Good piece John. I respect Deion’s playing career, he was one of the greatest. I also respect his drive, his ambition, and many of the values he routinely drills into his players: discipline, hard work, taking control of your own destiny. As a black man I know how much these lessons are needed to be heard and taught to young black men and who better than a guy who they respect and has done it. The problem with Deion however is that above everything else: he covets Deion. To say he’s also vain, self absorbed and a bit tone deaf would be an understatement. I’m also not so sure how long his preachy vibe will play outside of the South. West coast kids wired different. I also think he’s going to be exposed by some very, very good and experienced head coaches in this conference on game day and he simply doesn’t have the head coaching experience at this level to say nothing of the lack of his roster talent. He’s gonna be humbled. THAT would make this documentary compelling. Everyone leans forward the moment vulnerability comes on screen. Make no mistake, Deion can recruit and has a destiny coaching in the SEC or at his alma mater eventually. This year he’s going to take it on the chin. The fur coats and Gucci glasses and big speeches will make the documentary trailer interesting but if we get to see him process getting his teeth kicked in on Saturday and how he deals…..that will make this project truly compelling.
Have to give credit where credit's due... brilliant analysis of a complex situation. Looking forward to seeing how SC's defense looks against the pesky Spartans this weekend.
Sander's actions at Colorado are the poster boy moment for destruction of the myth of the "student Athlete" and that college football is anything but a minor league money sport. renting the name of the university and under control of Rupert Murdoch and Disney. The fact that he basically "fired" 50 players who must have had scholarships and been "students" and then brought in his own players is enough to show the death knell of the sport for alums and people who saw it as something actually attached to the university.
Coupled with the absurd groveling Cal and Stanford are now doing with the ACC which forces all their other "student Athletes" to pay a heavy price for their football teams need for cold, hard cash, I will take my minor contribution to this, which is my eyeballs and place them somewhere else on a Saturday...or Thursday, Friday or whenever they now play their games.
The only thing even more ludicrous is what they have done to WSU and OSU...a disgrace of the first magnitude. Piss on you Rupert Murdoch and Bob Iger.
I love the groveling remark concerning Stanford ad Cal, so true! Instead of working to try and somehow hold the PAC together they are turning their backs and running away.
I agree with your point about the death knell of College sports. I disagree that all the blame lies at the feet go Disney and FOX. The universities were complicit... always wanting more and bigger $s. Sold their souls.
John. Soon, a good Producer will discover the Cinderella story of Jonathan Smith , an OSU QB walk on who became the Fiesta Bowl MVP , destroying Notre Dame with his 2 great receivers Chad and Hoosh !
I was there to watch the game and it was an amazing display of Smith’s Talents and Chad and Hoosh were launched into Football Royalty !
Jonathan ‘a story and how he was hired as Head Coach of the Beavers with no nonsense drama is a story of Merit ....I played Golf with Craig Fertig when he was our short term Coach ... he had flair and flamboyance and was a great “Salesman “, but while Craig possessed Excellent QB skills he was a horrible coach . Jonathan is the opposite : dedicated to winning , no flamboyance , a Coach’s Coach, and an incredible QB Coach....!
Someone should tell Jonathan’s story !.... maybe YOU should , it would be a “ Best Seller “ !
Some pills make you taller, some pills make you small, and the pills your mother gives you, they do nothing at all, go ask Alice when she's ten feet tall. "White Rabbit", Gracie Slick, The Jefferson Airplane. I just re-read the comments, was pondering the whole situation, its history, and murky possibilities for conclusion, and the lyrics of Gracie's song popped into by aged head. Help!
Neighborhoods, towns, cities, states, countries, Universities and teams have cultures...roots. Colorado tore up the roots and used huge PR bull dozers to scrape away decades of Colorado top soil, all so Prime could lay HIS culture and roots down. If he succeeds or fails Colorado will still have lost it's identity as a people and culture. Will it be worth it? And if Prime fails or tires and moves on to his next project what then. What does a land look like after a wildfire burned it to the ground? Tick tick tick tick.
That's a little overdramatic. They made a major splash of a hire and hope to reap the PR, financial, and W/L record benefits. They didn't scrape away their history or anything of the sort -- they just hired a well known figure as coach and so far the payback has been exceptional.
Who knows how successful Deion will be, but sour grapes and jealousy will affect you more than it will them.
Colorado had nothing to lose and they don't really expect him to stay past 3 years even if he goes 10-2,11-1 the last year or so. Success at one school, doesn't guarantee future success. Lou Holtz, Steve Spurrier had good years and then not so good years.
I'll say this for Prime: He thinks alot of himself. Behind the Maybacks, fur coats and jewelry I see a highly paid carny. He was electric as a player but is out of his depth as a D1 coach, IMO. I can't see his Colorado experience going well or ending well. But, I will be watching, so what do I know?
