Stephen A. Smith walks back take on Texans' CJ Stroud after convincing argument from Ryan Clark
ON SECOND THOUGHT
20 August 2024
ON SECOND THOUGHT
Tuesday on First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Ryan Clark, and Shannon Sharpe discuss the top QBs 25 and under and debate which player is most likely to make a Super Bowl, Jordan Love or CJ Stroud.
Smith makes a case that Stroud will struggle more than Love this season because NFL teams now have a season of tape to watch, and he won't sneak up on anyone this year.
What Smith overlooks, and Clark highlights, is that although Love has been in the league for several years, he only became the starter last season. Which means he's in the same boat as Stroud from that perspective. Both quarterbacks have about the same amount of film for teams to analyze.
Smith even says later in the video, “He got me. He got me on that one.”
Finally, Smith and Sharpe both decide to take Love over Stroud, but mostly based on the strength of the AFC with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson to deal with.
Check out the video above for the full discussion.
José Soriano and two relievers combined for a two-hitter and Oswald Peraza hit his first home run since a trade from the Yankees to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Soriano (10-9) allowed one hit and struck out eight in seven innings. Luis García allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen threw a perfect ninth for his 25th save.
There were two outs in the fifth when Peraza connected off Hunter Brown (10-7) into the bullpen in right-center field to put the Angels up 1-0. His homer comes after his two-run single in the ninth inning Saturday helped Los Angeles to a 4-1 victory that snapped a three-game skid.
Yoan Moncada walked to start the eighth and scored on Mike Trout’s double that bounced off the wall in center field to make it 2-0. Taylor Ward walked before Luis Rengifo reached and Trout scored on an error by Lance McCullers Jr. when the pitcher overthrew first base.
Yordan Alvarez singled with no outs in the first and Soriano walked a batter in the second and sixth innings. The Astros didn’t get another hit until Ramón Urías doubled with one out in the eighth inning. Los Angeles outfielder Taylor Ward was injured trying to make a catch on that hit when he crashed face-first into the metal scoreboard in left field.
He was carted off the field holding a towel to the right side of his face. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance where interim manager Ray Montgomery said he would receive stitches to close the cut and be evaluated.
Brown allowed three hits and a run with five strikeouts in six innings. McCullers Jr. allowed three hits and two runs in his first relief appearance since 2018.
The home run by Peraza.
It’s the fifth time the Astros have been shut out this month.
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 3.68 ERA) will start for Los Angeles in the series finale Monday against RHP Luis Garcia, who’ll make his return after sitting out since May 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery.