Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler on being in Coach Prime's crosshairs and how the Colorado-NDSU ...

[Music] welcome to the mcf mess podcast at inforum.com in-depth conversations and opinion covering a variety of topics from the world of News sports and more here is Mike mcf episode of mcf mess podcast at inform.com and we have a special guest this morning um because we are God what now nine days away I think from North Dakota State kicking off its 202 for season at Colorado against the buffalos and little known head coach Dion Prime Time Sanders is gonna be a big deal bison fans are fired up NDSU the other day in practice they actually got out of their practice facility and went to the Fargo doome and on the big video board when I was there it was an open practice for the media they had a running Loop of Colorado Buffalo's like hype stuff like Dwayne The Rock Johnson and shadur Sanders showing off his whatever wristatch thing is and Dion talking to Lil Wayne and Lil Wayne leading the Buffs on the field so that was playing as the Bison were going through their practice I don't know what it was supposed to be for I don't know what it signified other than I guess just reminding NSU who they were playing but our guest today is uh somebody who covers Colorado and he was in the news recently uh because of his coverage of Colorado and we'll get into that in a bit but let me reintroduce Shan Keeler a columnist from The Denver Post newspaper in Denver Colorado Sean good morning how are you good morning Mike how are you thank you for having me yes so I want to get right into it because we have a small window but uh Deion Sanders about 10 days ago made national headlines again because he shut down a couple of reporters at a press conference including some poor guy from CBS in Denver who has nothing to do with CBS National but Dion has a chip on his shoulder about CBS being critical and you also tried to ask a question in the press conference and were shut down as well um I guess we can presume because you have been critical of Dion and uh called him a false prophet and other things like that we've had you on the podcast before to talk about that but I I don't want to spend too much time on this because it's it's not about us in the media people on the field so Ju Just give us a quick recap of what what the hell's going on and how that's been for you and the irony uh I mean that's a whole another podcast is is keer and Dion the short version is to go to that moment itself I'm not stunned that it happened I'm not particularly proud of my response in the moment but as you know anytime that you are in one of these exchanges you you run the risk uh certainly in a column's position to give your opinion and to engage and inform and uh sometimes incite uh and to refle your opinions uh your subjects will not be appreciative of your opinions correct and so something like that is always a risk uh I haven't had many uh confrontations on on certainly not on that big a stage or with that big a subject but all you were thinking in that moment is don't be the story don't be the story don't be the story don't be the story don't be the story at least that's what my mama taught me don't Don't escalate this anym than it's going to be because what he wants is to fight you in his ring you are there and you cannot win because he will have the last word either by having the microphone taken away from you or by shouting you down like there's no way you win in that scenario one I mean am I wrong like there no you're no you're correct you're absolutely right colist 101 journalist 101 uh once you are dragged into that you are there to be humiliated uh and on some level I was I I I was shocked that probably it didn't happen because of the stage or just because of whatever the media whatever they they again everything with with Dion is different in that it's a multimedia operation you know more than it is a PR operation and it's not run out of Boulder it's run out of Los Angeles and they tell Boulder what we're gonna do as we've talked about it's again none of this is and sensible it's all artifice and weird and uh the you know the family of his business partner agent is with him all the time and staring daggers at me so all of this is strange all of that was strange um I mean would I do some of it over again yeah would I try to get back to look can I ask you a question about your football team I.E where and the question was Where Are You Gonna what do you define as success for year two because everything has been leading to our point about what we're talking about today yes all anybody's looking at is everything has been building in this kind of 20 months into year two right like this is the last run for shadur for Shiloh for Travis Hunter uh for however many you know kids before they transfer out for all these upper class transfers who came in of the 50 there are a ton I think you could do the count something like a third of the roster or grad transfers I mean all of this is just built for this moment so is there pressure on year 2A and B where do you define it a success and ultimately what you got is what you got and that's fine and we still don't have an answer and yet you know what Mike by him not answering I think we kind of know where the answer is from a pressure standpoint don't we and how he behaved that day and how he just took on not just me who poked the bear you know the bear is gonna bite you you're gonna have to risk that when you go in and and do that kind of thing but again uh Eric Christenson in cbs4 who is a business partner any business partner who has been apologized to by the way don't know if you saw that last Friday no I did not the general manager of H the CBS affiliate who has been