"Proceed with caution": Deion Sanders delivers a verdict on Shilo's performance against Arizona, days after his stern criticism
Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes dominated on Saturday, pounding the Arizona Wildcats 34-7 for their fifth win of the season. But it was defense all over the field, which means Shilo Sanders had a game to clear critics of doing him dirty with his performance against Kansas State last week.
Coach Prime didn’t hold back after that loss, calling Shilo’s play “horrible” in the post-game conference. But just one week later, the script has flipped, and Deion can’t help but praise his son’s turnaround on the field.
Following the Week 8 win, Deion Sanders took to Instagram to share a series of game-time pictures of himself with Shilo, accompanied by a heartfelt caption praising the safety's performance. Deion wrote,
"@shilosanders WOW. what a difference a week makes! 1 minute you’re the topic of ridicule because it’s your 1st time in your career that u showed vulnerability in your game but a week later you’re back to the PHYSICAL AGGRESSIVE DAWG that we all know. God is so good but yet so revealing to us all. Now u know who’s who son..."
That’s not all! While highlighting the positive change in Shilo’s performance against Arizona, he also expressed his unconditional love, regardless of performance, saying,
"Proceed with caution because everybody won’t love u when u don’t give them what they require for their love. But guess what son. I LOVE U TO LIFE & it ain’t based on performance. #Dad/#CoachPrime"
Deion Sanders may have been harsh in the past few days, but his tough love has worked wonders for both of his sons, Shilo and Shedeur. Shilo recorded four tackles in the game and anchored Colorado’s defense, which limited Arizona to 4.1 yards per play, 107 rushing yards, and 245 total yards.
Shilo turns Deion Sanders' tough love into motivation
Colorado's game against Kansas State was a tough lesson for Shilo Sanders, who was playing his first game after recovering from a broken forearm injury he suffered against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
While he recorded seven tackles, the fourth most on the team, he missed several crucial opportunities, and his tackles often failed as the opposition's offense successfully got past him.
Following the game, Shilo acknowledged his poor performance in the post-game interview, saying,
“We got on the phone right after the game, actually. I know I played horrible. You know I played horrible. It wasn’t like anything bad. It’s just, you play horrible. That’s what happened.”
Shilo took his father’s harsh comments positively and handled them smartly in front of the media. Deion had previously criticized Shilo's performance, saying,
“I thought he played horrible. I thought he was rusty. I thought he didn’t have his footing. I thought he wasn’t breaking down. He was coming up trying to make the play but open field, one-on-one tackle, with that kind of back, that ain’t an easy task. But, he’s gonna do better. I know what he has in him.”
Now that things are settled between father and son, the duo will be back next week to face the Cincinnati Bearcats in Week 9. With a 5-2 (3-1 Big 12) record this season, Deion Sanders has transformed a struggling program into a successful one, and fans already see them as strong playoff contenders.
However, getting there won’t be easy, as the Buffaloes can’t afford any more losses. The good news for the Buffs is they won’t face any top-ranked teams in their remaining five games. So, can the Sanders family achieve the impossible?