Video: Michael Irvin did not hold back in ‘First Take’ debut
Michael Irvin will be joining ESPN’s “First Take” every Monday to debate with Stephen A. Smith, and the Hall of Famer is clearly excited for the opportunity.
Irvin, who has appeared on “First Take” a few times in past years, seemed more than ready for his debut as an in-studio host for the popular show. He and Smith debated a number of topics on Monday, and both looked like they were going to pop a blood vessel at times. One particularly heated argument centered on how important offensive lineman Zack Martin is to the Dallas Cowboys.
First Take with Stephen A Smith and Michael Irvin is performance art. pic.twitter.com/otxO4dlShu
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 6, 2021
That wasn’t even Irvin at his most animated. The former Cowboys receiver was more fired up while stating a case for Tom Brady being the best athlete of all time over Michael Jordan.
Michael Irvin might become the first person to spontaneously combust on live TV pic.twitter.com/nR84ImZoAR
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 6, 2021
There was also a funny — if not somewhat awkward — moment when Jerry Jones called into the show. The Cowboys owner said he is so fond of Smith because Smith always has “pretty women around him.” You could tell Stephen A. didn’t see it coming.
Jerry Jones "The reason I smile when I think of Stephen A, there's always pretty women around him…I like to hang with him around places" pic.twitter.com/27RkPVcocT
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 6, 2021
Irvin clearly knows why Smith wanted him as a partner on “First Take.” If you look at some of the reasons Smith wanted Max Kellerman off the show, you can already see how Irvin is trying to play a much more animated role than Smith’s last co-host did.