DEION SANDERS is passing his elite mentality on to his sons as they both embark on their NFL journeys 20 years after his retirement.
Despite Shedeur’s high-profile Draft slide and the media attention it has brought since he was picked up by the Cleveland Browns, he isn’t the only Sanders son to be chasing his NFL dream during pre-season.
Deion Sanders has passed the torch to both his sons this season with Shilo (left) and Sheduer (right) both entering the NFL[/caption]
Shilo Sanders got his first NFL snaps under his belt for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday[/caption]
Shilo Sanders, 25, went undrafted during the Draft but has since signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Like Shedeur, Shilo got his first NFL reps under his belt last week – playing in Tampa’s 29-7 pre-season victory over the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.
The safety played the third-most defensive snaps on the Bucs (37), including 23 coverage snaps.
And he seriously impressed when he was on the field, registering zero receptions allowed, one tackle and one quarterback hit.
Shilo may have got a lot of NFL fans talking with his performance, sending a warning to everyone that he is going to fight for his place on an NFL roster.
But the rookie made it clear that a performance like that isn’t enough to warrant gifting his game jersey to dad Deion, whose Hall of Fame standards demand much more.
Asked if he would gift the jersey to his dad, Shilo told reporters while laughing: “He didn’t want it.
“He’s a Hall of Famer. He expects 30 times more. I’m gonna give it to my mom though.”
Shilo is aware of his dad’s sky-high standards[/caption]
Adding: “He don’t want it. I’ve got to get like three picks or something first.”
Deion, who revealed he has beaten cancer last month, is one of the NFL’s greatest ever cornerbacks – twice winning the Super Bowl and earning nine Pro Bowl appearances.
Shilo later reflected on what it felt like to get out on the field in an NFL game for the first time.
He said: “It felt good. I thank God for putting me in a position to even be on the field.”
“I left some big hits on the table, so next game will most likely be improvement on my angles, on my tracking, because you don’t really get to work on those in NFL practice or you’re going to get kicked out of practice.”
Shilo’s brother Shedeur has dominated the headlines and the fan talk throughout the offseason after being the story of the draft.
And the rookie quarterback finally got to show people what he was made of too, taking his first NFL snaps in the Browns’ 30-10 pre-season victory over the Carolina Panthers.
Shedeur, 23, threw for 138 yards, rushed for a further 19 and banked two touchdowns as Cleveland fans got their first glimpse at the QB.
When asked how he thought Shedeur got on in his debut, Shilo kept those Sanders’ high standards up.
He said: “I think he said the same as me. [He] done some good things, messed up a few times, but it is what it is.
“I think we played some similar games. Once he got a little comfortable, he started doing his thing, same with me.”
Shedeur Sanders played his first pre-season NFL snaps last week too[/caption]
NFL WEEK 1 SCHEDULE
(All times ET)
Thur 4 Sept
8.20 pm – Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Fri 5 Sept
8pm – Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers
Sun 7 Sept
1pm – Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons
1pm – Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
1pm – Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts
1pm – Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots
1pm – Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints
1pm – Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets
1pm – New York Giants at Washington Commanders
1pm – Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars
4.05 pm – Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos
4.05 pm – San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
4.25 pm – Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
4.25 pm – Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams
8.20 pm – Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
Mon 8 Sept
8.15 pm – Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