Great athlete. Great, over the top, self promoter. Not sure about coaching, TBD. But the cowboy hat? Puhleeze? Kinda smacks of “big hat, no cattle”......
Well played, J. Marcus. "big hat, indeed"! One of my favorite quotes, but for some reason hadn't picked up on Prime's headgear yet. I blame it on Ralphie!
Deion was arguably one of the greatest NFL defensive backs to ever play the game...A very talented individual...he is also an unabashed self promoter, incredibly self aggrandizing, with an ego the size of Texas. He hasn't coached a single game in the pac 12 or for colorado and I'm already sick to death hearing about him. Colorado to the Big 12 couldn't have happened at a better time.
How in the wide world of sports do you justify giving a producer sole control of something you are 100% accountable for? Oh yeah—-$ and exposure. John, your wife’s advice on docs vs nonfiction was terrific. I don’t think I realized the difference in practice. Thanks for another great piece!
I don't know how i personally feel about the coach being the center of attention with a program....which is what this feels like.
Mike Leach had a lot of attention, but my impression of Leach was he was actually a shy guy in social settings. You'd have to make contact with him and then he'd get rambling on a topic.
Well played, John. As I write this a former US President is in a jail in Georgia, being arraigned, final act of that story to be determined. The final act of the CU Prime story has yet to come, could go either way, and you point out Prime is not carrying the risk (except of 3-8) but CU certainly is. And my shining castle on the hill, Stanford, is grubbing around to join the ACC (!) for free. So, as Joan Didion points out, "the center cannot hold." My late friend Dr Joe Emmrich would say, regarding the whole college football related allskate, "this does not bode well". Just sayin', Charlie
I made the same point about the groveling. To think that Stanford, winner of so many Director's Cups they have lost count and center and birth of Silicon Valley (HP, Google, etc.) plus Cal, home of so many Nobel prizes we have run out of shelf space (Can you say Jennifer Doudna and CRISPR) and winner of probably more Olympic sports than the ACC combined, are bent over with knees on the ground to the ACC is about as shameful of a thing as I can remember.
I wrote Chancellor Christ and said I would rather we gave up sports and became the U of Chicago or or Oxford than this...Joe Kapp and Bill Walsh are rolling over in their graves right now!
The problem at Cal is that they've chosen this by default as they always do by allowing Carol Christ to give Jim Knowlton a contract that lasts until 2029 and Knowlton gave Justin Wilcox a contract that lasts until 2027. At least Colorado didn't do that.
From my perspective, the Primes of this world, irregardless of motivation(s) eventually do more harm than good.
For the young men in his charge, I hope they survive his selfish attempts for another 15 minutes. There is so much good he could do, but I believe he lacks the wisdom to put aside pride and ego in order to really make a difference - the platform is there for historical effect
He rapidly turned around a program that couldn't get anything right. And he made smart moves about who to surround himself with, there, and apparently already in Boulder. True, it was at a lower level, but there are wide funding, tradition, coaching, recruiting, talent, academic, and exposure discrepancies there as well. It strikes me as foolish to underestimate him.
The Wizard was able to run all of OZ with wonderful theatrics... Until a girl with a little dog pulled back the curtain.
Prime is about to meet G5 coaches that are not young girls and there are 11 of them.
The doubt is not that he couldn't become a great coach... It's the doubt he will be able to take the curtain being pulled back, and after being exposed, become humble thinking about how to be a better person, not for Deon or Shraeder... But for each of his players... For a real successful coach always puts his players before himself... Prime isn't capable of that now, and I have serious doubts he'll ever be humbled, even in the face of exposure.
Good piece John. I respect Deion’s playing career, he was one of the greatest. I also respect his drive, his ambition, and many of the values he routinely drills into his players: discipline, hard work, taking control of your own destiny. As a black man I know how much these lessons are needed to be heard and taught to young black men and who better than a guy who they respect and has done it. The problem with Deion however is that above everything else: he covets Deion. To say he’s also vain, self absorbed and a bit tone deaf would be an understatement. I’m also not so sure how long his preachy vibe will play outside of the South. West coast kids wired different. I also think he’s going to be exposed by some very, very good and experienced head coaches in this conference on game day and he simply doesn’t have the head coaching experience at this level to say nothing of the lack of his roster talent. He’s gonna be humbled. THAT would make this documentary compelling. Everyone leans forward the moment vulnerability comes on screen. Make no mistake, Deion can recruit and has a destiny coaching in the SEC or at his alma mater eventually. This year he’s going to take it on the chin. The fur coats and Gucci glasses and big speeches will make the documentary trailer interesting but if we get to see him process getting his teeth kicked in on Saturday and how he deals…..that will make this project truly compelling.
