SHIFTING THE NARRATIVE?! 👀 Stephen A. says Shedeur Sanders deserves more RECOGNITION 🗣️ | First Take

Shador Sanders his pro football debut.

I don't ever remember a rookie that has been drafted outside of the first round taking the league by storm.

Sanders throws, touchdown! Putting on a show here in the second quarter.

I wasn't nervous, it was just getting comfortable. Well I say I'm comfortable being uncomfortable. I'm feeling pretty comfy here.

I don't know about you guys. Adam Schefter, Dan Orlovsky in the building. That means football season is close. Our boy, S.A. from the West Coast. How we feeling fellas?

How's the weekend?

What's going on?

What's going on, Mollywood? How you doing? Adam Schefter. It is always an honor and a privilege to see you on the show. My brother from another mother, D.O. Dan Olofsky. What's up with the high top, baby?

What's up with the high top?

Talk to me, man.

What's up, Elvis?

How you doing?

It's the summertime. What's going on? I don't cut the top of my hair in the summertime. I think it looks awesome. Are we going? Jam into the jailhouse, brother. Go ahead, Elvis. I haven't seen you in like three months, and it took three seconds for you to start something.

Come on, man.

I love you, bro.

I missed you, man.

Come on now.

Can I take my jacket off?

Oh, look at you.

You are allowed today. You are allowed today. You're stepping your game up.

A little custom fit? Stephen A. game up a little custom. Yeah, Stephen name just in case what if you

if you're going to take it off it needs to be because you believe you fly not because you're trying to emulate somebody who's obviously for Stephen. He paid for that in

inscription for the custom age and now Stephen has not paid

for that but I'm willing to accept a purchase. Do no! Do we want to compliment ourselves anymore before we start?

Chill out Gumby.

We're feeling good.

Chill out Gumby.

I'm just wondering.

We're good?

Chill out Gumby. Everybody this morning. Alright Lemon and Lime, alright Lemon and Lime, we got the message.

Guys, these are weak.

I mean, can we come up with a better nickname? Quickly a narrative can shift and Shador Sanders did just that on Friday night in his first preseason game against the Panthers. Shador went 14-23 for 138 yards, throwing two TD passes, zero picks and added 19 yards on the ground showing poise and composure. Here's Shador himself on his performance.

I'm going to be honest, I wasn't nervous so So I went, I didn't really have too much adrenaline. It was just, it was just getting comfortable. That's all it is. Like I, it's plenty of games before, like I was nervous but I felt like I knew it. I knew the answers to the test.

So it's like when you feel unprepared, then, you know when you don't feel like you're ready for the moment I know I'm ready for the moment. Did I play up to par? No, I don't feel like I did but overall the main goal was to win and that's just and that's honestly what we did.

Steven a he turned certainly turned some heads on Friday. What is should door prove to you?

That he deserved more looks that he deserves the the consideration that some of us thought he deserved coming into the draft. I mean five of what was it? Five or seven passes for 10 or more eight yards for 93 yards of both his touchdown passes as well. Give the guy a lot of credit where credit is due. He's playing against second and third string as we get all of that because the Browns didn't play their starters.

The Carolina Panthers are the Carolina Panthers, they're one of the worst teams in football. And so we're not gonna go be beside ourself about what he did against them because you have to take the opposition into consideration. But as somebody who is a Shadur Sanders fan, who believed that he got screwed over during draft day or draft night rather, being a 144th pick,

fifth round pick, to see him go out there and make some of those requisite throws and show flashes of the kind of potential that he has. I definitely think it was a good sign. Make no mistake about it. And I definitely think that as a result, he's going to warrant more looks moving forward, but that's all we can particularly we could say at this particular moment.

We really can't say more than that right now.

Prove to me that he's absolutely demanding of more reps with the second and first teams against the second and first teams. I've been very adamant that Cleveland should start one of these rookies. I really believe that and what we saw from Shadur coming off of the reports in the summer, everything out of camp has been Shadur had another good day. Shadur's been really good. Shadur was the best quarterback in camp.

