You know the routine. The Dallas Cowboys lose a game they should have won, or maybe they just get embarrassed in the playoffs again. Suddenly, the screen flashes to a man in a ten-gallon hat, lighting a cigar with a grin so wide it looks like he just won the lottery.
That’s Stephen A. Smith.
His obsession with the "Star" isn't just about football. It’s theater. It’s a decades-long war against a fanbase he calls "disgusting" and "nauseating." Honestly, Stephen A Smith on Dallas Cowboys segments are basically the backbone of ESPN’s morning ratings. But have you ever wondered why he specifically targets them? Is it just for the clicks, or is there something deeper in the history of "America’s Team" that sets him off?
The "Nauseating" Fanbase Argument
Stephen A. doesn't actually hate the players. He’s said it a million times. He likes Micah Parsons (well, until Jerry Jones traded him to Green Bay in that shocking 2025 move). He respects Dak Prescott’s resilience. What he can’t stand—and what he reminds us of every single Monday—is the fans.
He describes them as people who can go 1-15, and by 7:15 PM on the day the season ends, they’re already telling you they’re winning the Super Bowl next year.
"They don't take any time to smell their own stench," he famously ranted on First Take. It's that unearned confidence. The Cowboys haven't made an NFC Championship game since the 1995 season. We’re talking about a thirty-year drought. Yet, every August, the hype train leaves the station with a full tank of gas.
Smith feeds on that delusion. He waits for the inevitable crash. When it happens, he doesn't just report it; he celebrates it like a national holiday.
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Why 2025 Changed the Script
The 2025 NFL season was a weird one for this rivalry. Usually, Smith is just waiting for them to fail. But earlier this year, things got complicated. Jerry Jones decided to go all-in on Dak Prescott with a $60 million-a-year deal while letting defensive anchors walk.
Smith actually defended the Dak investment for a minute. He saw an offense with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens (who Dallas snagged to bolster the unit) and thought, "Wait, they might actually be good."
But then the defense fell apart.
By October 2025, the Cowboys were sitting at 3-4-1. Smith went from "they have a chance" to declaring the season "over" in a span of three weeks. He called the defense "trash" and said they couldn't "stop a cold."
The flip-flopping isn't accidental. It’s how he keeps the Cowboys fans engaged. One week he gives them hope, the next he’s wearing the black hat again. It's a psychological game he plays with the city of Dallas.
Jerry Jones: The Ultimate Foil
You can't talk about Stephen A Smith on Dallas Cowboys without talking about Jerry.
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Their relationship is a bizarre mix of mutual respect and public roasting. Jerry Jones is 83 now. He’s still the GM, still the owner, and still the most vocal person in the building. Recently, Smith suggested that Jerry might be "off his rocker" for sticking with certain coaching decisions while the team languished in "purgatory."
- The Micah Parsons Trade: Smith went nuclear when Jerry moved Parsons to the Packers. He called it a surrender.
- The "Still In It" Comments: When Jerry told the media the team was still a contender despite a bottom-tier defense, Smith spent an entire segment questioning the owner's "sanity."
- Off-Camera Respect: Interestingly, Smith has admitted off-camera that he likes Jerry personally. He respects the hustle. But as a GM? He thinks Jerry is the biggest obstacle to the team’s success.
The Prophetic "Accident" of the Cowboys
One thing people get wrong is thinking Smith wants the Cowboys to be irrelevant.
He doesn't.
If the Cowboys are boringly bad, no one watches the segments. He needs them to be dramatically bad. He needs the fumbled snaps, the missed field goals, and the clock management disasters. He needs Mike McCarthy (or whoever is in the hot seat) to make a baffling decision in the fourth quarter.
That’s his fuel.
His "Cowboys are a championship contender" take from late 2025 was a classic example. He started hyping them up right before First Take did a live show in Dallas. It’s brilliant marketing. He riles them up, gets them to show up to the set, and then laughs in their faces when they lose the following Sunday.
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Breaking Down the 2026 Outlook
As we head deeper into 2026, the narrative hasn't shifted much. The Cowboys are still the most talked-about team that hasn't won anything lately.
Smith’s latest "Accident Waiting to Happen" label for the team feels more accurate than ever. With the defense ranking dead last in passing yards this past season, the path back to the Super Bowl looks like a mountain climb in flip-flops.
But will he ever stop? Unlikely.
The bit works because the Cowboys are the only team in sports that generates as much "hate-watching" as they do "fan-watching."
How to Handle the Stephen A. Heat
If you're a Cowboys fan, you basically have two choices when Stephen A. Smith starts screaming at the camera.
- Lean into the Villainy: Acknowledge that he's an entertainer. He’s the pro-wrestling heel of sports media. When he puts on the hat, he’s playing a character. Enjoy the theater of it.
- Focus on the Stats: Use the actual numbers to tune out the noise. Yes, the defense was 31st in scoring at one point in 2025. Yes, the Micah Parsons trade hurt. But the offense under Schottenheimer actually put up elite numbers.
The reality is that Stephen A Smith on Dallas Cowboys will remain a fixture of sports culture as long as Jerry Jones is running the show and the fans keep buying into the "This is our year" slogan.
Next time you see him lighting that cigar, just remember: he isn't laughing at the team. He’s laughing at the fact that he’s getting paid millions to tell you what you already know deep down inside.
To stay ahead of the narrative, keep an eye on the defensive coordinator's adjustments and the trade deadline moves—because that’s exactly where Smith will be looking for his next punchline.