One of the best posts I've ever read here. Tipping my hat to you...
Thank you brother
Have to give credit where credit's due... brilliant analysis of a complex situation. Looking forward to seeing how SC's defense looks against the pesky Spartans this weekend.
Well played, scforthewin, thoughtful. Charlie
Your best post ever! No ranting. I love it.
Agree. Getting to see him being human instead of always 'bigger than life' is the real value here. Should be interesting at the very least.
Great thoughts, sir. Thank you for saying this.
@scforthewin. Spot-on & definitely your best post to date. Kudos, Sir!
I learned from reading your response. thank you
thank you Noury
Sander's actions at Colorado are the poster boy moment for destruction of the myth of the "student Athlete" and that college football is anything but a minor league money sport. renting the name of the university and under control of Rupert Murdoch and Disney. The fact that he basically "fired" 50 players who must have had scholarships and been "students" and then brought in his own players is enough to show the death knell of the sport for alums and people who saw it as something actually attached to the university.
Coupled with the absurd groveling Cal and Stanford are now doing with the ACC which forces all their other "student Athletes" to pay a heavy price for their football teams need for cold, hard cash, I will take my minor contribution to this, which is my eyeballs and place them somewhere else on a Saturday...or Thursday, Friday or whenever they now play their games.
The only thing even more ludicrous is what they have done to WSU and OSU...a disgrace of the first magnitude. Piss on you Rupert Murdoch and Bob Iger.
I love the groveling remark concerning Stanford ad Cal, so true! Instead of working to try and somehow hold the PAC together they are turning their backs and running away.
I agree with your point about the death knell of College sports. I disagree that all the blame lies at the feet go Disney and FOX. The universities were complicit... always wanting more and bigger $s. Sold their souls.
Hopefully the Ducks in Eugene & the beavers in Boulder send them off to the big12 with a beat down ...
John. Soon, a good Producer will discover the Cinderella story of Jonathan Smith , an OSU QB walk on who became the Fiesta Bowl MVP , destroying Notre Dame with his 2 great receivers Chad and Hoosh !
I was there to watch the game and it was an amazing display of Smith’s Talents and Chad and Hoosh were launched into Football Royalty !
Jonathan ‘a story and how he was hired as Head Coach of the Beavers with no nonsense drama is a story of Merit ....I played Golf with Craig Fertig when he was our short term Coach ... he had flair and flamboyance and was a great “Salesman “, but while Craig possessed Excellent QB skills he was a horrible coach . Jonathan is the opposite : dedicated to winning , no flamboyance , a Coach’s Coach, and an incredible QB Coach....!
Someone should tell Jonathan’s story !.... maybe YOU should , it would be a “ Best Seller “ !
Great take! I lived in Oregon for 40 years...never did see Crater Lake. Sometimes the real gems are right next door, yet we can miss them.
Jonathan Smith is a real gem.
Some pills make you taller, some pills make you small, and the pills your mother gives you, they do nothing at all, go ask Alice when she's ten feet tall. "White Rabbit", Gracie Slick, The Jefferson Airplane. I just re-read the comments, was pondering the whole situation, its history, and murky possibilities for conclusion, and the lyrics of Gracie's song popped into by aged head. Help!
Neighborhoods, towns, cities, states, countries, Universities and teams have cultures...roots. Colorado tore up the roots and used huge PR bull dozers to scrape away decades of Colorado top soil, all so Prime could lay HIS culture and roots down. If he succeeds or fails Colorado will still have lost it's identity as a people and culture. Will it be worth it? And if Prime fails or tires and moves on to his next project what then. What does a land look like after a wildfire burned it to the ground? Tick tick tick tick.
That's a little overdramatic. They made a major splash of a hire and hope to reap the PR, financial, and W/L record benefits. They didn't scrape away their history or anything of the sort -- they just hired a well known figure as coach and so far the payback has been exceptional.
Who knows how successful Deion will be, but sour grapes and jealousy will affect you more than it will them.
This
Colorado football needed a kick in the butt, so Sanders is as good a candidate as anyone to do it. Nothing to lose.
Nothing to lose..... Just culture, identity, heck the entire football program
Great football program-- 1-11, beat Cal.
Colorado had nothing to lose and they don't really expect him to stay past 3 years even if he goes 10-2,11-1 the last year or so. Success at one school, doesn't guarantee future success. Lou Holtz, Steve Spurrier had good years and then not so good years.
I'll say this for Prime: He thinks alot of himself. Behind the Maybacks, fur coats and jewelry I see a highly paid carny. He was electric as a player but is out of his depth as a D1 coach, IMO. I can't see his Colorado experience going well or ending well. But, I will be watching, so what do I know?