And then you get the opportunity to start. And if you just ask, what did he look like? Comfort, in total control, he played really fast, he didn't panic. Okay, so those are all the things that you saw. Then his own words, he had that smirk on his face if I felt like I had the answers to the test. That's what it looked like. And then plays like this, I would actually be most encouraged by.

One of the things for Shadour coming out of the draft that I was critical of was like, I don't think he's a ridiculous athlete, not a high-end athlete, kind of average. I thought he made some plays with his legs that I was really impressed with. So I think that, and for me, the result doesn't matter. And the opponent for me, Stephen A, doesn't matter. No, Shefty. It's what does it look like? And he looked like a guy that should be getting opportunity

to say, nope, you're actually not good enough. If I were the Browns, he would be getting reps with the starters this week. I felt like going into the game, if he played a certain way, that would be the case. He should get in reps with the starters this week. And he should, I always say it this way, prove to me you can't do it.

Prove to me you can't do it. And so far he has not done that. You're saying prove to me you can't do it. And I think the Cleveland Browns are of the mind, prove to me that you can do it. But he proved in one game that he could do it so much so that they now have to give him the chance in the second preseason game to prove he can

do it then and if he goes out in the second preseason game and proves he can do it like he did it in the first preseason game. Well, guess what? They're gonna have to have him prove it in the third preseason game and if he does it then, then we might start talking about when he's gonna prove it as a starting quarterback in the regular season.

One game. Don't want to get too excited.

But in one game, he flashed. He popped.

He showed he belonged. And that's what you're looking for early on. There aren't a lot of rookie quarterbacks that when they step onto the field, late round draft picks, mid round draft picks, where they flash. Russell Wilson did it back in 2012. Dak Prescott did it for the Dallas Cowboys.

In one game, Shadur Sanders did it. He's gotta keep doing it, but if he keeps doing it, he's gonna force conversations around that facility that they're already starting to have. This morning, the Browns head coach, Kevin Stef Stefanski said he wasn't sure yet how the quarterback rotation was going to work in the second preseason game and they're

not going to be ready to name a starting quarterback for the regular season after the second preseason game. A lot of different things going on there. Shador is making everybody think and the more he plays like that, moving forward, the tougher these calls, or really, the easier the calls are gonna make, and the more conversations they're gonna have to have.

Steve and I?

It's a real moment, you know, because I wasn't thinking about whether or not they should start a rookie, because obviously Joe Flacco at 40 years of age, a Super Bowl champion, highly experienced, took the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs. And when Deshaun Watson went down a couple of years ago,

it speaks for itself. But Dan makes a very valid point. Hold on to that moment, Dan, it's rare. But you make a very, very valid point. Because when you're talking about the rookies, you know, somebody like him,

starting for the Cleveland Browns, Flacco is really... that positions him to be the security blanket, which is what you brought him there for to begin with. You didn't bring him there to lead the Browns. You brought him to be a security blanket in the event that you couldn't find somebody else who could do it. That's why people in Cleveland

were looking at it last year. Why the hell isn't he here last year? What the hell you let him get after the season he had a couple of years ago. But I do think it's important to bring this one nugget up. I'm looking at the average time to throw for a quarterback last year in the National Football League. Dan, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it was like at 2.42

to 3.14 seconds, if I remember correctly, based on what I read.

Sure.

The average time that Shadur Sanders had to throw the other night was 3.48 seconds. And the reality is that in the National Football League, you know, this better than me, chef. The obviously you do to do you ain't gonna get that much time to throw.

So I'm saying again, the one story is that he's deserved. He's earned the right for further looks with the first second unit as opposed to the third unit. You are right about that. All I'm saying is it's as enthusiastic as I am about him.

Let's be cautiously enthusiastic from the standpoint that you're going up against the Carolina Panthers and you had a year in the day to throw the football that definitely played a factor.

I love the fact that you brought that point up and here would be my push back to it. Stephen a number one. I actually thought he played fast. That was kind of a complaint of mine coming out of school was there's moments where I wanted him to play faster, not hurried and frantic because he didn't do that, play fast, not hurried. I actually thought he played fast.

