Crack open a thesaurus, and Deion Sanders is synonymous with polarizing. His skeptics love to look down upon his outward eccentricity and enigmatic persona. It’s fair to say this misapprehension towards Deion often stems from a slyly prejudicial place. His unwavering push of religion and faith also fuels the flames of this outlook. But one thing is definite—Coach Prime is one heck of a head coach, a leader of men. Whatever the external opinion of Deion, the “men” he’s leading on Saturdays are almost unanimous in their reverence of him. This includes Warren Sapp, who can be a bit of a loose cannon himself. Guess you’ve got to be wired a certain way to achieve what this duo achieved as players. Sapp, still fairly new to the coaching realm, had a bit of an oversight during Colorado spring practice. Sanders, being the leader he is, knew exactly how to deal with it—with humor!
The sheer idiosyncrasy of spring football as a concept perhaps acts as a breeding ground for goof-ups! Deion Sanders has been a massive proponent of spring football amid other coaches trying to undermine this tradition in the sport’s fabric. He’s taking it seriously, too, with some very meticulous coaching techniques. One of these techniques caught Warren Sapp completely off guard.
Sapp, a defensive analyst and pass rush coordinator at Colorado, has begun a brand-new YouTube channel. It was here that he relayed an incident from practice, which maybe left him a little red-faced and certainly lent some great, funny content. During a video, Warren Sapp can be seen walking on the practice field. Laser-focused, looking over practice. Then, he sees a stray piece of paper lying around the center circle. Sapp quickly picks it up and simultaneously begins humming something into the camera. This comes across to the viewer as him being a hawk out there, making sure there’s nothing that can hinder the gridiron and, by extension, the practice. As he picks up what the viewer thinks is some debris and begins walking off, Warren Sapp gets called out.
“That’s for the kickers! I think it’s for the kickers! I know, I was going to pick it up too!” shouted a female assistant. Sapp then pulls a 180 quicker than he used to rush quarterbacks in his prime with Tampa Bay! He goes ahead and places the paper, which actually turned out to be a marker, back in its exact spot. A couple of smiles and laughs ensue, and one of these is Deion Sanders’. But not before Deion tells him off for it, perhaps sarcastically. Although Prime’s words aren’t audible in the video, Warren Sapp can be heard saying “Okay, okay, okay” in a way of apology. Alas, they both proceeded to laugh out at this rather hilarious oversight.
In the world of competitive sport, it’s a breath of fresh air to witness Sanders and Sapp exist symbiotically with no friction between them. Even though there is a clear hierarchy in their professional relationship. This interaction goes to show just how great their dynamic really is. It follows on from Coach Prime providing an update on his latest attempts to revolutionize college football—a joint spring game.
Deion Sanders and Warren Sapp may be gearing up to host guests sooner than expected
As aforementioned, Deion Sanders has been an advocate for continuing to host spring games. He’s outwardly spoken about looking forward to having one, allowing Buffs fans to quench their thirst for some football. While also building community and strengthening their relationship with the team. Coaches like Nebraska’s Matt Rhule have canceled their spring game, citing concerns around tampering. A ton of other schools and coaches have followed suit. While his contemporaries shy away from spring games, Prime is doubling down. He wants another team involved, akin to how things work in the NFL.
Deion Sanders proposed that a team pull up to Boulder so that they can practice together and even hold a joint scrimmage. This will increase motivation for practice and allow teams to better gauge where they stand ahead of the new season. While also giving fans a more competitive product. A home-run suggestion across the board. It’s been reported that Colorado joined forces with Syracuse and lodged paperwork with the NCAA, asking for permission. Given its unprecedented nature, many believed this suggestion—as great as it is—will take time to materialize. However, Deion seems positive it’ll get the green light this spring itself.
Addressing his team after the Buffs’ final practice before spring break, Deion said, “This thing may very well happen… We may very well have spring practices and a spring game against another opponent. It may very well happen. It looks really good right now.” It’s the dawn of a new era within an era up in Boulder. Some familiar faces, now etched in Colorado folklore, have bid adieu—Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. In this state of flux for the program, Deion Sanders will lean on his and Warren Sapp’s experience more than ever. The pair is staring down the barrel of their toughest year coaching yet. The standards are the standards, and skeptics won’t account for them losing two force-multiplying superstars.
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