Prime Time and his Complex Legacy

My thoughts on Deion Sanders are much like his own ongoing legacy. They are…complex. With the unexpected success albeit very early in the season for the University of Colorado, there has come quite a bit of attention on the program. And while it’s to be expected, it still has me feeling a certain way.

First I’ll get my criticisms out of the way. I do not like how he left Jackson State. At all. He did not want to go through the conventional methods of becoming a head coach so he chose to go to a school that needed a light shined on it. Where he fucked up in my eyes was proclaiming he was on a mission from God when anyone who has followed Deion for more than 5 minutes will tell you he is out for Deion. But to his credit he rebuilt the program, brought in highly ranked recruits and donations flowed like water and that can not be discounted how much that helped.

Then the first moment he got a chance to step to a school higher on the NCAA totem pole he bounced. That’s fine, won’t begrudge the guy, however watch the game after he made the decision to leave, completely checked out and no longer worrying about the HBCU he made his name on and built his resume on. He owed it to Jackson State I feel, to leave in a manner that the school deserved. 

But the game is the game, and Deion rolled into Colorado and brought with him a plethora of transfers and highly ranked recruits. Much like many a high profile coach before him but this felt different. While there is much to be rightfully be critical of, the disrespect being shown is a touch much for your boy. You have talking heads openly claiming Jackson State is nothing more than a JUCO and of course immediately discounting the legitimacy of talent at HBCUs. 

So for as obnoxious as I find Deion, and to be fair I have always been a huge fan because of his obnoxious talent, just because I don’t like how he handled himself at Jackson St. does not mean I will ever root against him.

Ya know why? Because to root against him is to root against the success of guys like Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, Xavier Weaver and so many more. And for all of the criticisms that can be levied, one thing is for sure he has made Colorado Buffalo football exciting in a way it has not been…well ever. 

Also when it comes to hoping Deion fails...

NFL Season Preview

The football season is upon us and I would be remiss if I didn’t recap how your boy came through and killed it with his prognostication. To recap, I called the Chiefs over the Eagles in the Super Bowl, I called the Bears stinking it up but progression from Justin Fields, I called in what had friends of mine laughing at me at the time, I called for a career year for one Geno Smith and damned if my boy Geno didn’t come through. So the time has come again for me, your resident prognosticator, to come through with what he does best, gut feelings based on elite athletes!

*The Detroit Lions will fall short of expectations.

I know this is going to grind the gears of some of my Lion supporting pals but allow me to bring a dose of reality to the situation. The Lions were the feel good story of the NFL last year and even sent Aaron Rodgers off to New York by ending the Packers season. However, dreams of Super Bowls need to be tempered just a bit. I’m seeing predictions of 12-13 wins and while admirable, shoot for 10 games and see where you go from there. They don’t have the easiest schedule and let’s be honest history isn’t on their side. I think they steal a wild card spot and who knows what  happens next year but any elite talk this year has got to be tabled.

*The Chicago Bears will exceed expectations but fall short of the playoffs.

Last season I said the Bears would be awful and they were but we saw enough from Justin Fields to get real excited as Bears fans. Last season even with a weak roster we were in most of the games we played and players like DJ Moore and Darnell Wright coming in this offseason will be huge. I think a 5-6 win improvement is more than possible. Also Fields gets a bad rap as a running quarterback when people seem to forget at Ohio State he ran nowhere near as much. Last season he had 160 rushing attempts, his entire college career he had 260. He’s going to be fine with some semblance of an offensive line.

*Bijan Robinson will be the most exciting rookie, possibly overall player not named Patrick Lavon Mahomes II.

I didn’t watch much college football outside of the Big 10/SEC however whenever Texas played I damn sure found a way to watch. Why? Because Bijan Robinson is the best player of this draft from a pure talent perspective. The man can literally do it all. Need someone to run between the tackles? Bijan got you. Need a third down back who can pass block and catch out the backfield? Bijan got you. Hell if you need someone to line up at wide receiver he can do that too! Given that the Atlanta qb situation is not known I would expect him to get the ball a lot. 

*Matt Stafford is cooked.

There has been no more coddled number one pick in NFL history than Matt Stafford. I don’t mean this in a bad way towards the man but the player until he was traded to the Rams constantly had excuses made for him that other number one picks did not. That said it was good to see one of the league's good guys get a super bowl but that may have been the last time we see him as a reasonably elite quarterback. He can’t stay healthy and when he is healthy he is looking for new and creative ways to make Cooper Kupp into the next Sterling Sharpe. So it may be time sooner rather than later to get the soon to be owner of Stetson Bennett Cadillac of Athens in that starting role.

*The Super Bowl will feature the 49ers vs the Chiefs in which Kyle Shanahan finds a way to lose again on the biggest stage.

In the regular season there is no more of a competent and inventive play caller than Kyle Shanahan, hell he took a team with Jimmy Garrapolo to the Super Bowl, however once he gets to the Super Bowl he loses his damn mind. Lest we forget his abysmal play calling with the Atlanta Falcons as they blew a 28-3 lead. So he has his plug and play qb, a solid defense and should run through the regular season. I expect the Eagles to take a step back after losing both coordinators this past offseason. As for the Chiefs? Just sign Chris Jones and let the Jordan of the NFL do the rest.

Alright well that’s all I got, I am sure now that I have confidently laid all this out, the Lions will go 16-1. But rejoice nonetheless because the summer dullness is about to soon be over.