Shedeur Sanders Coming Into Focus vs. No. 35 Cincinnati

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders came out against No. 35 ranked Cincinnati looking conservative with a number of handoffs, short passes and high percentage throws into the intermediate route level (11-19 yards).

The short passes came with a good amount of YAC (yardage after the catch).

When I say ‘high percentage throws into the intermediate route level,’ I mean he chose pulling the trigger when his targets had distinct route leverage (better chance at catching the ball). In the first-half against the Bearcats, I charted five passes into the intermediate route level and one deep pass and only one of those passes was versus tight man coverage (cornerback assigned to a singular receiver and he’s supposed to go wherever the receiver goes). Three of those Sanders’ intermediate throws were into zone coverage (defensive backs are assigned to cover certain areas of the field opposed to individual receivers – zone coverage generally creates larger throwing windows for quarterbacks to throw into). Another of Sanders’ passes into the intermediate route level was AFTER the receiver made his break. The deep pass Sanders completed for a touchdown to his wide receiver Travis Hunter was in zone coverage and he had to wait on that pass.

Sanders additionally tended to work against the sidelines versus Cincinnati when throwing into the intermediate to deep route levels, which minimizes the ‘space’ defensive backs had to attempt to make a play on the ball.

Then I saw Colorado’s offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s passing philosophy put up on the screen during the telecast at the end of the first-half when Colorado was up 24-14 and it all started making sense.

WATCH COLORADO VS. CINCINNATI

I’m really starting to see the ‘magic’ behind Sanders passing stats.

Sanders in the 3rd quarter

Things got even more conservative with a mix of runs and short high percentage passes. I only charted one 11-yard strike thrown to a running back into zone coverage for a first down. Sanders padded his yardage stats some more with YAC on a lateral screen to his receiver LaJohntay Webster, who turned it into a 28-yard gain.

Then on a short run, Sanders came up noticeably limping, but he returned to the game.

Colorado 31 – Cincinnati 14

Sanders in the 4th quarter

It was uneventful as the Buffaloes held on to win 34-23.

Cincinnati had the ball for most of the final 15 minutes and when Colorado did have the ball, it was a mix mostly of runs, more short passes and a couple deep shots (one was to Hunter on a pass interference call) and the other fell short in the end zone toward the end of regulation.

Is Sanders seeing the whole field?

I have wondered this in previous games, and I saw it in this game on a sack.

Then in the 3rd quarter (12:58), Sanders was forced out of bounds on a short scramble gain. The replay showed his receiver (Hunter) working back toward Sanders along that same sideline, but he didn’t throw it to him.

Even the television announcer said, “I’m a little surprised he didn’t let that one go.”

NFL takeaway

It was good to see Sanders finishing the game with good sportsmanship. He stayed out on the field and shook hands with Cincinnati. He did ‘flex’ his imaginary watch twice during the game after scoring.

While the rest of the football world looks at Sanders’ stats against Cincinnati (25-30 for 323 yards and two passing touchdowns and one short rushing touchdown), I am pondering how all of this translates to the next level. Sanders was inconsistent going through this progressions. He also looked sometimes hesitant to pull the trigger and he had one PBU (pass breakup).

Sanders also continues to ‘pat’ the football before he throws it. Patting the ball pre-delivery doesn’t seem to matter in college football. However, it will matter in the NFL, because it ‘telegraphs’ when and what direction a quarterback is throwing. This gives NFL defensive backs an extra moment to anticipate the throw and that’s all they need.

This mixed with how he was manipulating his throws at the intermediate route level is VERY CONCERNING.

If I was an opposing defensive coordinator going forward, I’d exclusively play tight-man press coverage for an entire game and see what Sanders has for an answer.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.