FIRST Take fans were left frustrated after the ESPN show was marred by technical issues.
With Stephen A. Smith still on vacation, co-host Molly Qerim was joined on Wednesday’s show by Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, Bart Scott and Louis Riddick.
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Another guest who joined Qerim and Co. virtually was former NFL All-Pro wide receiver Chad Johnson.
The 46-year-old Cincinnati Bengals legend broadcast live from his Night Cap podcast studio — a show he co-hosts with First Take co-host Shannon Sharpe.
Unfortunately, Johnson’s appearance was hit by technical difficulties.
Debating whether wideouts or edge rushers are more important to an NFL team’s success, as the segment progressed, problems arose as Johnson appeared to be experiencing a delay.
The frequent strange pauses and overlapping comments did not go unnoticed by viewers, who turned to X to report the problem.
“You’re a multi-billion dollar company and you can’t figure out how to manage the damn audio delay so we don’t have to spend the morning listening [people] do they talk to each other in each segment?!”, asked an irate fan.
“Take away the microphones, put everyone on a damn phone call, this is ridiculous.”
“Slow down on kicking your asses today,” said another.
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But while the technical issues may have been a nuisance, Johnson still left a mark on fans during his appearance.
“Ocho needs to stay on First Take permanently,” commented one YouTube viewer.
“I like Ocho more in First Take than in Night Cap, his takes sound better
The debate coincided with the release of EA’s Madden 25 ratings, with the highest-rated edge rushers listed on the screen.
Both Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys and Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns shared honors as the top-rated edge rusher at 98.
They were followed by Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders and TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers at 97.
Meanwhile, Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill was one of three players with a 99 rating and was one point ahead of the next highest receiver, Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.
First look at the numbers
First Take has grown from strength to strength under the guidance of Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim over the past year.
ESPN’s weekday debate show averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023 — making it the most-watched year in the show’s history.
Its December average of 611,000 represented a 24% annual increase compared to 2022.
The show has also recorded more than 250 million views on YouTube.
First Take was helped by the addition of Shannon Sharpe alongside Smith and Qerim after he left Fox Sports’ Undisputed.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and left tackle Trent Williams also received a 99 rating.
The latest edition of Madden is scheduled to be released on August 16th.
As revealed by EA in June, McCaffrey will be the Madden 25 cover star.
“Being on the cover of Madden NFL is a professional achievement and an honor that I share with all of my teammates, coaches and 49er Faithful who helped make this possible,” said McCaffrey. stated.
“I’m excited to get back on the field this year to give Madden players more reasons to keep scoring touchdowns with me in Madden NFL 25.”
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