What If Cowboys Had Hired Coach Deion Sanders? What's Wrong With 'Prime Time'?

FRISCO - And, just like that, divine “Coach Prime” has shrunk into a diminishing “Coach Poof.”

Deion Sanders is vanishing, quickly disappearing from college football’s landscape from his high-profile perch as some faith-empowered miracle worker at Colorado. Don’t look now, but he’s now merely an embattled head coach of a losing program, left exposed from his smoke-and-mirrors act for all to witness.

And, to think, just two years ago Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones went along with the tall tale that had him picking up the phone to call Deion to talk about the team’s head coaching job in the wake of Mike McCarthy’s firing.

Said Deion of the conversation at the time, “Truly delightful. Intriguing.”

Our Mike Fisher broke the story that very night, making it clear that Jerry was simply doing a favor for Deion, faking interest while Sanders tried to get more money from Colorado.

Still ...

You think Brian Schottenheimer is iffy? Consider what’s happening under Deion at CU.

Since an electric 3-0 start in his first season in 2023, Deion’s Buffaloes are 15-24. Colorado is 6-14 in its last 20 games, with one of those wins coming against an FBS creampuff. During his tenure they have never been ranked higher than 16th, never sniffed a conference championship, never won a bowl game, and are 2-9 against ranked opponents after last Saturday’s embarrassing 29-7 shellacking at the hands of Texas Tech in Boulder.

Deion’s signature win at Colorado? His very first game, an upset of 17th-ranked TCU in Fort Worth in 2023.

“Do you believe now?!” he famously said in that post-game press conference. “To all you doubters … I keep receipts.”

After Colorado’s first loss that season - a 42-6 blowout to highly ranked Oregon - Deion bristled at the media for saying his team was a one-hit wonder.

“You better get me right now,” Deion said, wagging a warning finger at reporters. “Because this is the worst we gonna be.”

Wrong. Colorado has gotten worse. Much worse.

Now the tables are turning on one of America’s biggest con artists. Because the doubters were right and - yes, Deion - our receipts are publicly available for viewing.

After leaving Jackson State to take the $10 million-a-year job at Colorado in 2023, Deion was asked in a 60 Minutes interview his opinion on the best coach in college football.

“Let me see a mirror,” he said, “so I can look at him.”

In 42 games, Deion is six games under .500. Overrated. Overpaid.

He’s no longer the national media darling. Attendance at home games at Folsom Field is dwindling (in 2023 Colorado’s Spring Game attracted 47,000; just 17,000 in 2026). Three years ago - for improving a team that went 1-11 to 4-8 - Sanders was named TIME magazine’s Sportsperson of the Year.

Wrote the magazine in its cover story about Deion, “he will change college football forever.”

That, as the kids say, did not age well.

Deion initially garnered attention and generated revenue. He developed Travis Hunter into a Heisman Trophy winner. He attracted celebrities such as Lil Wayne, The Rock and Terrell Owens to his sidelines. He retired his son, Shedeur’s jersey after he went 13-12 as a starting quarterback. And he earned himself national endorsements for sunglasses, peanuts and even adult diapers.

He’s certainly enriched himself, while not tangibly moving the needle on Colorado’s moribund program. His contract runs through 2029.

But as always is the case with Deion, style trumps substance.

Skeptics have never doubted Deion’s marketing prowess. But can he actually coach the game of football at an elite level?

His record says no.

Right on brand, Colorado’s nosedive back into irrelevance supposedly isn’t his fault. College football’s self-anointed “best” coach is now blaming quarterback Julian Lewis. Ya know, the exact opposite of what any respectable leader and head coach would do.

Asked after Tech loss what’s wrong with Colorado’s offense, Deion offered: “It’s blatant. Y’all know what it is. I would respect the media more if y’all would just come out and say it so I wouldn’t have to.”

Leaders don’t throw followers under the bus. Great coaches don’t shove responsibility down the power flow chart. The buck stops with … anywhere other than Deion.

Schottenheimer has his flaws, and readily takes the blame for Cowboys losses. Considering how Deion would act behind Jerry’s pulpit, let’s all say a prayer that the owner’s pass at Sanders was an imcompletion ... and a fake.

Consider “Prime Time” is now over … time.