And the second thing I would say when it comes to that number that you have of the... Like that, he played fast there. The second touchdown pass, he plays fast. Part of the reason why the ball's held a little bit more in this offense is because that's the design of it. It's a play-action-based offense. They're trying to get some of the chunk completions down the field, so there's moments when,

like, this is playing fast. He moves off the pocket in a second and a half and gets the ball out. So I would argue that I think he played faster than that number that you recited is indicative of indicative of one because of the style of the offense and then two. And this is where I'm not sitting here pretending that this was flawless. But there were two or three times when we saw some of the retreat run around. Don't try and do too much. So I think that like, that's why I'm so encouraged was he did some of that, and that can't be the calling card of his game. And so I think that like,

there's still even more opportunity for him to fix some of the stuff that might be a hiccup for him in the NFL. And Stephen, don't get hung up on who they're playing. Okay, this is all against backups. This is second, third, fourth, fifth strings, whether it's the Carolina Panthers,

New Orleans Saints, whoever it is, that's irrelevant to the conversation. What's relevant is what Shadour does. And in one game, he did all he could in that one opportunity to prove that he belongs. So much so that he now gets another opportunity

to where we're going to be expecting and looking forward to the second Browns preseason game. I don't know the last time we were excited about a Browns preseason game where there was a big storyline to emerge like this, but that's what this is. He showed he belonged on Friday night and now we'll get a chance the rest

of the preseason starting this week to show he belongs again.

whether or not there's any level of validity to what they And so we can knock that down which you guys just did the other point that I would bring up do is Okay He played fast. He played faster not frenetically not not panicky but he played faster which is something that you wanted to see and because of you know, What the Browns do schematically under Stefanski? my question would be whether or not that's something that they can continue to do. Because again, if you're anybody going up against Cleveland, particularly with

him, you're going to you certainly going to get to him quicker. Yeah, you're going to make sure he has to get rid of that ball a lot quicker. So whether or not the Browns can be successful doing that, I think remains to be seen. Last point, guys. I'm going to tell you why one of the biggest things I'm hoping for right now,

if this brother performs, we ain't gonna have this conversation today, but if this brother performs, and dare we say he ends up being the starter for the Cleveland Browns, he pulls this off, there's gonna be a whole laundry list of teams

that have to answer for passing up on him. And on this show right here, I going to have a list of them. I'm letting you know right now

giving them content.

Good thing we got that big screen ready for you. Steven you just give us the go and we'll make it happen. Developing story here on first take that I'm sure your wife

Tiffany's concerned about as an Pro Bowl left guard Landon Dickerson was helped off the field and carded indoors after suffering an apparent right leg injury during the team's open practice Sunday. The injury occurred late into the two-plus-hour practice at Lincoln Financial Field. Adam, I want to start with you. What's the latest you're hearing on this?

Well, obviously when he went off the field there last night, he could barely walk under his own weight and his teammates took a knee. You could see how concerned they are, which was never a good sign. Now today, he's gonna have an MRI on his knee. He was listed on the injury report on Saturday with a knee injury.

He's played all through his NFL career, never missed his time, no matter what the injury is, but he's had a history of knee issues back in college. Now he's got another knee issue. He's gonna have an MRI today that will tell the story about how much time, if any, he'll miss. But he certainly looks like he's going to miss a little bit of time at the very least.

From a personal level, I hope he's okay. This is a guy that is a massive part of their football team. So don't want to overreact. I think players oftentimes tell you the story by reports. It seemed like the players were pretty, yeah, concerned about what they saw and or experienced. So personal level is okay. Job level, this is enormous.

This is enormous. This is one of the best guards in football. Saquon Barkley, who had that remarkable year, ran directly behind Landon Dickerson for about 500 yards untouched last year. Over about 700 yards behind Dickerson.

