatsoever. And on top of that, we have dog on uh uh uh uh uh defensive coverage mishaps. I mean, those are things that’s already uh uh uh things that’s going against you. And on top of that, the offense is turning uh turning the ball over. That’s not a recipe for winning. Let’s transition to the Cowboys side of things on a macro level. Owner Jerry Jones was asked if he feels like Dallas is still a playoff team based off of what he saw this week. Let’s hear what he had to say. Is this a playoff caliber team? What Cowboys? Yes. I’m going to tell you, yes. Yes. Uh and it’s because you saw number four out there today and uh you saw what uh I think we’re capable of doing in the running game or that type deal. So yes, I pull it there. Now we’ve got to as we abide toward the playoffs, we’ve got to uh get better defensively. Certainly. Now Stephen N, you know, we got to come to you first. What’s your reaction to what Jerry Jones had to say? Is this Cowboys team a playoff team? Well, I think his offense is a playoff caliber offense when everybody’s healthy. I think his offense is the defense is trash. It’s awful. It’s awful. And and and then listen, on a particular day like this, let me throw myself out in front street, Cam, and and and and Dio, I was I was honored by the Nancy uh Nancy Lieberman and and her foundation with the Lifetime Achievement Award Saturday Saturday night. And Jerry Jones was my surprise presenter. I mean, I I I was touched by it. I got to admit it. You know, the the the man the man showed up to present me with the Lifetime Achievement Award. I couldn’t believe it. You know, I was very very touched, very humbled. Thank you very very much, Jerry Jones. That’s my Libra buddy right there. But I got to tell you something right now. We got to call it like we see it with this football. And his defense is horrible. I mean, horrible. They can listen, they can’t stop a cold. And there’s no way on earth that you can expect that offense to do. But so Dak Prescott is not only going to have to put up points in bunches. They’re going to have to do more than that. They’re going to have to milk the clock. They go they going to have to do everything they can to save the defense from being seen cuz every time we see these brothers, they look horrible. The Giants, we thought the Giants, what they did to them was bad enough. I never expected them to get annihilated the way that they did yesterday by the Chicago Bears. They got their ass kicked and they don’t have a rush. They don’t have much of a secondary. It hurts me to see Trayvon Diggs suffering the way that he’s been suffering because I got love for the brother, no doubt. And obviously, you know, that nasty injury that he had a couple of years ago, he’s still healing for he he don’t look 100% at all. But in the end, what it comes down to is that this team is not a playoff team only because you you can’t you can’t defend against anybody. The offense can only do but so much. And I’mma reiterate it regardless against the expertise of both of y’all, which is obviously significantly higher than mine when it comes to football. I don’t give a damn what you say. You see that dude, you you you see you see, you know, Slim Shady and CD Lamb, you do not put him in the back field to run to to have a running play when you going to have to deal with some of them linebackers out there. That ain’t his game. That ain’t why he got paid $136 million. I don’t give a damn what anybody says. Okay. Uh, one, no, this is the worst defense in the NFC right now. Okay, so no, you’re not going to be a playoff team with the worst defense in your conference. I agree with Stephen A. It’s a playoff caliber offense. The last thing I’m going to say about this ridiculous CD in the backfield. The team that they just played did it to DJ Moore three times, who’s probably somewhat similar of a stylistic wide receiver, maybe a little bit thicker. Teams are doing this all the time. I’ve watched the the the Vikings hand the ball to Justin Jefferson. Okay, stop. Stop. You’re wrong. DJ Moore DJ Moore ain’t their number one option. Dunce is. And number two, again, he’s thicker than CD Lamb. You got to take that into consideration. I’m not going to hesitate to give Cam the football. I’m not I’m not I’m not going to hesitate to give Cam the football, but but but I’d hesitate to give Dan Alaski the football out of the back field. Yeah, we we we I’m not I’m not having I’m having a wonderful morning. I’m having a wonderful morning. Uh, but what I what what this is this needs to be said though, and I’ll give you some type of football uh one-on-one, so to speak, for everybody that’s watching. When you have a dynamic player in CD Lamb, you have to find different intriguing ways to give him the ball. Now, I’ll give you a a schematic, so to speak, of what coaches may think. When you play man-to-man, you can bring in additional players to kind of shadow a guy like CD Lamb. Well, if you put him in the back field, then what? what what are you going to do then? So that’s why Debo has been effective. That’s why the DJ Morris have been effective. That’s why you call them gadget players have been effective because we have to find different ways to get them the ball. Now this is the thing that I will say in regards to the Dallas Cowboys defense and Trayvon Diggs. Well, a lot of the times you see Trayvon and you want to say, “Hey, he’s not 100% yet.” But being 100% and being out of position is two different things. Yeah, if he’s out there limping, if he’s out there, you know, second guessing or playing uh playing slower than expect, that’s not what we’re seeing here. We’re seeing a person who is well and capable. I man, I I I’ll take you back real quick. A couple years ago when I was in the league, I had the opportunity to work out with