Warren Sapp on coaching: 'For someone that never wanted to do this, I'm addicted'

Warren Sapp didn’t envision himself coaching football after his career ended. The Pro Football Hall of Famer got a call from Deion Sanders, though, and decided to jump in as a senior quality control analyst at Colorado this season.

So far, Sapp is soaking in every minute of his first training camp in Boulder. He also has a new attitude about coaching than he did after retiring from the NFL.

“For someone that never wanted to do this, I’m really addicted to this right now,” Sapp said Tuesday. “The babies have really given me a purpose in life. I’m enjoying it.”

Sapp was one of the NFL’s top defensive linemen during his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders from 1995-07. He appeared in seven Pro Bowls, was a four-time All-Pro selection and helped lead the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl XXXVII title in Monte Kiffin’s iconic defense.

After his career ended, though, Sapp didn’t plan on coaching. However, Sanders wanted to bring him onto his staff at Colorado, and Sapp ended up completing his degree in order to do so. Now, he’s adding to the amount of staffers with NFL experience – something Sanders is focusing heavily on as he builds the Buffaloes’ program.

Colorado’s staff also includes Pat Shurmur and Robert Livingston as the new offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively. Add in newly named defensive line coach Damione Lewis and Warren Sapp, and there’s plenty of pro experience in the building as Coach Prime looks to help his players reach the next level.

“I’m a pro, man,” Sander said on NFL Network’s The Insiders during Big 12 Media Days. “Through thick and the thin, I’m a pro. And I think at another level – we have some tremendous college coaches on our staff. But when it comes to the coordinating and it comes to the majority of the staff, I want to be around guys that have been there, guys that have done that. Because our lights are bright, man. And I can’t have guys getting big, you’re getting a little sensitive, you’re getting a little salty, you’re getting a little afraid when the things light up over there on that sideline.

“So I like pros because we’ve been there, we’ve done that and we understand one another. That’s not taking nothing against our collegiate coaches that we have on staff. But I think right now … we have over 140-some years of pro experience on the sidelines, and that’s relatable to where these young men want to go. It’s hard to take somebody where you’ve never been.”