The Colorado head coach Deion Sanders made a head-scratcher of a call during a close game against Arizona State that really cost the Colorado Buffaloes in their 42-17 loss. Colorado was down just four and driving early in the fourth, and Deion Sanders took an unnecessary risk by putting in first-timer walk-on WR Ronald Coleman despite having fresh-legged RBs on the bench. Obviously, the hell broke loose on the very next play, fumble near the goal line. Despite the egregious error, a Buffs insider defends Deion Sanders with wild logic.

On November 22, Colorado Buffaloes insider Uncle Neely hopped onto The DNVR Pregame Show podcast and backed Deion Sanders’ decision to put in Ronald Coleman.

He argues that if people want to blame one player for a fumble, they must also acknowledge every other mistake that affected the outcome. In his perspective, football is never about a single moment or one man’s mistake, it’s about every play that touches a player’s hands.

“I hear y’all, I hear anybody on the Ron Coleman being in the game,” Neely says. “But for me, even that situation, it was the play after. And if I’m gonna include a running back fumbling, I gotta include wide receivers dropping passes. If it touches the players, it matters. It impacts winning and losing. I don’t think there’s anything you go like, ‘No, that area is fine.’”

Even though Deion Sanders openly took accountability for the fumble, saying, “The gentleman who fumbled, that’s on me,” Unc Neely says otherwise. Neely argues that football doesn’t come down to just one call or one mistake. He says the real issue was that Colorado failed to move the ball earlier in the drive.

“It was a disastrous call by Prime that single-handedly cost us the game? I call bullshit on that,” he says. “How can that turnover be more costly than not advancing the ball? People are extra pissed because the decision didn’t make sense to them and because of the fumble.”

According to his logic, mistakes like Omarion Miller’s drop or a near pick-six also shaped the game, so fans shouldn’t pin the entire turning point on Coleman’s fumble. To prevent these things from happening, Deion Sanders is planning to go big this offseason.

Big off-season ahead for Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes

Colorado is heading into another busy offseason as Deion Sanders prepares to fix the team’s struggles. Sanders says the problems can’t be blamed on just one thing—there are “multiple things that need to change,” and he insists those changes are already in motion. Coaching will be a major focus, as several position groups have underperformed throughout the season.

One of the biggest questions is the future of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who lost his play-calling duties earlier in the year. Colorado’s offense has taken a clear step backward, even though the offensive line has improved.

With highly talented freshman quarterback, JuJu Lewis on the roster, Sanders may look for a new coordinator to help develop him. Other position groups like linebackers, wide receivers, and cornerbacks also haven’t met expectations, but their coaches have long-standing ties to Sanders, making any changes more complicated.

Despite all the uncertainty around the staff, several young players have shown promise and are expected to remain key parts of the program. That group includes baller like JuJu Lewis, defensive back Byard, wide receiver Quentin Gibson, and defensive ends London Merritt and Alexander McPherson. As Sanders evaluates both players and coaches during the final stretch of the season, these younger standouts represent the foundation he likely wants to build his squad around moving forward.