Stephen A. Smith says ‘it really doesn’t matter’ after Patriots DC mistake on ‘First Take’

On Friday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith made sure to give credit to defensive coordinator Terrell Williams for the success of the New England Patriots’ defense this season as they prepare to take on the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.

“There’s a defense that Jarrett Stidham has to go up against,” said Smith. “There is a brother coaching that defense, Terrell Williams. We ain’t mention him all year long. Reunited with Mike Vrabel … this man has done a helluva job with a defense that’s ranked top five in the National Football League, okay, so we going to give brothers credit on this show. And that brother’s doing his thing.”

That’s a bit awkward, as Williams has been away from the team since Week 2 following a prostate cancer diagnosis.

In his absence, inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr has been calling Patriots’ defensive plays. Williams has remained “involved in the Patriots’ defensive strategy” and interacting with players and coaches, per Sports Illustrated.

Social media had a field day with the First Take clip as it made the rounds, with many citing it as the latest example of Smith and ESPN talking heads, in general, not knowing the specifics of the sports they’re discussing. They even got it from former ESPNers.

Of course this is nothing new. In 2018 SAS told everyone the big players to watch in a Chargers/Chiefs matchup were Spencer Ware and Derrick Johnson. Neither were playing that night https://t.co/mtbDUo1CqI

— trey wingo (@wingoz) January 24, 2026

The First Take X account initially posted the clip with a caption that didn’t address the gaffe, but later deleted it.

First Take deleted their tweet where Stephen A Smith says that #Patriots DC Terrell Williams has been calling defensive plays, not ILB coach Zak Kuhr. ESPN knows they’re declining pic.twitter.com/uaEfs7tqt0

— New England Sports Fellow (@_JosephManning) January 24, 2026

Eventually, Smith himself attempted to refute the criticism, saying he was well aware that Williams was away from the team and that he had just forgotten to mention it.

“Nice try!” he wrote on X. “First of all, we reported earlier in the year that he was out due to Prostate Cancer when it happened. Secondly, he still talks to coaches for game-planning purposes. Thirdly, forgetting to mention all of that is different than not knowing — plus it really doesn’t matter when I’ve got experts like Ryan Clark and Cam backing me up.”

While Smith and other larger-than-life sports media personalities often get lost in the details with topics they’re discussing, it’s still an unfortunate error, even if Smith doesn’t want to treat it as one. Without mentioning Kuhr and the work he’s done with a defense that powered the Patriots to a 14-3 record and a shot at a Super Bowl, he diminishes both coaches and confuses viewers. Williams is an accomplished coach in his own right, but both coaches deserve mentions when discussing the makeup of this defense and what it’s done.

One might argue that First Take isn’t a place for factual coverage, but there’s a difference between prioritizing entertainment and offering false information.