hosting Dion's coaches show and athletic director Rick George had a little conversation we were told after that went down uh but Arie har Arie stabled in at the Associated Press who you may have dealt with uh the by line over the years AR's a pro I've been doing this a long time uh we had a talk the other day he he did not get a an apology of any kind uh and nor nor did I and nor if we had that uh one-on-one talk about why I do what I do and I'd be very surprised uh if we ever have that talk but maybe we will uh stay tuned um but I'm I'm not interested in what Deion Sanders thinks of me I have a job to do so does he and I wish him well in doing that job and uh I don't appreciate it when he makes my job more difficult and clearly as you you could see uh he doesn't appreciate it when I make his but uh that's the gig but but I I'll say this and i' I've been in the position that you've been in on much smaller stages um and in fact uh last week somebody I also dabbl in political columns oh fun and and so that's a lot of fun yeah no feed there and so last week somebody from the North Dakota governor's office uh got a hold of me and my boss about something I wrote and I've had people in positions of power uh much higher than Deion Sanders unhappy with me so so that's all part of the gig I I accept it it is what it is and and we're always going to take heat people in our position are always going to take heat because that's again we go into this knowing what's what we're doing if you dish it out you better be able to take it absolutely it's all it's all it's all fair game all fair game but I'll say this is that if there was anybody on the fence about wanting Deion Sanders to succeed or not succeed or or have a new blueprint for the future of college football whatever they think of you they think less now of of Dion Sanders I think a lot of people saw like wow like what was that and sort of wondering if if a guy in that position with that much money and that much power is going to be that thin skinned and not able to take any criticism then that didn't reflect well on Dion That's in in the world I live in here in Fargo Morehead and in Minnesota um I'm hearing more of that than you know God damn media it was more of what the hell was that why is he reacting that way let me say this the reaction has been very schizophrenic or bipolar or whatever you like and that I think the nation and I appreciate you saying that took away from that like we all are drived by critics to some degree of what we see uh certainly if you're not intimately there there was a lot of what was that and nationally obviously they took a lot of heat and and justly not because of was with me that that wrestling match was going to happen at some point but that it was just friendly fire everywhere which seemed so irrational to me and obviously I wrote about that and that's got me in more trouble with CU and that's a whole another topic that's gonna happen too but they fed that he doesn't have to do what he did he made an active choice to throw a local CBS affiliate and a business partner under the bus because of whether it was whatever business deal or editorial complaint he had with CBS National or CBS Sports whatever it was these are these are not sensible things but let me tell you here locally it's been a little different and I'm curious if you've run into this in your tats where the market I think is I think still 70 65% Pro prime or maybe that's just my hate mail and nationally it's kind of flipping the other way if that makes sense yeah and and I think that's always been I think that's always been out there Sean because it's very different I mean there I this is again this is an FCS observation from a guy who covers FCS football is Dr is is in in the world of FCS everybody hates North Dakota state right I mean they're the they're the they're they're the Kings and everybody hates them yeah the most of FCS from what I can gather from talking to people and and online for what that's worth most of FCS is rooting for endu to beat Colorado absolutely y see and so that tells you they'll put aside their utter hatred of North Dakota State and say we dislike Dion and Colorado worse than than we dislike North Dakota State and so we hope the Buy in um God I think it was a South Dakota State fan um the day that that messaged me and said I'm he goes I I root against the Bison 99.9% of the time he goes I hope they curb stop Colorado I hope they just murder him and I went wow okay that okay um and so that I think that's out there it's a weird dynamic with all this stuff Dion I think it's I I think some of that is still by Design because he's he just doesn't he wants to be talked about and we've made I think you and I have talked about there is a certain political celebrity to whom he is often compared and and I'm not sure they would agree on anything politically so but they definitely enjoy their Fame and they put their value in their Fame and we know who wealth know who I'm talking about and has nothing to do with policy it just has to do with kind of clicks and and it actually clicks with a CK and clicks with a qu with a qu yes Y and it is a little bit like covering that it is a little bit than the absolute just rage I think I'd have to say over the last 10 days and gosh we are making this about me when I said we wouldn't but it has just been I've had some stuff that I I've been doing this mostly on with a little off for about 283 years give or take and I've never had the sort of Venom and personal Venom uh ever that I've received as I have in the last eight nine days um I I get recognized in public which is weird um that didn't happen a lot before this and not in Pleasant ways okay been different a lot of things have been very very different but