Bell rings in on Shedeur Sanders
Veteran football writer Jarrett Bell (USA Today) drills deep
(Editor’s Note: Here are highlights of a column by USA Today’s veteran football writer Jarrett Bell, a fellow selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and long-time colleague back to the days we both covered the San Francisco 49ers dynasty and found time to squeeze in playing hoops. Bell, one of the best professionals in the business, visited Deion Sanders in Boulder, Colorado and, unlike others, looked him in the eye and asked the tough questions about his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The story was published April 23. We wanted to make sure our Substack subscribers saw it. We link to two other related stories below it. — Frank Cooney)
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BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders wasn’t so much Coach Prime as he reflected on the upcoming NFL draft and the immense attention flowing with one particular prospect.
He was Daddy Prime. …Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s youngest son, is undoubtedly the most polarizing player in the draft. The Colorado quarterback was once considered as a possibility to be chosen No. 1 overall when the draft kicks off on Thursday night at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
But Shedeur’s stock appears to have fallen in the wake of criticism, much of it from anonymous sources.
— Shedeur holds onto the ball too long…… and never mind that his protection was really bad.
— We at NFL Draft Scout like the knock on Sanders that points out he pats the ball before throwing. Right, he and hundreds of others, like a guy named Tom Brady, who seemed to do OK.
— Some shots were merciless, including his connection to Deion, his father and Hall of Fame icon. .
“It’s silly to us,” Deion told USA TODAY Sports during an expansive interview. “Most of it is laughable. What I told him, too, is, ‘Son, what I’ve learned in my life is when it don’t make sense, it’s God. Because some of this stuff is so stupid it don’t make sense. That means God is closing doors and opening doors to make sure you get to where you’re supposed to go.'"
Some say the 23-year-old Shedeur – who passed for 4,134 yards with 37 TDs and led the nation with a 74% completion rate last season – won’t even be a first-round pick. Worse, some believe it, pointing to Deion’s penchant as a helicopter parent is daunting
Deion: “This is venomous. It’s to the point where it ain’t even cute no more. It’s so predictable. I’m flipping the channel today, listening. ‘Jaxson Dart is special; Shedeur Sanders ain’t…’ Y’all c’mon. Stop.”
“It’s like just because they come from me, people take unsolicited shots at them. That’s not fair,” said Deion, who coached Shedeur and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter at Jackson State for two seasons before they bolted to Colorado.
“Just say you don’t like me. Just say you’re tired of me winning, you’re tired of me being the light, tired of me being up, just consistently provoking change wherever I go. Just say that. But don’t attack my kids because of that.”
Hot in the news for a few weeks was a story by veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson who wrote that the quarterback coach from one team, with one of the top seven picks in the draft, maintained that Shedeur came off as “brash” and “arrogant” during his interview with the team.
Deion to Bell: “The brother who lied and said that, I know what team he’s from, so I called the head coach. I said, ‘Dog, c’mon, man. This is what we’re doing?' . ….That never happened. I was in the meeting. I ran the interview. Shedeur never came off like that. That’s not true."
Deion said that in assuring the coach he wouldn’t blow the story up, he added, “But check your staff, man.”
During his media session at the combine, Shedeur was quite the contrast to the brash and arrogant description. While he expressed confidence that he can be a difference-maker for a team on the NFL level, he was cordial, respectful, witty and classy, thoughtful as he responded to a barrage of questions for 15 minutes.
Here was NFL Draft Scout’s take on that presser.
Deion insists that although he’s met with team owners, GMs and coaches, he’s never tried to influence where Shedeur lands – even if trying to be on the right side of the 50-50 success-to-bust rate for first-round quarterbacks. No, this would not be an Eli Manning-type of power play.
“So, you’ve got to meet with people and say, ‘This is my son.’ With a quarterback, it’s all about where he goes, with the offensive coordinator, quarterback coach, line, system, all of that. I think there are some really good quarterbacks that got lost in the shuffle because of where they went. I really do. So, I don’t want him to be another statistic, because I know how smart he is. You can’t just tell him anything. He’s going to ask questions about it and you’ve got to be able to answer because he’s been fathered by somebody that knows the game.”
Shedeur will not be at the draft. Prime is throwing an invitation-only bash at his home on the outskirts of Dallas with “a beautiful tent and stage.”
Nobody knows when Shedeur will be picked. The New York Giants, picking third overall, conducted a private workout with Shedeur on Colorado’s campus last week to add to the plot. The New Orleans Saints, picking ninth, lost starter Derek Carr to a shoulder injury. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who hosted Shedeur for a visit, have the 21st pick and a need for a long-term quarterback. And that may remain so even if they strike a deal with Aaron Rodgers.
Deion mocked some of the issues people are saying about Shedeur.
Deion to Bell: “First, he couldn’t throw, but then Pro Day comes and I didn’t hear that no more. … It was like, ‘So, your arm started getting weaker when? You threw across your body 60 yards in the air for a touchdown to take us to overtime with a Hail Mary. So, when did your arm get weak?’
“That kind of stupid stuff. So, he gets it. He’s always been prepared for it because he’s always dealt with it. We even dealt with it in Jackson. He gets it…We get a tremendous amount of light and a tremendous amount of ignorance as well.”
And Prime thinks rumors that his son is falling are out of line
Deion to Bell: “He’s not falling. We’ve already won. We came from an HBCU, man. Who else will be drafted from an HBCU this year? Or was drafted last year? Or the year before that? The year before that? Since Steve McNair (third overall, 1995)? We won, already. And when they talk about him, they’ve got to mention HBCU and Colorado.”
So the stage is set, and we should find out more on Thursday.
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