And if we think about Mekhi Becton, who was one of the guards last year, he is now with the Los Angeles Chargers. So the internal part, the strength of the calling card of this football team is very much in question right now. And that's why I sit there and I go,

this has repeat Super Bowl impact. If there is some significance to this injury, hopefully there isn't but this could be very damaging to a football team that had the best offensive line in football last year and now could be down 40% of those two internal

players.

Well, listen, here's the deal. It's a devastating blow. But if you're ranked as the number one offensive line in the National Football League, which pro football focus had the Philadelphia Eagles at entering this season, one would surmise that you should be able to overcome it.

That doesn't mean it's not a devastating loss. This doesn't mean it's something that can't compromise your success to some degree. Because if you're Jalen Hurts, if you are Saquon Barkley, obviously, that offensive line had an enormous amount to do

with the success you enjoy being the reigning defending Super Bowl champions. This is an all pro caliber player. We know that he just recently inked a four-year deal. 87 million dollars with incentives. We know how valuable he is to the Philadelphia Eagles. So you got a hope that ultimately he's going to be okay. But in the

same breath, even with him, even with Becton gone to the charges. It's one of those situations where if as a unit, you're considered number one, it's a hole. You should be able to plug to some degree is all I'm saying. For the sake of one. They're going to rush for 2,000 yards. Dammit. Maybe it's only going to be 1600 now.

All right, Jalen hurts, but you know, his protection might be compromised to such a good degree, but dammit, you got to figure it out. It's a devastating loss. I'm not trying to sit up there and challenge that at all, Dio. I know you're right. I'm just saying when I look at the Eagles and my expectations for them, even without Dickerson, and it's a devastating

injury, no doubt if he's out, I still expect them to overcome.

And you talked about Saquon, but who does it impact more? Is it Saquon or is it Jalen Hurts? And is this really something to Stephen A's point that you

can just overcome? I don't think it's, if there's a place that can, it's them. This is a factory for offensive linemen. Their offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland's a hall of famer. You mentioned this morning they traded for Kenyon Green from Houston, which was part of the CJ Gardner Johnson trade. He got hurt as well.

So I'm not going to live in the world where it's easy. You give them the benefit of the doubt. Who does it impact the most? This team went to the Super Bowl on the backs of its run game. So my initial response would be Saquon Barkley, because Saquon went to the next level because he got to the next level. Because their offensive line gave him the opportunity

to have some of those ridiculous cuts or that burst through and some of those long touchdown runs like we see in playoff games. So initially at Saquon there's no question but there's also a subsequent part of Jalen Hurts. Jalen for the majority of last year was like okay he didn't have a great season he had a great playoff run and one of the things that Jalen took a step back in last year was the pocket. He would leave the pocket too much they didn't throw the ball over the middle of the field a ton, mainly because I think he can't see with a great amount of clarity. And so if the

internal part of that pocket, protection-wise, is somewhat compromised, I do think it could have a

pretty significant impact on Jalen Hurts' play. Look, this is an incredible organization. They're very deep. They're very well run. But there's no way that you can lose Mekhi Beckton to the Chargers. And if Landon Dickerson is out at all, think that somebody can just step in and it's not felt at all.

These are the little things that you worry about when you're a Super Bowl champion, the little vibes that they send off. Again, hopefully he's not gonna miss any extended time. The MRI will come back in a favorable way today. And again, the limited time that he misses will be enough. But you can't lose players like Landon Dickerson,

who's been voted to the Pro Bowl three straight years. There only are a handful of offensive linemen

who have that honor, and not feel it in some type of way.

At the great Adam Schefter, I would beg your indulgence here, sir, by saying to you, let's not switch the narrative. That's my job. That's my job. I am simply saying that if anybody can overcome it, anybody that has a chance to overcome it, it's them. That's all I'm saying. I'm not saying it's not a devastating loss if he's gone. I'm not saying they won't feel it. Anybody that has a chance to overcome it. It's them. That's all I'm saying. I'm not saying

it's not a devastating loss if he's gone. I'm not saying they won't feel it. I'm not saying it won't compromise them. I'm not saying this. You can't just plug a hole like that. Ain't that easy.

