Stephen A. Smith Had Surprisingly Measured Reaction to Shedeur Sanders's Miming Interview

Sort of out of character for the 'First Take' host?

Smith's comments came during Thursday's episode of 'First Take.' / ESPN, First Take / Screenshot

If you thought ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, known for his (sometimes too hot) hot takes and envelope-pushing ethos, would have a characteristically spicy reaction to Shedeur Sanders's weird miming moment, well ... you thought wrong.

In fact, by his standards, Smith had a rather measured reaction to the whole thing, which was apparently meant as a response to criticism from his ESPN colleague Rex Ryan.

"I'm not gonna overreact to it," Smith began, shockingly, in comments on First Take Thursday. "I'm just gonna say that he has to know that other people are going to look at him and consider that immature. I don't consider him immature. I think that he can play, I think that he's a leader. I think that a lot is prejudged when it comes to him. I think it's unfair. I can't wait to see him get his chance on the football field or whatever. I just think that, at times, I wish people see ahead of time how they're going to judge you. They shouldn't judge him. It's no big deal. Every word he says, we micromanage, we dissect, and folks judge him accordingly. I think that was his way of saying, 'You know what? If you don't hear anything that I have to say, O.K., that's cool.'"

The bottom line, Smith concluded later in a quasi-message to both Deion Sanders and Shedeur, is that "people are going to be ultra-critical. Just be mindful of it."

Watch that below starting around 1:05:

That's a pretty fair read on the situation from the First Take host. Since his draft-day slide, Sanders has been subject to relentless coverage and discussion on a national scale. His demeanor and abilities have been picked apart, dissected and laid bare by many a talking head, who either have a problem with how he carries himself or are looking to interrogate his NFL future. Surely, that has been a lot for him to handle.

In the grand scheme of things, playfully miming to reporters is a pretty small infraction. But Smith is correct that it could telegraph some immaturity, and/or further an unfair narrative about him. Perhaps the best way to avoid that in the future is for him to simply remember that he is under a bigger and stronger magnifying glass than most.

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