"Aaron Rodgers is a bad man" - Stephen A Smith and Kevin Hart argue over Packers QB's performance vs Cardinals

ESPN's "First Take" TV show was spicy on Friday when Kevin Hart joined Stephen A Smith to talk about Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers played against the undefeated Arizona Cardinals in Thursday Night Football without his top three wide receivers. Smith had doubts about Rodgers' ability to beat the Cardinals with a depleted receiving core in a short week. But Rodgers managed the game well and threw two touchdowns to longtime friend Randall Cobb. On Friday, Smith and Hart had an entertaining back and forth conversation about Smith's lack of faith in Rodgers.

Stephen A Smith calls Aaron Rodgers "a bad man"

Smith began the conversation by saying how impressed he was with Rodgers for stepping up when his offense was massively shorthanded. He said,

"He's a bad man. That's just the way it is. Without three receivers. Not one, not two, but three receivers. The man went out there and handled his business. I was expecting more from the Arizona Cardinals, they were undefeated. We saw Kyler Murray out there, we saw A.J. Green out there, we saw DeAndre Hopkins out there and I expected more. And as far as I'm concerned, they might've taken it for granted. Because he doesn't have Davante Adams, he doesn't have Valdes-Scantling, he doesn't have Lazard. So guess what, they're going to have to run the ball to beat us. That was my mentality. And Aaron Rodgers went out there and reminded everyone what a bad brother he is. "

Smith, who has been one of Rodgers' biggest supporters for a long time, made a mistake by initially doubting the Packers quarterback. Hart might be a comedian, but he's a plugged-in sports fan who wasted little time in retorting back to Smith that he should've never doubted him. Hart responded to Smith by saying:

"I think you're the only person that needed to be reminded. I think everybody else knew. I think everybody else saw the way Aaron Rodgers was playing this football season and knew that Aaron Rodgers was capable of doing what he did. Me, I'm not in your seat. I'm not the one that should be able to say the things that actually make sense, that's your job not mine. It's crazy when I see you make the mistakes that you make. Sometimes I text you. I know you read the messages. You know, you choose not to listen. But Aaron Rodgers is, as you said, a bad man and has been for quite some time. You don't doubt greatness Stephen A. You don't doubt greatness and that's what you did. "

Hart is right about the fact that Rodgers has played great this season. Except for the season-opener, the Green Bay Packers have played good football, and Rodgers has had a solid follow-up season to his MVP year.

Without Davante Adams, Rodgers is 7-0 in his career. His statistics are downright amazing as well.

Rodgers is in the conversation for the greatest quarterback of all time. His heroics against the Cardinals are just another feather in his cap. Hart and Smith both know how great Rodgers is. If there were doubts about his greatness, the quarterback silenced them on Thursday.