you can't the bottom line of this and we ran into this and we're in a bit of an interesting situation with University as a whole as I you could imagine um regardless there was access at a public event in Denver this past Friday and my bosses gave me the option to their credit whether or not I wanted to be there given a lot of the temperature on the table let's put it that way and I said no I'm going U we're not going to write much from it but they had the open practice and that's a subject do need to get into yes yes um they gave me the option not to go and I said no I'm I'm going and someday you'll read about why I had the option to not go um but I did because you do your job goes back to whatever hopefully Dion is telling his players but who knows uh let's dyj let's do your job I had job to do I did it um I'm taking some fire allegedly from my peers in the CU media Community for showing up and doing my job but if they want to do so that's on them not me um but that's going to be my North Star no matter what and no matter what transpires good bad or otherwise and that is you do your job and that's uh something I know you understand you've done well for decades and that's all I'm talking to you about it now and we'll keep do that so just just I know you have some empathy too if not what we deal with as I do for you and and respect for you as well and uh it's uh it is different my friend it is very very different but we have football questions and I'm uh so so so so let's move on and let's so so what do we know about the Colorado football team 2024 Edition you were at the open practice uh at I think it was at a high school field somewhere in in from what I was able to read and discern from from other media people who are there is uh sounds like the offensive line maybe is still in question and other than that they they didn't really do much out but what do we know about Colorado nine days out from their opener against North Dakota State um almost as little as we knew three months ago I they they and they do that intentionally partly because they want to save the Scoops for the product oh let me say that it's a backtrack about DNA media because this does apply to this we are so boxed out um I I'm always weary the more when you bring your own media team with you I I that puts out red flags for me if that makes sense yes he has three so you know there he has three he has three media teams three he has one team he has three channels okay that do what they do that that shoot stuff and one of those is a red flag for me but when you have three again we see where things are at with exchanges with local media and what have you to a point but because of that we are expected to follow all these things when we say hey how did so- and so look well it's on the film how' so and so look well you should come to practice well we did uh and you didn't show anything or we're not allowed keep in mind some of that crowd was there not just because it was in greater Denver and that was good Outreach it was done because they had a country concert up at campus that they couldn't use oh okay okay that's why they moved but also was very good Outreach to the community and Denver public schools I think that's great I think CU CSU should do that stuff on a regular basis they feel like it but coaches are cloak and dagger da d da because it was out in public I don't think they showed much and they don't tell us much to your point of in your question of are they better are they different what do they look like I I think they look different and they've given the impression the public that it's the same old song that you've Got Fabulous skill folks fabulous speed um everybody can run and nobody can block uh I don't know that to be gospel I I know that that's the impression that they left and I think that they're not going to tip their hand and until we have the great uh buffalo bison uh Showdown and then you're going to see whatever they can do uh they're they're gonna leave it for for when it's showtime that way so I I I'm not as hung up by however many sacks they gave up at a public scrimmage as a lot of folks are because I think coaches I I do think whatever my qualms with him as a as a coach and as a staff Builder I think as a football person Dion Sanders knows full well not to put anything out there on tape right yep possible as as much as he can keep off uh strategy wise as possible as much again given that they have three crews uh if not more because I don't not even think I'm counting Amazon filming them all the time to do I know that we that we know I I I would be surprised if we're not largely where we left it um because it's still shadur it's still uh Pat Shermer more or less doing what shadur tells him he wants um which was one of the problems right yeah as we found out that had been building um you know the Sanders family wants all and everything uh in the program and those two kids who are obenson dogs with an au AWG on those sides of the ball make the calls really as to who stays and who goes and what they run and what they don't um I I think it's gonna be the the drama and the Intrigue is never going away in that front um because I think to some degree they know what they want to do and this is everything with Dion has still been Jackson State just on a bigger stage so you try to go back and and a inform yourself based on what's happened before and that is they know what they want to do and if it doesn't go right everyone is going to R under the bus until it goes right except the Sanders family themselves like every which is what happened last year and you know see situation got uncomfortable uh and was looking to get out a lot earlier than we thought and did and parlay that knew a really nice job and will'll probably