Deion Sanders responds to finger pointing at defensive coordinator Charles Kelly

Deion Sanders responded to those who criticized defensive coordinator Charles Kelly amid Colorado’s 46-43 overtime loss to Stanford.

Colorado dropped to 4-3 on the season and blew a 29-0 lead after halftime in the loss to the Cardinal. Despite having some stars on defense, the Buffaloes’ unit hasn’t been great this season compared to its high-powered offense.

But Sanders wanted all of the blame, not fingers pointed at Kelly.

“If you’re going to point fingers, point them at me because if I’m allowing it, it’s on me, not him,” Sanders said postgame. “Put it on me. We go over this stuff. We go over this stuff. And there are times where you know what group is in, you know what group you’re on, but you have a lapse of understanding in those crucial moments. 

“Right now, we’re not built for the moment. We’re not built for the moment. Some of our players are built for the moment where they have to make a play or they have to keep contain, they have to make a block and they have to get another yard, we’re not built for the moment right now.”

Kelly came over to Colorado to coach under Sanders after four seasons at Alabama as an assistant under Nick Saban. He came with pedigree, but Kelly’s defense has been gashed almost all season.

Colorado heads into a bye week before taking on UCLA on the road in a brutal five-game stretch to end the season within the Pac-12.

Deion Sanders sends powerful message to Colorado after stunning loss

Sanders said his team has to be able to move forward and Colorado will get two weeks to do so and reset.

“What I just said in the locker room to the seam is they got to make up in their mind, are they in love with this game o are they in like with it,” Sanders said. “Because when you love something you give to it unconditionally. You give everything you got to but when you like it, that’s just a button you push. It lights up and like that’s what they do on social media. So we got to figure out, do they love it or they like it? And it’s hard for me because I love this. I love it. Without a shadow of a doubt, I am truly 100% in love with this thing. 

“And I just want people to match me, just match my passion, match my heart, match my love, match my consistency, match my mannerisms, just match every darn thing I give to this game. I love this. Sadly, I love it so much but the game don’t even occupy the ability to love you back. That’s a strange love isn’t it?”