Deion Sanders, Asante Samuel Feud: NFL Analyst Weighs In

Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders is one of the greatest football players to ever lace them up, regardless of position. Former NFL defensive back Ryan Clark talked on his podcast The Pivot about the greatness of Sanders.

Ryan Clark Praises Deion Sanders

Nov 25, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Ryan Clark on the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Ryan Clark played in the NFL from 2002 through 2014. Clark is a Super Bowl 43 Champion and 2011 Pro Bowler. He was talking on The Pivot Podcast about Sanders and compared him to four-time NFL Pro Bowler Asante Samuel.

“Let’s not stat watch, Asante. Let’s not throw rocks at a tank. You were good, you played zone well, you had good eyes,” Clark said. “But we cut the film on and you get cooked because your eyes as good as they were in zone, they were bad in man. You can get double moved….There is no ‘hall of very good.’”

Clark thinks very highly of Sanders and says he “shifted the power of the entire NFL.”

Deion Sanders shifted the power of the entire NFL. Deion Sanders played for one team, covered the other team’s hall of fame, and won a Super Bowl. So the other team said ‘how do we beat that team?…Let’s go get Deion Sanders. And then he went to the other team and covered the other half of famer and won a super bowl with them.”

Sanders won the Super Bowl with the 49ers in the 1994 season before going to the Dallas Cowboys and winning the Super Bowl in 1995.

The just when he got bored, he played offense. Before that he was the best returner in football.

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Deion Sanders' Hall of Fame Career

Nov 2, 1997; San Francisco, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Dallas Cowboys punt returner Deion Sanders (21) runs with the ball against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park during the 1997. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-Imagn Images | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Deion Sanders was selected in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons after playing for the Florida State Seminoles from 1985 through 1988.

Sanders spent NFL career with Washington, San Francisco, Dallas, Washington, and Baltimore from 1989 through 2005. He is considered to be one of, if not the greatest cornerback in NFL history.

Deion is a two-time Super Bowl Champion, NFL Defensive Player of the Year, six-time first-team All-Pro, and eight-time Pro Bowler. He is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Since retiring, Sanders has spent time as a personality on TV, but more recently as a coach. Sanders coached Jackson State from 2020 through 2022 before taking the job with the Colorado Buffaloes.

Sanders took over a Colorado team that went 1-11 and 2022. The Buffaloes went 4-8 in Sanders' first year in 2023 and then 9-4 in 2024. Things have turned around in Boulder because of Sanders. Colorado is one of the prime destinations in college football because of him. As long as Sanders is coaching Colorado, they will be a hot topic of conversation.