But if anybody can overcome it, it's the Eagles organization. All right. That's all the brothers. Dickerson's past block win rate fourth best in the NFL since 2022. Just shows what an impact that he had. First round pick Travis Hunter saw action on offense and defense in his preseason debut playing 18 total snaps at wide receiver. Hunter recorded two catches for nine yards. He debuted at cornerback on the Steelers' second offensive drive.

He recorded five snaps with zero statistics aside from a missed tackle. Dan, after seeing him in live action, what's your confidence level in Hunter playing both sides?

I still think he can. I think there's one person on the planet that probably is most equipped to answer this. That's Charles Woodson. He was the guy that kind of was the first to do it certainly in college.

And you know, is it real and is he capable of it? Charles's opinion would be significantly greater. My thought on all of this is this. Liam Cohen, who's there, is their new head coach and play caller. If we're just being honest, yes, win games, all that,

get Trevor Lawrence to play great football. Travis Hunter doesn't get Trevor Lawrence to play great football when he plays defensive back. It helps their team and their wins. Travis Hunter's gonna play a lot of wide receiver. If I'm the Jacksonville Jaguars, Travis Hunter's playing a lot of wide receiver

because it's gonna get my quarterback to play better. And so I still think he's capable of it. He's a rare, rare, rare athlete. He's gonna get eight to 10 targets a game if I'm the Jacksonville Jaguars. And that's playing wide receiver.

Shafty?

Listen, the question is he's done it throughout his entire life, but you've heard NFL players come out and say they wonder how much he can actually do it over the course of a full season over the course of a full career whether it would take away from the man is a freak. He is an incredible talent.

The question is how they want to deploy it to get the maximum out of him. Liam Cone loves wide receivers and is slanted to thinking like that. Now he's got to view the larger picture as well. He can help him so many ways that they just have to figure it out.

I don't know that we're gonna see him able to play all these snaps that everybody wants him to. It's not like he's this huge guy either. I know he's always done it. The NFL is different, bigger, faster, stronger. And again, to your point, Dan,

I think they're gonna wanna have him on offense. It's like this great new shiny toy that you want out there as important as defense can be.

Yeah.

Here's the deal, y'all. You know, everybody has their level of expertise. Let me tell you what my level of expertise is. Being slim. I know a thing or two about that. Been that way all my life, okay?

Let me tell you something right now. That brother on that field with them grown-ass men, you don't want him overly exposed.

I don't know if you were always slim your entire life. Skinny, slim, frail? What would you call it? Dead is slim.

There was a period that you were a little fuller. We might have that video.

That's fair.

You're currently slim now. That's fair. I was a bit bloated. Ravaged with inflammation. No doubt about it, but that was then.

This is a new day.

All right, I'm much improved. Here's the deal. Them big boys on that football field. I really appreciated Devontae Adams coming out and saying what he said about the specter of Travis Hunter playing both sides of the ball.

Sure, he could be utilized. There's some defensive, defensive execution all costs. If you are the Jacksonville Jaguars, and I think that's something that you have to take into consideration when it comes to him. You got Brian Thomas, Junior, a 1,282 yard receiver last year as a rookie for Trevor Lawrence in the Jacksonville Jaguars.

And obviously Trevor Lawrence wants as much help as he can get in. Your new coach wants as much help as he can have as well. So that may be a priority. But in the end, it's also about making sure that Travis Hunter is in uniform on that field and being able to make a contribution. And you don't want that brother over exposed to the physicality of the National Football League. When I saw him in his face

during Super Bowl week. I told him that to his face. I'm like, yo, you know, you know, you in shape. Obviously, you're phenomenal. You're a relatively small dude in this league that you are about to enter. Be very, very careful about the exposure. Be very careful about it because it can be dangerous for them.

That's all I'm saying. Especially exposure with just practice. I mean, how do you practice playing both sides of the ball?

That's a lot in itself.

I think there's ways. I think there's ways. You know, when you're a wide receiver, you tell them, catch the ball, get down.