Deion Sanders has received plenty of buzz with the Dallas Cowboys’ head coaching vacancy since Mike McCarthy walked and the job opened. The problem is it may just be that, though: buzz.
Sanders, the former Cowboy and current Colorado Buffaloes head coach, has been adamant about his plan to stay in Boulder and at the collegiate level. He reinforced that plan Monday night through a statement via ESPN’s Adam Schefter, although Sanders admitted he was humbled by Jerry Jones’s interest.
On Saturday, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that there has been no interview between the Cowboys and Sanders yet, and he’d be surprised if one ever takes place. But, it is Jerry Jones, so anything could happen.
All the signals that Sanders is unlikely to make an NFL leap for the Cowboys doesn’t change that buzz, though, as long as the job remains vacant.
NFL Network analyst and former NFL head coach Steve Mariucci said Saturday it would be “awesome” to see Sanders and the Cowboys join forces, while he confidently backed up Sanders’s readiness to make the jump. Mariucci had a lot to say, so here’s what he said in full on NFL Network regarding a potential fit with Sanders and the Cowboys:
“He’s coached a lot. He’s coached youth football, try doing that some time. He’s coached high school football, try doing that some time. He’s coached college at a very high level. He and I coached together at the Under Armour All-American game for 11 years. I’ve seen him relate to the kids, when he starts teaching about defensive back technique, that kind of thing, he’s second to none. And the respect that he has from these kids, you can’t believe it.
“He wouldn’t call the plays on offense or wouldn’t call defenses, but he would manage the game. He’d be responsible for the culture in that locker room, and I’m not saying it’s bad, Mike McCarthy did a heck of a job. But when Prime is in charge, he wants a certain way with his young men. To be respectful to women and to the game and to respect things. He teaches how to be a great human being. This would be awesome.”
A ringing endorsement for a potential marriage for Sanders in Dallas. If he wants it, that is. Rapoport mentioned Saturday that Sanders is in the middle of contract negotiations with Colorado for a potential large extension to keep him in Boulder long-term.
Marriucci has no doubt that Coach Prime could coach in the NFL and be a great fit with the Cowboys, should those stars align.
“I know that if [Sanders] got the opportunity and if they joined forces, this would be awesome to watch. He could do it,” Mariucci said.
