Charley Casserly and Stephen A. Smith seem like they’ve been sharing production notes on the NFL. The analysts can’t seem to get their facts straight.
Casserly, who was most recently in the news for his half-baked Kyler Murray take, had a few lowlights during free agency coverage on Monday afternoon. He had a hot take that was quickly refuted by people in the know, and he also had a few errors while referencing some of the league’s top players.
He started his day by ripping into quarterback Josh Rosen for his lack of work ethic. This take was an unpopular one, with countless beat reporters and media members backing Rosen’s character. ESPN’s Mina Kimes, for example, quoted Larry Fitzgerald, who said that people like Rosen “usually find a way to be successful because they just put the effort in.” Cardinals social media manager Brandon Naidus testified to Rosen’s character by sharing that the quarterback lead a beach clean-up effort during the Pro Bowl week.
Casserly later appealed to current Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Steve Wilks about acquiring linebacker C.J. Mosley. Wilks worked with linebacker Luke Kuechly with the Carolina Panthers. Mosley could help Wilks establish a strong defensive unit in his first season in Cleveland, much like Kuechly did in Carolina.
The thought was good one — except that the execution came up short. Casserly referred to a “Ryan Kuechly.” Who?
Then came Casserly’s finale.
The analyst raved about the talents of receiver Cole Beasley, who is a pending free agent. He wondered why the Dallas Cowboys weren’t feeding the slot receiver the ball more often in 2018.
“I’ll tell you what — Dez Bryant — they threw the ball too much to him last year,” Casserly said. “Get Beasley more involved.”
Bryant was not with the Cowboys in 2018. They cut him on April 13, and he signed with the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 7 before suffering a torn Achilles on Nov. 9 and missing the entire season. He is again a free agent.
Figured it out lol https://t.co/qaPpIdL2FU
— Rich (@richjmadrid) March 11, 2019
Even Bryant didn’t want the Twitter-verse to let this one go.
To be fair to Casserly, the coverage of free agency is hectic and discombobulating. On ESPN, agent Drew Rosenhaus misspoke when talking about Antonio Brown’s trade to the “San Francisco 49ers” before quickly correcting himself. (Brown will join the Oakland Raiders.) It’s not easy to be on television for as long as Casserly was, nor is it easy to manage the stressors of the insanely fast news cycle when the tampering window opens.
But Casserly had a few fumbles on Monday. His viewers had a few laughs.
