A flick of the switch: just like that, "Neon" Deion Sanders is back in the NFL, trying to light up the Ravens

Football Digest, Dec, 2004 by Barry Wilner

MICHAEL JORDAN DID IT. Twice.

Gordie Howe was in his 50s when he tried it.

Muhammad Ali seemingly never stopped doing it.

So why not Deion Sanders?

Sanders is back in the NFL bringing "Prime Time" to the Baltimore Ravens secondary. And while many might regard it as a publicity stunt or a grab at quick cash, it's just possible that Sanders really felt that competitive urge to get back on the field and win one more Super Bowl.

Had the former All-Pro cornerback picked a tailender such as the Arizona Cardinals or San Diego Chargers, any such suspicions about his motivation to return to the NFL would have been warranted. But Sanders joined the best defense in the league, a unit that not only could support him as he got back into playing shape, but also could hide his weaknesses if he struggled.

So why is the "Neon Deion" strutting in the Ravens secondary three years after retiring from the Washington Redskins, with whom he appeared worn out and sometimes even overmatched? "I wanted the opportunity to win it all, and that's it," he says. "That's the only reason I'm here, because I was so comfortable on my property in Dallas. You've got to understand, I walked away from how many millions of dollars in Washington? I didn't think that team could get it done. I know this team can."

Sanders, 37, seemed well ensconced in television work. He was a member of the CBS studio crew, although his wild outfits drew more attention than his commentaries or interviewing technique. He was the host of a revival of "American Sportsman" for a short time and also hosted such shows as the Dove Awards, gospel music's version of the Grammys. Yes, Deion appeared at home in the celebrity spotlight rather than the gridiron spotlight.

"He never got the credit as a television performer that I believed he deserved," says CBS' Jim Nantz, who worked with him on the network's NFL coverage. "No one outworked him. He was determined to become the best analyst ever. People think things come so naturally for Deion, whether on the field or in broadcasting--that he just breezes through everything. But there's a lot of hard work behind it."

There were factors other than his desire to win another championship that convinced Sanders to return to the NFL. Among them was a dispute with CBS over his salary, which led to his being released by the network. Several of Sanders' friends and former teammates in the NFL actively campaigned for him to consider coming back. All-Pro Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was particularly vigorous in that pursuit. After veteran Dale Carter developed a blood clot in his lung just before training camp, line-backer Lewis and cornerback Corey Fuller got after Sanders in a big way.

"I said, 'I want to run something by you. I want you to come play with me,'" Lewis recalls.

To which Sanders responded: "Are you crazy? You're joking, right?"

But Lewis wasn't. And Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and head coach Brian Billick were serious about wanting Sanders, too. "From there, we just ran with it," Lewis says. "He's just coming to have fun with his brothers."

Not quite. Sanders believes he's capable of doing just about everything that came so easily in his first NFL life. The shutting down of even the best receivers. The superb punt-return skills. The popularity within the locker room. And maybe he is, even at such an advanced age for those jobs. Heck, Sanders is wearing No. 37 in honor of his age.

"Anyone who doubts that man, I feel sad for them," Ravens cornerback Chris McAlister says. "That man's instincts and reactions are just like they were when he was wearing No. 21."

Sanders got a one-year, $1.5 million contract to join the Ravens. He knew several weeks before the announcement it would happen. Early in the summer, while he was working out in Dallas, Sanders realized there still was something burning in him. The competitive thirst was not quenched by his new career, even with, he claims, several television offers on the table.

"I just felt the adrenaline, I felt the fire, I felt that passion," he says. "I felt that dog in me, and I knew right then I had to do what I need to do to help this team win."

Can he help the Ravens win? Lewis says there is no doubt about it, even if it's November or December before Sanders' contributions are fully obvious. "Even at 37 years old, this guy can come back and do things that have never been done, even when he was younger, because now his mentality is different," Lewis says. "He doesn't have to be the sole corner and lock people down. He's coming back and just playing, having fun, just being himself."

Comebacks like this hardly are rare in pro sports. Boxers do it all the time. Howe was deep into middle age when he decided to return to hockey, playing with the WHA's Houston Aeros so he could be on the ice with sons Mark and Marty. And they carried that act right into the NHL Mario Lemieux left the Pittsburgh Penguins as a center, became their owner, was voted into the Hall of Fame, then returned to the ice. He's still there.