do a really nice job in the cases of sea Lewis at his new job the DC is gone every you know that the pattern is the same I I would hope here's there's several ways which Dion and I are different when the camera comes on immediately I'm thinking it's not about me it's not about me it's not about me well I'm not pretty I'm I'm not sexy fine one two I try to cross check what I don't know with someone who does and I will call other coaches or other people who and say hey did you see what I see what did you see we compare notes you probably done the same it's called it's called reporting 101 I asked about a spring game which the last previous last public appearance and then Friday uh and they just kind of shook their head and went it's probably the same thing it's new new names new numbers same uh exploitive word they used and I went okay well that's going to carry you only so far uh and one of those were we're back I think we talked about this in the spring their only real card is to out Talent everybody everybody and then when that works really well you hope it don't it doesn't if you're a bison fan but that's pretty much their strategy uh going into the opener obviously um but then eventually in the Big 12 as it did in the back 12 you're gonna run you're going to run into people who are as big fast and as strong as you and then then what you now that doesn't apply to this game with you guys um and I think that they are largely going to be where they left them which is a roundabout way keer way of answering the question of what are they going to be like uh new num same song to some degree which which goes back to what I've said and I told you this last spring as well and I and I believe it more now that I've seen NDSU uh in several practices but it's it's really too bad from an NDSU fan and program standpoint that they're not closer to where they were you know three or four years ago I I I I NSU is going to be just fine in FCS they'll be in the top five of FCS if things go the right way they they'll be challenging for a national championship in FCS they're probably still behind South Dakota state that Arch tral to the South here um but they're okay but they just they just are missing some pieces that if the if the 2021 bison were going down to Boulder next week I'd say this is going to be a a really interesting contest with a with a disciplined veteran big offensive talented skilled offensive line really skilled defensive line all the pieces in place I just don't see that with this B and team and so I think and and plus their best player is gonna be out Cole wisneski the safety All-American NFL guy um and so I just think it's be an uphill climb for North Dakota State I'm just one of the things that's interesting to me and that I've asked often to the The Ether is when you bring in 50 transfers over two years or whatever that number is how do you get the players to buy into whatever you're selling you know part of football and especially part of the NDSU brand that I've seen for the last 30 years is they're they're playing for something other than nil money or TV time or an NFL contract they're playing for bisen pride or they're playing for whatever they're you know what I mean and so when when when when the hits the fan they have that to lean on I wonder what a team like Colorado when the hits the fan and I'm not saying it's going to next Thursday but if it did what do they lean on you know what are they turn except for their talent their Superior Talent they don't they don't the these are mercenaries this isn't Last Chance you what what you know whatever you want to term it but this is a team of free agents this is a team of grad transfers who are in it for the nil and they're in it for the NFL and that's and I that sounds critical to some degree but that's also what Dion is selling like he's saying look you don't have to do it the bill Snider way let's use EX you're talking about the conventional way you're in for something where you build you recruit the high schoolers you develop ton Sanders is an interesting to developing and but he's interested in winning now he's interested in winning yesterday he's interested in winning the argument he's interested in winning breakfast this is a competitive person who this is about all the time and I I don't think there's a long-term Vision there either I think it's kind of all about the now and it was about getting guys ready that would would make this run for 2024 and make that as effective as possible both for Dion's resumee and for his kids resume to make a point I think that's the point and when hits the fan what you do is you lose seven in a row what you do is you don't ever get that back because everybody looks at it you you show your true colors in a crisis true of us true of coaches true of anybody and when that happens uh when the ship takes on water everybody looks for lifeboats in this place and I'm not saying it I certainly with all due respect don't think it's going to happen in the opener um but then they have to go to Nebraska and go to Colorado State to row games back to back that's where their medal is truly going to be tested on every front and their history in year one is when stuff goes bad half of that roster because they aren't invested in anything but themselves quits literally quits and or people in the coaching staff quit on them uh it doesn't have the risk of this Quicky talent in quickie Talent out you can just change this on a dime and I'll make this work is you don't have a foundational Pride for lack of a better word don't have a foundational system because your system is if you suck I'm getting rid of you and everybody knows that and they're just playing for themselves and they're playing out of fear even more so than and