Preseason injuries can derail a team’s season in the blink of an eye, and has done as much for many teams over the years.
Naturally, coaches have implemented rules over the years to ensure that their top players don’t sustain unnecessary injuries in fall camp, especially when it comes to quarterbacks.
In high school, college, and the NFL, it’s commonplace to see a quarterback in an off-colored uniform, which screams, “Don’t touch me,” in football terms. Doing so will almost assuredly spell disaster for the player who crosses the line.
So, when Deion Sanders told his team not to “get near the quarterback” before the start of fall camp last week, it shouldn’t have made all that much noise.
However, it’s the other parts of his address to the team that seemed to irk fans who follow other college football programs.
In this video, which is approaching 1M views in less than 24 hours on Twitter, Coach Prime spells out the rules of contact now that the Buffaloes are practicing in pads.
“We in pads, we having contact. Take care of your guys,” Sanders said. “I’m gonna tell ya, do not touch the receivers, don’t get near the quarterback, and leave Travis [Hunter] alone. We got that? We understand that?”
Prime goes on to say that he’s not favoring those players, he’s just holding his team to the same standard that they should come to expect at the next level.
“I’m not playing favorites, I’m just being one-hundred,” Sanders continues. “It is what it is. When you get to the next level, every quarterback is worth $250 million, right? You think they gonna let you touch him? Alright, so let’s play like we on the next level.”
What do you think? Is this just commonplace for college athletes and good practice from the head coach, or is Sanders taking things a bit further than necessary? Let us know in the forum discussion!
