Emmanuel Acho eats crow over Brock Purdy is more 'trustworthy' than Lamar Jackson take Emmanuel Acho eats crow over Brock Purdy is more ‘trustworthy’ than Lamar Jackson take. (Credit: “Speak” on FS1)
By Sam Neumann on

Emmanuel Acho put his foot in his mouth — again.

Just last week, the Fox Sports personality said during a segment on Speak that he trusts Brock Purdy over Lamar Jackson. This is all fine, and perhaps he had an actual argument — for this season, at least — but it didn’t take long for the former NFL linebacker to change his tune.

“Brock Purdy, over the last 375 days, has done everything in order for you to trust him more than Lamar Jackson,” the 33-year-old Acho said last week. “Dec. 11, 2022, Brock Purdy made his first start. Since then, Brock Purdy has more playoff wins than Lamar Jackson. Since then, Brock Purdy has played at a higher level than Lamar Jackson. Literally, for 375 days straight now, Brock Purdy has earned your trust. He has three games with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Lamar Jackson does not have games with four touchdowns and no turnovers; he does have four total touchdown games. However, Lamar Jackson has fumbles lost in those games.

“So Brock Purdy has done things this season that Lamar Jackson hasn’t done. Brock Purdy has done things in the playoffs that Lamar Jackson has not done. Brock Purdy has a perfect passer rating game on this season. So, James (Jones), I trust Brock Purdy more than I trust Lamar Jackson because since Brock Purdy took over — Dec. 11, 2022 — all of the empirical data on tape and with numbers and with their eyes support that Brock Purdy is more trustworthy than Lamar Jackson.”

In Sunday’s 33-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Purdy did something that Jackson hasn’t done this season: he threw four interceptions. And after his worst performance of his season — and his career — Acho established that it was time to have an “uncomfortable conversation” about Purdy.

Well, what exactly does he mean by that? Acho is literally on the video above saying that Purdy is more “trustworthy” than Jackson — whatever that means — and yet after one game, he’s ready to have an “uncomfortable” conversation about the quarterback that he, himself, put on a pedestal?

After Jackson went 23-of-35 for 252 yards with two touchdowns while adding 45 rushing yards (on seven carries) in the ground game, Acho was ready to anoint him the league’s Most Valuable Player. It’s not that we disagree with the sentiment, but just how it came about.

“The game should change your opinion of where Brock Purdy stands in the MVP race, but it shouldn’t change your opinion of Brock Purdy,” Acho wrote on X, shortly after pining that Purdy has to turn it around or the TV takes are gonna get crazy this week.

Hopefully, by that, Acho doesn’t mean he’ll go on national television and proclaim Jackson more “trustworthy” than Purdy. But at this rate, you never know what he might say or what take he may flip-flop on. In any event, it’s just the latest example of an NFL analyst with egg on their face regarding the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson.

We promise you’re allowed to grow and change your opinion, but it’s just silly to say you trust one quarterback more than another; add that this game shouldn’t change your opinion of Purdy only to say that it’s time we have an uncomfortable conversation about him.

As we’ve learned in the modern age of sports tall television, you don’t necessarily need to be right — word to Colin Cowherd — but for God’s sake, pick a side. His flip-flopping exemplifies the fickle nature of sports punditry, where hot takes continue to trump thoughtful analysis. Perhaps less “trust” and more respect for both QBs would go a long way.

[Emmanuel Acho]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann