Shannon Sharpe takes aim at Deion Sanders, Colorado

Shannon Sharpe and Deion Sanders have a lot of love for one another, but the former hasn’t been afraid to take the Colorado Buffaloes head coach to task when he sees fit.

Sharpe had previously critiqued Sanders’ interactions with reporters, but he’s also kept it a buck when it comes to his team’s performanc e or lack thereof on the football field.

And on Sunday’s show, he didn’t hold back as he dissected Colorado’s 28-10 loss to Matt Rhule’s Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln.

“I had concerns last week, and I told you I had concerns that I saw some of the same things that I saw last year that caused me to be concerned,” Sharpe told his Nightcap co-host, Chad Johnson. “And everybody like, ‘Oh, it’s one game. You see how you speak bad about the Black coaches…’ Now, I see why politicians get elected, because people like being lied to. When I tell you the truth, Colorado can’t run the football, just like they couldn’t run it last year; they couldn’t stop the run, just like they couldn’t stop last year. They couldn’t protect Sheduer (Sanders), just like they couldn’t last year. He’s holding onto the ball too long, just like he did last year.

“How did you not look at that first game and see a lot of what happened last year? How could you see it had not reared its head? And I’m not saying that North Dakota State…but when you look at an FCS team, and they’re having success running the football, they’re having success putting pressure on your quarterback, what happens when you step up in level of competition when you go, and you face teams in the Big 12? What do you think they’re gonna do because they got good D and O-line (s).”

Sharpe continued, saying it was a concern of his coming into the season and remains a concern for him moving forward.

“22 carries, 16 yards. And my thing is, look, the offensive line isn’t very good,” said Sharpe. “And they told us the offensive line was going to be better. They told us the defensive line was gonna be better. They still can’t consistently rush the quarterback without sacrificing their backend and bringing in extra people. They can’t stop the run consistently; they get gashed…When you can’t run the football, you can’t stop the run, you can’t pressure the quarterback, you can’t protect the quarterback, tell me how you win.”

You can’t.

Colorado’s prospects for success with Sanders at the helm seem bleak without substantial improvements in foundational aspects. And barring a miracle, they aren’t winning the Big 12, as Keyshawn Johnson predicted .

While Sharpe was one of the first former players turned media members to rally around Sanders and Colorado, his criticism surrounding a program like Colorado, who had beaten Nebraska 36-14 just a season prior, goes to show that the foundation is starting to crack, with some of Sanders’ biggest supporters in the media starting to jump ship.

As for Shedeur Sanders may very well be one of the best quarterbacks in college football, but his inability to see sustained success at the Power Four level hinges a lot on his team’s lack of dominance in the trenches. He isn’t blameless, as Sharpe noted that he’s hanging onto the football too long.

Still, until Colorado can rectify some of these core deficiencies, its aspirations for a season better than 4-8 remain tenuous, regardless of what ‘Coach Prime’ may say.

[ Nightcap ]

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