How Stephen A. Smith's charged Texans comments should be a wake-up call on credibility
APOLOGY COMING?
10 January
The Houston Texans are back in the playoffs after several disappointing seasons that led to three head coaching hires in three straight years.
The Texans fired David Culley and Lovie Smith both after one season, before hiring DeMeco Ryans to lead the team in 2023. Texans ownership took a lot of criticism from the national media for firing African American coaches two years in a row. Many believed that these coaches weren't given a reasonable amount of time to turnaround a franchise in such bad shape.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith was one of the most vocal media members, even going so far as to suggest African American coaches need not apply for the coaching vacancy with the Texans.
How quickly things can change in a year. DeMeco Ryans accepted the Texans head coach position and already has the team hosting a home playoff game after winning the AFC South with a 10-7 record. It's a good thing for Texans fans that DeMeco didn't follow Smith's advice.
Which has many people on social media clamoring for an apology from Smith for his take on the Texans' ownership.
Does Stephen A. owe Texans ownership an apology, or was he right to express his opinion considering the state of the organization at the time?
Don't miss the video above for the full conversation!
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What the Juan Soto deal means for Houston Astros championship window
Dec 9, 2024, 4:01 pm
Over the weekend, the big domino finally fell with Juan Soto agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million megadeal with the New York Mets. Which means Alex Bregman and the other top free agents on the market should soon follow in short order.
In fact, we're already seeing reports from Rob Bradford of WEEI and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale claiming that the Red Sox and Yankees are “expected” to make a run at Bregman.
Soto heading to the National League certainly feels like a win for Astros fans, but that could change if missing out on Soto causes the Yankees to pry Breggy away from Houston.
We'll have to wait and see how this plays out before we get too excited. However, one thing is for sure, all the free agents on the market have to be thrilled about the size of Soto's deal. Not to mention Willy Adames' 7-year, $182 million deal with the Giants that could help Bregman's chances of receiving a more lucrative deal than the Astros reportedly offered him, 6- years, $154 million.
What's really eye-opening about Soto's contract is how it could impact Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker, specifically Tucker. It's hard to imagine Tucker won't get an offer of at least $300 million, and at this point $400 million wouldn't surprise us.
Historically, the Astros don't trade their big name free agents before their contracts expire, but perhaps they should rethink that approach with King Tuck. If they won't even entertain a deal approaching $300 million, it might be worth taking a step back this year to replenish the farm system and focus on the team long-term.
Speaking of trades, the Astros are reportedly calling anyone who will listen about the availability of Ryan Pressly.
Don't miss the video above as we react to the Soto deal, share our thoughts on how it could impact the Astros championship window, and much more!
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