College football legend Johnny Manziel believes Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders made a huge mistake by tossing some of the blame for his team’s ugly loss to Nebraska on his offensive line.
There was a whole bunch of hype heading into the Buffaloes game against the Cornhuskers last week. However, when the two teams got on the field, Nebraska pushed Colorado and Shedeur Sanders around. Posting a dominant 28-10 victory last Saturday.
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Colorado wasn’t good on either side of the ball last week, but Sanders and the rough play of the offense surprised many. When asked after the game about what went wrong against Nebraska, the Heisman Trophy candidate suggested the poor blocking of his offensive line gave him little chance to get his team back in the game.
“I mean, how many times did [Dylan] Raiola get touched?” Of course, when you’re able to run the ball consistently, that opens up the pass, you know? But it’s just like, you’ve got to understand what your team’s good at. Why would we keep running the ball when we get out there and there’s a must-get situation and we don’t get it?”
Shedeur Sanders
“I’m trying to be polite and say it because I can say the same thing you’re thinking, but if I say it, you’d say I’m throwing my guys up under the bus. I’m not doing that whatsoever. Protections were a problem. We gotta figure out a way to prevent that and do a better job with that.”
Shedeur Sanders stats (2024): 68.1 completion percentage, 689 passing yards, -13 rushing yards, 5 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
Johnny Manziel blasts Shedeur Sanders’ comments about offensive line after loss to Nebraska
While that may not have been what he was trying to do, that’s what it seemed like. His offensive line didn’t open running lanes and did not offer adequate pass protection all day. And he wouldn’t be wrong after being sacked six times against Nebraska. O-line play has been a problem for the Buffaloes since last season. But the role of a starting QB is as top leader and to take on the accountability if it is your fault or not.
Such things build strong bonds between players and create an attitude where teammates want to be better for their QB. Heisman Trophy winner and former Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel knows all about that. And he believes Shedeur Sanders may have created serious problems for himself with those comments.
“I don’t see how you come out and throw your own guys under the bus that you’re working with, grinding with every single week, week in, week out. You can say there’s some room for improvement that needs to be made, but you definitely don’t go into a direct comparison.
Johnny Manziel (via the Action Network)
… This is something you don’t do. … Obviously, frustrations and things arise, but for me, my time in the past, your O-line are your guys who ride with you, who rock with you. Anytime your quarterback gets hit late, the first person that you see there [are] your O-line, and this is something that may make some of those guys really hesitant to pick you up after a couple of people bang you around on the defensive side.
So [that’s] alarming. You don’t see this very much. And if I was a lineman at Colorado, I’d be absolutely pissed.”
Manziel also believes Sanders made some poor decisions with the ball that did not help matters either. For all his flaws in the NFL and off the field, the college football legend was always considered a strong leader during his time at Texas A&M.
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