You'll be seeing a whole lot less of Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's NFL pregame coverage this season.
The co-host of ESPN2's "First Take" will appear infrequently, if at all, on NFL pregame shows such as Sunday morning's "NFL Insiders" and "Sunday NFL Countdown" this year.
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Smith had a recurring role on ESPN's Sunday NFL pregame shows during the 2015 season. But he was MIA for Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season.
You won't see much of him on NFL Sundays for the rest of the year, according to ESPN.
Although Smith tweeted he was in Washington for the Steelers's 38-16 win over the Redskins on "Monday Night Football," he did not appear on "Monday Night Countdown."
I am here at the 50-Yardline of this Steelers game. What ANTONIO Brown has done all night long is straight ABUSE! Steelers winning 12 games
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 13, 2016
An ESPN spokesman confirmed to me that Smith's NFL Sunday appearances will be way down. But he said it was Smith's idea. He promised Smith will occasionally "pop up" on "NFL Insiders" and "Sunday NFL Countdown," which has a completely revamped cast this season.
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Smith is increasingly busy with the top-rated "First Take," where he and Molly Qerim are breaking in new co-anchor Max Kellerman. He does frequent hits on "SportsCenter" and has a weekday SiriusXM Radio show.
So what to make of this move?
Smith is probably wise to keep his eye on the "First Take" ball — and put an end to the Sunday NFL experiment.
Hey, even Smith can't work seven days a week. He's way more of an NBA than NFL expert.
In my book, he was never a good fit for ESPN's Sunday NFL coverage anyway. I'd much rather see ESPN NFL-focused up-and-comers such as Louis Riddick, Josina Anderson and Ryan Clark.
Plus, Smith is facing a serious challenge from old "First Take" sparring partner Skip Bayless.
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Teaming with Shannon Sharpe and Joy Taylor, Bayless has launched a new debate show called "Undisputed" on rival FS1 that's a virtual clone of ESPN2's "First Take." Bayless' show also starts a half-hour earlier at 9:30 A.M ET.
But Smith doesn't seem intimidated by his old colleague.
During a Facebook Live post, he buried the ghost of Bayless declaring: "He's gone. It's my reign now."
