Stephen A. Smith has had a ton of co-hosts throughout his time at First Take. Of course, everything started with Skip Bayless, which were the glory years for the shoe. For the next five years after that, Smith was with Max Kellerman, and for the most part, they were a good team, until Smith got tired of losing a majority of the show’s debates. Since kicking Kellerman off of the show, Smith has had a revolving door of co-hosts, and fans haven’t enjoyed the dynamic as much.
With this in mind, it should be no surprise that the show is trying something new by bringing in a part-time co-host who is a lot like Smith in his boisterousness. That man is none other than New York radio legend Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who made his debut on the show today.
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Russo didn’t waste any time getting under Smith’s skin, as Russo yelled to the heavens about how Kirk Cousins is a better quarterback than Dak Prescott, simply because he has a road playoff win under his belt. Smith did not like this take by any means, and let Russo know by telling him that he needs to be disqualified from the show. It made for a pretty hilarious moment that will certainly reignite some nostalgia in to First Take fans.
It remains to be seen if Russo will stick around on the show, however, it is clear that the man is injecting a lot more energy into the show, which is exactly what First Take needs right now.