Deion Sanders is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He went pro in two sports and made the Hall of Fame in the NFL as a lockdown cornerback and electrifying kick returner. But while he was a physical beast, what truly set him apart was his mentality.
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Off the field, he went by “Deion.” On it, however, he had an alter ego: “Prime Time.” That persona came from his ability to rise in clutch situations, turning him into one of the most feared defenders in the league.
A former teammate, Darren Woodson, recently shared a story about Sanders on The Pivot Podcast with Ryan Clark, recalling his first practice with the Dallas Cowboys.
“I remember the first time he practiced with us. We were out at practice, and we were the two-time Super Bowl champs, right? And we were doing one-on-ones,” Woodson recalled.
“He got beat on a quick out route during one-on-ones. The next one came up, he told all the other dudes, ‘Y’all go on that side. I’mma shut this sh*t down.’”
Woodson then clarified that Sanders would never cuss. But in this instance, he was frustrated and wanted to prove his value to his new team. That’s why he forced everyone to sit out while he got the full allotment of practice reps.
What Woodson saw next is why he believes Sanders is so great.
“He took every rep; he just worked. He was working. Pressed him, played off, he did everything. Knocking balls, intercepting balls. He’d intercept the ball and throw it back to the quarterback,” Woodson shared while laughing.
“And he was telling the receivers, ‘Come on back out. Get out here and get blessed.’ I was like, man, this dude is different,” added the former safety.
It’s the exact type of confidence and cockiness that we came to expect from Sanders. At first, he came off as brash, which some teams hated. But eventually, he made everyone adjust to his confidence because he backed up what he said.
It was this belief that kept Sanders confident no matter what, to the point where he seemed almost unstoppable.
“He just believed; it didn’t matter who was across from him. I’m shutting you down. Like, I’m way better than you. And he would always tell me that, ‘You’re the best safety in the league. Believe it!’ I was just young and trying to be humble,” Woodson further recalled.
This same mentality, at least the belief part, is very evident in Deion’s son, Shedeur. The young QB just picked up his first win in the NFL this past Sunday, and he had a lot to say about it afterward.
All in all, it was a great story from Woodson that detailed how Sanders used to carry himself as a player. This confidence has seemingly been passed down to his son, too, which will make it fun to track his career.
