Do We Owe Deion Sanders an Apology?

Do we owe Deion Sanders an apology? I mean, we, as the media. Do we? I can’t answer for everyone else, but I feel I kinda do.

Kinda, you might say. Of course, you do, Mike. But let’s pump the brakes a little bit. Colorado could still get drilled when they hit Pac-12 play. Heck, they could lose to Nebraska coming up. TCU could be vastly overrated, and based on the defense I saw, they will give up a ton of points this season. But that doesn’t change the fact that most people thought the Buffs would get absolutely drilled by a TCU team that played for the national title last season. And not only did they not get drilled, they outright won.

I’ve been critical of the way Deion Sanders handled the Colorado roster, jettisoning most of the team and instantly rebuilding through the portal. Running off multiple players and complaining about mental health issues for a player who wasn’t allowed to transfer in was a hypocritical look, but winning solves all. And Deion is 1-0 as a Power Five coach.

When I began watching the TCU game, I expected to see a sloppy Colorado team. I expected to see some talented players who didn’t really know each other and weren’t on the same page. But on offense and even on defense, they looked solid and, most importantly, confident. But throughout the game, I expected a drop-off and for Colorado to fold — and they never did. At one point, I thought it was impressive that Colorado was going to cover the three-touchdown spread, and that alone was a moral victory. And then they won the game.

Even if Colorado goes 1-11, which they obviously won’t, Deion deserves a ton of credit as a coach. I thought he was over his head taking over a horrible Power Five program, and I was wrong. This isn’t an overreaction to a massive upset. This team can play. They won’t win the Pac-12 or be nationally ranked, but they can clearly hang more than many expected. Sorry, Deion.