the Diggers brothers and to see them compete. I’m talking about, bro, you had to, it’s like Kane and Abel on the football field and then as soon as you get off the field, that’s where the brotherly love comes in at. They compete. I was a fan then, still am a fan now. So when I see certain things happen, I’m like, whoa, bro, that ain’t what I No. Uhuh. Uhuh. You’re not upholding your end of the bargain. And when you look at, you know, what Jerry’s saying, you know, as far as being a playoff team, I really do think that they are a playoff team. What I would have wanted to see, let’s put some pressure on that Chicago uh Bears team because what we do know, Caleb will put the ball in jeopardy. Okay, how do we make him feel the pressure? Let’s just not let’s not turn the ball over on a first drive which we got guys going on. I can’t let you say that. You you in your heart think they’re a playoff. I’m about to say I I hear a lot of ifs but maybe I don’t you can’t be a playoff green. Huh? You think they’re better than Green Bay? Wild card. Bro, you think they’re better than Green Bay? No. You think they’re better than the Rams? Cam smoking too many cigars. You think they’re better than San Francisco? Uh can be Hoover? Yes. You think they can be better than San Francisco? San Francisco was skunkked them. That’s You think they’re better than Minnesota? Yes. Stop. Stop, dude. Cam. Wow. Dallas and Minnesota. Minnesota will beat them by 17. No, they won’t. Not with JJ McCarthy, bro. Are you serious? Did you watch me? Sam Dur probably. JJ M. You Cam, you don’t think they’re better than the Vikings by 17. Cam, they can’t stop anybody. They can’t stop anybody. It’s just you can’t be a playoff team and have a bad defense. Not even a terrible defense. What is this man? Only week three. That’s what I’m saying. Caveat in the NFL. It’s not about who’s most talented. It’s about who gets hot at the right time. Who you going to bank on on that defense to improve on? Can I tell you something? Over Minnesota. Let let Stephen A jump in. Go ahead, Stephen A. Uh, by the way, Cam, you know, just so y’all know, it’s first take. Whether it’s sooner or later, I’mma get in my question, so you can try to avoid me. It ain’t going to work. Okay? I’m gonna come back with this question to you again, Cam Newton. If you had a defense like that behind you, you’d be confident you a playoff team? Uh, yes. But, but, but listen, listen, listen. Don’t don’t do that. Don’t do that. What did we say week one? lies. What? Hold up. What do we say week one in regards to Jaylen Herz and the Dallas Cowboys? Hey, they may not be that bad. Yeah. Okay. Then they followed up with an atrocious outcome in in in New York Giants. Okay. Then followed that up with this. They’re well capable. They’re well incapable. And that’s all I’m saying. When you start getting guys to understand like, “Hey, bro. I don’t have to do 10 other people’s jobs. I just have to do my job.” And that’s what that’s what you have in Dallas. You got guys that’s trying to overcompensate. Bro, just do your job. Bro, I’m seeing mis miscommunication, uh, uh, uh, uh, blown coverages, uh, uh, uh, bad technique. It comes down to you just doing your job. When those guys do their job, now you allow guys like Dak Prescott, uh, uh, hopefully CD Lamb can get back healthy. But these guys is not doing anything like they’re just playing bad defensive ball. When they when they figure that out, then that’s where we’re gonna go. Stephen A, final word. Well, I’m glad you’re so I’m so glad and touched that you’re so confident that they’ll figure that out with a rookie head coach. Okay. And an off and a defensive coordinator that that that used to be the head coach in Chicago and got ran out of town yesterday. I’m so glad that with the combination of Brian Shenheimer and and Matt Ebofloose that you’re so confident that these mishaps, this miscommunication, this see this this discombobulation and anything else you want to throw into the equation is going to be fixed. Cam, bravo to you. It ain’t happening. Defense is trash. Defense is trash. They’re gonna lose next week to Green Bay as well. I’ve never been a Dallas Cowboys fan. Let’s just throw it out there. I was not a a fan of the hire of of of the head coach. And let’s just throw facts, but when you watch Dallas play, it’s like that smart, not conservative. Don’t turn the ball over. The first drive, they had motion, Dan. The guy made an unbelievable play. Stripped him from, you know, from running the ball. That was a chunk play. Yeah. Okay. Then you got the ball, you got the guy putting the ball in jeopardy. I don’t like that, Dak. I don’t like that, Dak. that really in big dog and just play the style of football that’s going to allow other teams to feel that you’re there. That’s it. Yeah, I know. We got to go quu here. The only thing I’m going to say with that is this. Number one, he can’t because their defense is going to give up 30 a game. So, he’s got to score 35. Two, the Bears in the third quarter ran the ball 11 straight times against this defense. Said stop it and they couldn’t. There it is. Well, you know what? We coming out the gate hot on a Monday morning. Cam bringing the energy. Danny Ho bringing the energy. Stephen A. Smith as usual. [Music]

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Dan Orlovsky and Cam Newton weigh in on Caleb Williams’ performance in the Chicago Bears’ win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3 before debating whether the Cowboys are a playoff team.

0:00 Is it more about Caleb Williams or the Cowboys defense?
6:50 Stephen A. and Dan Orlovsky get into a heated debate
13:00 Jerry Jones’ comments after the Cowboys’ loss
13:30 Do you believe the Cowboys are a playoff team?
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