When former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum asserted that Jordan Love was the league’s second-best quarterback, exactly behind Patrick Mahomes, it caused quite a stir. Fans and commentators were not amused by this audacious claim, particularly Stephen A. Smith, who expressed his shock in an episode of “First Take” that aired recently.
Stephen A. didn’t feel the need to hold anything back, even though he is already well-known for his raw beliefs. He turned to face Tannenbaum and directly questioned,
“What is wrong with you, man?”
Tannenbaum, however, continued to compliment Love’s intelligence, accuracy, agility, and “impeccable character.” In a sense, he was portrayed by the former general manager of the Jets as a franchise cornerstone poised to advance.
Stephen A. Smith highly doubts Jordan Love
Rather than remain silent, Stephen A. offered CJ Stroud as an alternative to Tannenbaum’s proposal. Stephen A. emphasized how CJ, at the age of 22, became the league’s top quarterback in terms of touchdown-to-interception ratio and passing yards per game, making him just the third quarterback in 50 years.
He questioned the former NFL executive’s decision to select Love over Stroud, given that the latter was spared from having to sit behind an experienced player for a full season:
“By the way Mike T, CJ is younger than Jordan Love. I mean what are you talking about, he’s younger and cheaper. You actually going to sit up there and say that somebody who is more expensive, older and on top of it all didn’t have the numbers that CJ Stroud had?”
Tannenbaum’s perspective appeared to amuse the studio staff, especially in light of Love’s less than stellar 2023 statistics. Ryan Clark added his two cents, emphasizing how Stroud carried the Houston Texans through his entire first season, essentially turning the franchise around. But that wasn’t the case with Love and the Packers.
