Stephen A. Smith Is Right: The Giants Are Trying to Get Jaxson Dart Killed (And He’s Letting Them)
Let’s be real for a second: Watching the New York Giants this season has been less like watching a professional football team and more like witnessing a slow-motion car crash that somehow lasts for four months. At 2-12, the season is effectively over. The coaching staff is in shambles, the front office is sweating, and the fans are mostly just checking mock drafts. But amidst this dumpster fire, there is one terrifying bright spot that is flickering out fast: Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Dart has shown flashes of brilliance. He’s got the arm, the legs, and the kind of “hero ball” mentality that makes for great highlight reels. But he also plays the position like he thinks he has infinite respawns. He doesn’t. And after seeing the rookie get checked for a concussion for the fifth time this season, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has seen enough. For once, the loudest voice in sports media isn’t just screaming for ratings—Smith is absolutely right.
Stephen A. Smith Calls Out the “Unsmart” Behavior
It takes a lot to get Stephen A. Smith to pause the theatrics and get genuinely serious about player safety, but Jaxson Dart managed to do it. On a recent episode of First Take, Smith went scorched earth on the rookie’s refusal to protect himself. While Smith acknowledged he loves the “moxy” and the “courage” Dart brings to the gridiron, he rightly pointed out that courage without self-preservation is just stupidity.
“You’re in a man’s game now,” Smith said, dropping the hammer on the rookie. “You’re a rookie. And you have been in concussion protocol five times. Come on man.”
Smith hit the nail on the head when he shifted the conversation from physical toughness to mental maturity. It’s not “soft” to slide. It’s not “weak” to throw the ball away. Smith argued that Dart’s reckless abandon is actually a selfish act because it jeopardizes the franchise’s future. “You got to think not just about yourself but about your teammates and organization who need you,” Smith ranted.
When Stephen A. Smith is the voice of reason telling you to calm down, you know you are playing way too recklessly. Smith noted that Dart’s “attitude is all wrong,” and frankly, it’s hard to disagree. The kid is trying to win meaningless games in December by sacrificing his brain cells. That’s not heroism; that’s bad management.
The “Helmet Catch” Hero Agrees: Sit Him Down
Smith isn’t the only one sounding the alarm. David Tyree, a man who literally etched his name in NFL history by risking his body (and helmet) for a catch, thinks the Giants are insane for keeping Dart on the field. Tyree, appearing on The Post’s “Blue Rush” podcast, argued that the risk simply doesn’t outweigh the reward anymore.
Tyree’s take is arguably even more damning than Smith’s because Tyree knows exactly what it takes to put your body on the line for a win. But he also knows when it’s pointless. With the playoffs mathematically impossible, Tyree is calling for the Giants to start veteran backup Jameis Winston.
“The risks are too great at this point,” Tyree said. And he’s right. Why are we trotting out the supposed “future of the franchise” to get headhunted by linebackers in a game that doesn’t matter? Tyree points out that Jameis Winston is a perfectly capable, solid NFL quarterback who can finish out the season. Let Jameis go out there and fling the ball around. If he throws four touchdowns or four interceptions, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that Dart isn’t being scraped off the turf.
The Tanking Reality Check
Here is the dark cloud hanging over all of this, which Smith alluded to regarding the “future”: The Giants are currently staring down the barrel of the No. 1 overall pick.
If the Giants secure that top pick, there is a very real chance the new regime (whoever replaces the fired Brian Daboll and potentially the GM) decides to draft a new quarterback anyway. This puts Dart in a terrible spot. He feels he has to play to prove he’s the guy so they don’t draft his replacement. But as Smith pointed out, he can’t prove he’s the guy if he can’t stay on the field.
It’s a catch-22. If Dart sits, he risks being replaced by a draft pick. If he plays, he risks a career-ending injury given his concussion history. This is where the organization needs to step in and save the player from himself. As Smith said, Dart needs to understand the “importance of surviving.”
Right now, the Giants are failing Jaxson Dart. They are letting a 22-year-old kid with a history of head injuries run into brick walls for a 2-12 team. Stephen A. Smith might be known for his hot takes, but his take on Dart is ice-cold and dead accurate. Sit the kid down, put in Jameis, and let’s all just get to the offseason before something tragic happens.
