Deion Sanders Brought in US Marines to Give Colorado Football an Asskicking They'll Never Forget
No one in American sports, college or pro, has been more polarizing over the last couple of years than Deion Sanders. People either love his style and methods or they hate them, but there's no one who doesn't have an opinion.
Still the one thing we can agree on is that there's only one of him. No one else does things the same way. Not even remotely.
So when his team that started 3-0 and surged into the national rankings fell off a cliff, losing 8-of-9 to finish 4-8, it was reasonable to assume his response would be as unorthodox, to say the least. Pretty much what you'd expect from a guy who refused to answer questions from anyone who didn't address him as Coach Prime. And he didn't disappoint.
It's likely Sanders assumed his team collapsed in part because they weren't in good enough shape. That's the logical hypothesis anyone would make. So did what no football coach I'm aware of ever has. Though it's what you always saw in old movies where John Wayne or Henry Fonda won WWII: He sent in the Marines.
Here's the long version, directed by Darius Sanders:
And here it is in more easily digestible, bite-sized pieces:
Now I suppose this is the part where I'm supposed to say, "These guys thought they knew what a workout was because they play college football! But these warriors showed them what REAL training is!!!" like getting ready to play in the Pac-12 is a joke. Hard pass. Aging, barely functioning alcoholics with sedentary lifestyles who spend 30 minutes at Planet Fitness and eight hours in front the TV every day don't take shots at the training regimen of DI athletes. But I've heard enough stories from my son about his 13 weeks at Parris Island to last a lifetime. And to know that there's not a training program in existence outside of Special Forces that can compare to what Marines go through. So if a coach brings them in to kick asses, those asses will stay kicked.
Like Sanders's methods or hate them, you have to give him credit for this. And if you're from Arizona, Stanford, USC or anyone else on the Buffalo's schedule next year, expect your season to get a lot harder. The USMC sort of has a history of making things tougher on everybody.