Stephen A. Smith Dallas Cowboys First Take Screen grab: First Take
By Ben Axelrod on

It’s been a tough season to be a Dallas Cowboys hater.

But as the old cliché goes, absence only makes the heart grow fonder.

And while Stephen A. Smith hasn’t been able to celebrate a Cowboys defeat since their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 5, the end of their five-game winning streak proved to be worth the wait for the most notorious skeptic of “America’s Team.” During the opening moments of Monday’s First Take — hours after Dallas’ 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday — Smith taunted Cowboys fans with what has become one of his signature catchphrases.

“Howdy! How do you do?!” Smith, who was donning a black cowboy hat shouted. “Like I told you, just wait. Be patient. They won’t let you down. And sure enough, my Cowboys didn’t let me down. How ’bout them Cowboys?!”

Smith’s trolling didn’t stop there.

As host Molly Qerim set up the show by telling viewers she hoped they had a fabulous weekend, Smith made it clear that he enjoyed his Sunday before channeling his inner Mr. Rogers.

“I did!” Smith interrupted. “Everybody smiling? I love everybody! I just wanted to say that. It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. That’s all I wanted to say.”

As the show progressed into an actual discussion regarding Dallas’ Week 15 defeat, it became clear that Smith was just warming up. Likening the Cowboys to a bully, ESPN’s $12 million man stated, “every time they run up against somebody their own size, they get punked” before bringing up defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence’s profanity-laced rant following last week’s win over the Eagles.

“Didn’t I tell him to keep that same energy? Ain’t that what I said?” Smith said. “Please keep the same intensity. Keep the same intensity. Don’t lose the same intensity. Keep the same intensity. That’s what I said. And sure enough, you roll up to Western New York and what happened? You got a bunch of brothers that was waiting for you who said, ‘We ain’t gonna be pretty.'”

At this point, Smith’s anti-Cowboys bit has long been more performance than actual analysis. But in a season that has had many people wondering how he’d respond to their success, Smith has made it clear that unless they win the Super Bowl, then every victory just helps make Dallas’ eventual downfall all the sweeter.

[First Take]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

View all posts by Ben Axelrod