You better hope he doesn’t beat your duX .... then the laugh is on YOU !
I don't bet on games. If I did, I am taking the Ducks and the points.
But, but, he beat Prairie View A&M two years in a row!🤣
Great athlete. Great, over the top, self promoter. Not sure about coaching, TBD. But the cowboy hat? Puhleeze? Kinda smacks of “big hat, no cattle”......
Well played, J. Marcus. "big hat, indeed"! One of my favorite quotes, but for some reason hadn't picked up on Prime's headgear yet. I blame it on Ralphie!
Deion was arguably one of the greatest NFL defensive backs to ever play the game...A very talented individual...he is also an unabashed self promoter, incredibly self aggrandizing, with an ego the size of Texas. He hasn't coached a single game in the pac 12 or for colorado and I'm already sick to death hearing about him. Colorado to the Big 12 couldn't have happened at a better time.
How in the wide world of sports do you justify giving a producer sole control of something you are 100% accountable for? Oh yeah—-$ and exposure. John, your wife’s advice on docs vs nonfiction was terrific. I don’t think I realized the difference in practice. Thanks for another great piece!
I don't know how i personally feel about the coach being the center of attention with a program....which is what this feels like.
Mike Leach had a lot of attention, but my impression of Leach was he was actually a shy guy in social settings. You'd have to make contact with him and then he'd get rambling on a topic.
Well, I know how I feel. Coach Prime is the antithesis to Kyle Whittingham and Jonathon Smith. How are things working out for those two?
Well played, John. As I write this a former US President is in a jail in Georgia, being arraigned, final act of that story to be determined. The final act of the CU Prime story has yet to come, could go either way, and you point out Prime is not carrying the risk (except of 3-8) but CU certainly is. And my shining castle on the hill, Stanford, is grubbing around to join the ACC (!) for free. So, as Joan Didion points out, "the center cannot hold." My late friend Dr Joe Emmrich would say, regarding the whole college football related allskate, "this does not bode well". Just sayin', Charlie
I made the same point about the groveling. To think that Stanford, winner of so many Director's Cups they have lost count and center and birth of Silicon Valley (HP, Google, etc.) plus Cal, home of so many Nobel prizes we have run out of shelf space (Can you say Jennifer Doudna and CRISPR) and winner of probably more Olympic sports than the ACC combined, are bent over with knees on the ground to the ACC is about as shameful of a thing as I can remember.
I wrote Chancellor Christ and said I would rather we gave up sports and became the U of Chicago or or Oxford than this...Joe Kapp and Bill Walsh are rolling over in their graves right now!
The problem at Cal is that they've chosen this by default as they always do by allowing Carol Christ to give Jim Knowlton a contract that lasts until 2029 and Knowlton gave Justin Wilcox a contract that lasts until 2027. At least Colorado didn't do that.
Well played, Glenn, well played. Makes strange rock song lyrics pop into one's head.
Thanks, Charlie
I see the bad moon a-risin'
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times today
Don't go around tonight
Well it's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise
I hear hurricanes a-blowin'
I know the end is comin' soon
I fear rivers over flowin'
I hear the voice of rage and ruin
Creedence - El Cerrito High grads I believe :)
In reference to what?
Well played soul brother Glenn. Music, and the Pacific Ocean, keeps the wind beneath our wings. Thanks for the jam. Charlie
$$$$$$$$$.$$
From my perspective, the Primes of this world, irregardless of motivation(s) eventually do more harm than good.
For the young men in his charge, I hope they survive his selfish attempts for another 15 minutes. There is so much good he could do, but I believe he lacks the wisdom to put aside pride and ego in order to really make a difference - the platform is there for historical effect
We’ll see
Let’s play some football !!
GO DAWGS
He rapidly turned around a program that couldn't get anything right. And he made smart moves about who to surround himself with, there, and apparently already in Boulder. True, it was at a lower level, but there are wide funding, tradition, coaching, recruiting, talent, academic, and exposure discrepancies there as well. It strikes me as foolish to underestimate him.
The Wizard was able to run all of OZ with wonderful theatrics... Until a girl with a little dog pulled back the curtain.
Prime is about to meet G5 coaches that are not young girls and there are 11 of them.
The doubt is not that he couldn't become a great coach... It's the doubt he will be able to take the curtain being pulled back, and after being exposed, become humble thinking about how to be a better person, not for Deon or Shraeder... But for each of his players... For a real successful coach always puts his players before himself... Prime isn't capable of that now, and I have serious doubts he'll ever be humbled, even in the face of exposure.
Prime is all big hat, no cattle. Show me the money.