Deion Wants Atlanta Coaching Gig
Sunday November 2, 2003
Apparently Deion Sanders hasn't been getting enough attention to feed his massive ego this fall, so the flamboyant CBS commentator and former player thrust himself into the spotlight by suggesting he would be a great replacement for Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Reeves should owner Arthur Blank decide to make a change.
For those of you that scoff at the notion of a guy who has absolutely no coaching experience whatsoever cutting his teeth as the head guy on an NFL team, don't laugh. Deion knows exactly what it takes to be a head coach in the NFL. Just ask him!
Sanders told ESPN's Len Pasquarelli, "I can make them a better team, and I know that, because I know the things that really need to be done there. I put so much time into preparing every week for my Sunday job [as a studio analyst on "The NFL Today" for CBS], watching tape and talking to players and coaches, that I still live football. It's still a big part of me. I talk to head coaches and assistants, guys with whom I'm close, every week. I know what the job involves, believe me, and I know I can do it."
The fact that Sanders compares the preparation he does for his CBS gig to what it takes to be an NFL head coach tells me that he doesn't really understand what it takes to coach in this league. When his lack of any coaching experience was pointed out, Sanders indicated that he could be successful simply by surrounding himself with good assistant coaches. And to some degree, he might do okay with this philosophy if he has some great coordinators that are willing to work for him and let him take the credit for their work, but there are just so many nuances involved in running an NFL team that it's not just simply a matter of delegating authority and motivating the players.
If I were a current NFL head coach, especially Dan Reeves, I would be more than a little insulted that an over-the-hill football player who aches for the spotlight would imply in the national media that the job is so simple that a guy with no experience could simply walk onto the field and be a success on the backs of other more deserving coaches.
For those of you that scoff at the notion of a guy who has absolutely no coaching experience whatsoever cutting his teeth as the head guy on an NFL team, don't laugh. Deion knows exactly what it takes to be a head coach in the NFL. Just ask him!
Sanders told ESPN's Len Pasquarelli, "I can make them a better team, and I know that, because I know the things that really need to be done there. I put so much time into preparing every week for my Sunday job [as a studio analyst on "The NFL Today" for CBS], watching tape and talking to players and coaches, that I still live football. It's still a big part of me. I talk to head coaches and assistants, guys with whom I'm close, every week. I know what the job involves, believe me, and I know I can do it."
The fact that Sanders compares the preparation he does for his CBS gig to what it takes to be an NFL head coach tells me that he doesn't really understand what it takes to coach in this league. When his lack of any coaching experience was pointed out, Sanders indicated that he could be successful simply by surrounding himself with good assistant coaches. And to some degree, he might do okay with this philosophy if he has some great coordinators that are willing to work for him and let him take the credit for their work, but there are just so many nuances involved in running an NFL team that it's not just simply a matter of delegating authority and motivating the players.
If I were a current NFL head coach, especially Dan Reeves, I would be more than a little insulted that an over-the-hill football player who aches for the spotlight would imply in the national media that the job is so simple that a guy with no experience could simply walk onto the field and be a success on the backs of other more deserving coaches.
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