Deion shows he’s not past his Prime


OWINGS MILLS, Md. - When Deion Sanders came out of retirement to join the Baltimore Ravens in late August, it seemed unlikely he would be anything more than a minor contributor to a defense that was already sound.

He was 37 years old, hadn’t played since 2000 and was assigned the insipid role of supplementing the backfield on passing downs. Then, after he strained a hamstring and missed two games, there was some question whether Neon Deion would ever shine again.

Sanders erased some of that doubt by intercepting a pass in the end zone and bringing it back 23 yards in a victory over Washington on Oct. 10. Then, following a bye, he had two interceptions and a pair of tackles last Sunday against Buffalo, a performance that earned him NFL defensive player of the week honors.

“Hopefully, that quiets the critics,” Baltimore safety Ed Reed said. “It showed Deion is serious about what he does. We have a lot of people that can do it. For Prime to do it, it means even more to us.”

Sanders has turned out to be far more than a nickel back for the Ravens. He’s become a leader, someone worthy of quoting when it comes to defining the philosophy of a brash group of defensive backs.

“I believe it was Deion who said, ’When they throw the ball, they’re not really throwing it to the wide receivers. They’re throwing it to us, so go get it,”’ Baltimore cornerback Chris McAlister said.

That’s precisely what Sanders has done. He’s tied with Reed for the team lead with three interceptions, and his 48-yard return for a touchdown against the Bills gave the Ravens a lead they never lost in a 20-6 victory.

After a slow start, Sanders has become an instrumental part of a team that has designs on reaching the Super Bowl. The way coach Brian Billick sees it, it was only a matter of time before Sanders became Prime Time.

“If he could have showed up and played that way immediately, you’ve got to rethink training camp as a coach,” Billick said. “It takes a while, and basically he’s gotten through training camp. He looks like he’s in starting-season form and ahead of that, so what he’s doing does not surprise me at all.”

Instead of boasting about his accomplishments with a resounding “I told you so,” Sanders showed his maturity by high-stepping his way around a clear-cut opening to gloat.

“I’m not like that. I don’t have that type of attitude,” he said. “I’m a very confident man. As far as sitting up here and saying I told you so, I don’t do that. That would go past the confident level. But I believe in me, on and off the field, I really do.”

So do the Ravens. The coaching staff didn’t give Sanders a game ball on Sunday, but his teammates in the backfield knew he deserved it.

“We all knew that Deion played well and had a fabulous game,” McAlister said, “so we kind of like gave it to him in our own right.”


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