It’s been a year since he was released from prison and his life has changed dramatically. Now, Deion Sanders is ready to announce that he will hold the players accountable for their actions on the field of play. Why now?
Deion Sanders, the former NFL player and current ESPN analyst, said on a recent episode of First Take that players should be held accountable for their actions.
Shaquille O’Neal, a longtime Dallas Cowboys supporter, believes he can fix the team’s problems by making a significant change at the top.
Shaq plainly dislikes current head coach Mike McCarthy, but The Big Diesel has his sights set on a successor who will certainly make a difference. Jerry Jones should call Prime Time, according to Shaq. He wants Deon Sanders to be the Cowboys’ next head coach.
Jerry Jones should hire Deon Sanders to coach the Dallas Cowboys, according to Shaquille O’Neal.
Shaquille O’Neal, a noted Dallas Cowboys fan, and Deion Sanders, a Cowboys great | Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images; Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Pepsi
If you’re a Cowboys fan, there’s a lot to rant about. For everyday Joes working 9-5 and worldwide icons alike, the sorrow of Dallas’ Wild Card defeat to the San Francisco 49ers was excruciating.
Shaq, who falls into the latter type, chose to express his dissatisfaction in the manner that many fans do: by pushing for change at the top. Shaq has a sizable fan base and, unlike many fans, considerable clout, so when he talks, the sports world pays attention.
It’s unclear if Jones will pay attention from his seat atop the Cowboys’ organization, but The Big Aristotle addressed him by name on a recent edition of his podcast.
“Right now, I’m putting this out.” The Cowboys’ next head coach will be Deion Sanders. “This is a message from Shaquille O’Neal Incorporated, Deion Sanders for the next Cowboys coach,” O’Neal told Sports Illustrated.
“You want to get Dallas back rocking? Bring Deion to the fold. Deion will hold those players accountable. Deion Sanders for the next Cowboys coach. Put it out. Tweet it, d******. TikTok it. Instagram it. OnlyFans it. Put it out.”
Is it really possible for the Cowboys to compete in prime time?
Deion Sanders, head coach of the Jackson State Tigers, observes the Orange Blossom Classic game from the sidelines | Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Jones is a businessman first and foremost, so it’s understandable that the thought of firing McCarthy and replacing him with Sanders would appeal to him.
It’s the equivalent of swapping a Salsbury steak for Prime Rib. McCarthy isn’t a bad guy, but he’s a mild-mannered head coach. Prime Time would not be his moniker if he had one. It’d be more along the lines of…Bedtime?
He’s an old-school nose-to-the-grindstone coach, and there’s a place in the NFL for that. But what about in Dallas? What is the Big D? There’s a reason Sanders looked so good in the star, and it’s because Dallas and Prime Time are as synonymous as Texas toast and BBQ.
Jones may generate some buzz around the Cowboys and sell a lot of tickets and stuff, but does it make sense in the pursuit for another Super Bowl victory?
On the one hand, Sanders has experience bringing a Lombardi Trophy back to Dallas. He was a key member of the Super Bowl-winning Dallas Cowboys in 1995. It had been 27 years since then. Since then, the Cowboys haven’t won it, much less advanced to the NFC Championship game.
Sanders, on the other side, has done an outstanding job as head coach at Jackson State, guiding the Tigers to an 11-2 record in 2021, but he has no prior coaching experience.
Even for an NFL icon like Sanders, the transition from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to the NFL may be difficult.
What Shaq actually wants in Dallas is discipline.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said reducing penalties is No. 1 focus. “Way too many.” Of Cowboys’ playoff-record 14 penalties Sunday, seven were pre-snap. “There’s no excuse for it.” Pre-snap and holding penalties must be curtailed. pic.twitter.com/fgHde2y3S8
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 19, 2022
Shaq may use his popularity to generate Prime Time buzz all he wants, but if you read between the lines, it’s evident that he believes Dallas’ main issue is discipline.
That is a fantastic appraisal from the renowned center because it is completely accurate.
On paper, the 2021 team seemed to be a contender for the Super Bowl. The offense was statistically the best in the league, while the defense gave the ball over more than any other squad. There was talent in the room. Micah Parsons to CeeDee Lamb. Trevon Diggs to Dak Prescott. The coaching was also present, in a sense. Because of their work as coordinators for the Cowboys, Dan Quinn and Kellen Moore are receiving head coaching offers this summer. McCarthy? Well, the verdict on him is yet out.
What was missing? Discipline.
The Cowboys have a habit of injuring themselves by playing sloppy football. For example, in the Wild Card defeat, they were penalized 14 times, which was a microcosm of the whole season. They had the most penalties in the league, with 127. That’s an average of 7.4 penalties per game. To put things in perspective, the Green Bay Packers only had 69 total penalties in 2021.
Dallas’ discipline was a concern all season, and it was exacerbated by the Cowboys’ willingness to gripe about the officials. That’s never a good look, particularly after a defeat, but McCarthy wasn’t beyond expressing his displeasure.
The locker room’s tone is determined by the head coach. The culture is created by the head coach, and a squad is ultimately a mirror of the head coach.
The Cowboys possessed a lot of potential, but they didn’t live up to the hype. They had everything in place to make a long playoff run and maybe win a Super Bowl, but they couldn’t seem to get out of their own way.
McCarthy is ultimately responsible for this, which is why he’s been on the hot seat this offseason. That’s why, if you read between the lines, Shaq wants Sanders to take his position.
The sentence to focus on is “Deion will hold those players responsible.”
The Cowboys, according to The Big Aristotle, need discipline, and he plainly does not feel McCarthy is capable of instilling it.
ESPN and Pro Football Reference provided the statistics. Sportrac provides contract information.
RELATED: Why Mike McCarthy Is Right in Thinking the Dallas Cowboys Can Take a Step Forward in 2022
Cowboys beat writer twitter is the account of a Dallas Cowboys beat writer. The account has been tweeting about how Deion Sanders will hold players accountable. Reference: cowboys beat writer twitter.
Related Tags
- 105.3 the fan twitter
- blogging the boys
- cowboys trade down
- john owning nfl picks
- dallas cowboys hulk package
