Long before Shedeur Sanders entered the NFL, the narrative surrounding his family and how his father, Deion Sanders, would meddle with his career was making waves. Given Deion's influence, it seemed like he had the power to pull strings and get his son to his preferred destination.
Despite all the speculation, the legendary cornerback rarely spoke about Shedeur, and he was respectful of how the Cleveland Browns handled his situation. That lasted until former head coach Kevin Stefanski was shown the door, as Deion Sanders finally broke his silence with some valid thoughts on the situation.
Sanders questioned the Browns for not even reaching out to him, not only as Shedeur's father, but also as his coach. He claimed that he would love to meet with Todd Monken to help Cleveland's new head coach bring out the best in his son.
Now, weeks after that proposal, Monken says he's all for it.
“Well first of all I can’t wait. I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Sanders obviously as a player but also what he’s done as a coach, and obviously he’s done a great job with Shedeur as a father. I’m open anytime he wants to meet," Monken said. "He said he was going to come but he has a commercial, so if he just lets me know where the next commercial shoot is, I’ll be there. I’ll show up. I really am looking forward to it. I’ve got a ton of respect for him, and I’ve got a ton of respect for Shedeur, because all he’s done since I’ve been here is work. That’s all he’s done is compete. He was here early in the offseason, hell he bought me a horse head, tried to cheese up to me early, which was really cool. So it’s been great.”
Monken didn't hesitate when asked about meeting with Deion Sanders
Monken has been brutally honest about the team's ongoing quarterback competition. He's reaffirmed that he wants to get that settled soon, but there's no clear front-runner yet. Some reports put Deshaun Watson ahead of Sanders, but nothing is final until the coach says so.
While some may argue that Deion's influence and constant presence may only hurt Shedeur's case — and that may be a valid concern — he made a fair point. It's only right that the head coach does his due diligence with his second-year quarterback. No one can force Monken to play Shedeur, but why not go the extra mile to put him in a position to succeed?
Deion coached Shedeur for years. He knows how to push him, how to motivate him, and what drives him. Of course, fathers can't be fully objective, but it's up to the coach to take Deion's comments with a grain of salt and figure out how to use his insight to do what's right by the player.
The fact that Sanders still hasn't beaten this current version of Deshaun Watson might not paint the most encouraging picture, but they're both learning a new offense and rolling with new teammates. Things take time.
Like all fathers, Deion wants what's best for his son. Like all coaches, Monken wants what's best for the team. If that means spending a couple of hours talking shop with one of the greatest players in NFL history to figure out how to develop one of the team's young stars, what's the worst that can happen?
Monken's response and overall attitude toward Deion Sanders' request was nothing but a great look.
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