they say well what was different than than the you know the coaches that couldn't renew your scholarship for as we know decades and decades and decades and decades in a way we've we've also gone back to that here but at a crazier extreme where the coaches know they could be replaced midseason the players know they will be replaced mid-season everyone here including media frankly imagine operates on fear and intimidation and that idea can can light a fire under you to a point but when it goes wrong you're looking for the escape hatch on the Death Star you're not looking to stick around because you love the Empire you're like I didn't sign up this I signed up to kill some Rebels and to have a good time I sign up oh God keer I mean disgrace Denver Post columnist Compares Deion Sanders to Darth Vader headlines come back but regardless of the the the the the chemistry thing is kind of the same I'm not saying that CU is evil or Dion is evil I think Dion is selfish but that's not news that's four that's five Decades of a brand you again you and and he's controversial and he's confrontational and he wants all the smoke and give me the smoke the worst thing you can do is ignore Deion Sanders he he wants all those things that hasn't changed but ultimately this is gon to come down and this season and what this era is is going to come down to the scoreboard um not me not cbs4 not the AP the the are not Stephen A Smith the Arbiter is is on the wins and losses I think they have two I think if if there is problems if one and0 is on the table one and two isn't out of the question I I think two in one is more likely I think three in one is very likely out of deference to the the will Shepards and and and the white out transfer from uh Vandy and um West the Wester brothers and the hood brothers and all these guys who could really play there there are dudes um but if it goes wrong it's going to go really wrong because not only are the players going to look around and go what have I because he he won't save you he will throw you under for failing him and failing his family am I wrong I mean what do we have on tape to this point when it hasn't gone wrong a lot but when it does it's not my fault it's yours a lot of places but what happens is that just gets Amplified here so much so that basically here's the power you have in Fargo North Dakota State could could could could pretty much ruin the great experiment yes oh my God yes and and and that is not lost on that is not lost in Fargo that is not coaches and the other thing is a lot I'm sorry to ramble on this point but the point you made about kind of Dan Lanning uh you know they're all going to get the they don't have Oregon's players in DSU but they're going to get the Oregon motivation film and say we we win championships you know they win commercials and I how would you not say that how would you not pick that up and do that other coaches don't like Deon Sanders they not and they don't like what this mean they hate the system anyway but the fact that you have this sort of cele and this is this is not new you want to take anything for awful announcing take this because it's not breaking other coaches really hate Sanders of what they do because it a their job more difficult because he says this looks he's trying to make it look easy when it's not uh he's trying to take shortcuts when they don't or wish they could uh he is trying to make it about him and when every assistant who works for him knows they are on the firing lines if it all goes wrong so yeah everyone is kind of rooing against them in the industry in that regard for that reason and so I'm very curious how many I know for this every other coach in the country is gonna be rooting really really hard for the Bison as much and uh and MVC fans and and F FCS fans are a lot of FBS are fans are and 98% of the major college coaching world is because if this succeeds given everything else with the system that is screwed up everything gets Rewritten and everyone is looking to hire than the next Dion Sanders to do what they do and and not a danam lenning and not the focused n DSU so it's it's really it's not fun being on the front lines but you're about to jump into a very fascinating little experiment here and this is the year we find out really and I can't wait I've been looking forward to this since uh they hired Dion whenever last year a year and a half ago go it's been fantastic I've been this has been circled in everybody's calendar in Fargo for uh for the last couple years looking forward to getting to Boulder on Wednesday Sean uh hope to see you at the game thanks very much for your time as always and uh keep up the good work keep keep poking the bear that's what we do brother we keep on poking and and get the reaction you know what with that and I'll leave you with this it's not the bear so much it is the Cubs Cubs come out and the Cubs bite and they uh they let you know and that's fine uh I hope to see you my friend as well safe travels uh I'm sure we will have stories to tell so uh uh there even better ones off record so you find me okay all right thank you Sean Keeler columnist from The Denver Post newspaper on the mcf mes podcast at inform.com the game is only nine days away I'm recording this on Tuesday um August 20th and the game is Thursday August 29th and I can't wait it's I I can't wait to get to Boulder and take in the flavor just as an outsider I think I know what is happening but I think kind of being in the middle of it is going to be absolutely fascinating to see what happens and how that game unfolds in Boulder next Thursday thanks for listening we'll talk again soon thanks for listening to the mcfs podcast at inforum.com for more podcasts and columns head to inforum.com search Mike mcy [Music]