WESTMINSTER, Md., Aug. 18 -- The question surrounding Deion Sanders's possible return to the NFL no longer seems to be whether the seven-time Pro Bowler will end his three-year retirement to join the Baltimore Ravens, but when.
"It's far enough along that when he feels he's ready. . . . Deion is a professional and he doesn't want to come in here unless he's ready to go, and we'll give him that kind of space," Coach Brian Billick said after the Ravens' morning practice at McDaniel College. "When he feels like he's physically at the right spot, we'd love to have him in."
Deion Sanders retired from the NFL after the 2000 season, which he spent with Washington. Sanders began his career in Atlanta and also played in San Francisco and Dallas.
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_____Training Camp Tracker_____
Training Camp Tracker
Today's Schedule
Where: McDaniel College, Westminster, Md.
When: Through Tuesday.
Today's practices: 9:30-11 a.m. For more information on practice times, call 410-261-3267.
Next game: 8 p.m. Friday at Philadelphia (CBS).
Injuries
DE Marques Douglas dislocated his elbow in practice and is out four-to-six weeks. Jarret Johnson, a second-year DE out of Alabama, will start in his place against the Eagles. . . . CB Fred Weary (quadriceps, knee), WR-PR Derek Abney (shoulder), RB B.J. Sams (wrist), DT Matt Zielinski (knee), LB Peter Boulware (knee), QB Anthony Wright (shoulder) and TE Trent Smith (leg) did not practice.
Odds and Ends
QB Kordell Stewart practiced yesterday, one day after sitting out drills with a sore shoulder. . . .
Rookie CB Lance Frazier, who averaged 20.8 yards per punt return as a senior at West Virginia, fielded punts for the first time yesterday. Coach Brian Billick hopes Sams will be able to start working out next week and give the Ravens a chance to see him as a returner. Incumbent PR Lamont Brightful dropped two punts and drew sarcastic applause from fans when he cleanly caught a punt in the morning session.
"There is only so much you can do to help someone with confidence," Billick said of Brightful's continued struggles. "He either has to believe in what he is doing, snap out of it, or he won't."
-- Camille Powell
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Sanders is working out at his home in Texas, trying to determine if he is physically ready for a return. The Ravens aren't looking for Sanders to be a starter; they would use him in passing situations as the nickel back.
Speculation on when the future Hall of Famer might join the team has ranged from early September (for the Ravens' Sept. 12 opener at Cleveland) to October or even November. Billick said that the Ravens would like to see Sanders sooner rather than later, but that "we are going to respect the time frame that he's on."
Phone messages left for Eugene Parker, Sanders's agent, were not returned Wednesday.
"Our profile hasn't changed," Billick said. "He's obviously doing his due diligence to see if this is something he really wants to do. Certainly, we'd love to have him in and when we get to that point he'll be in."
The excitement surrounding the possible return of the player nicknamed "Prime Time" has even managed to draw attention away from Baltimore's upcoming preseason game with the Philadelphia Eagles and Terrell Owens, the wide receiver who spurned the Ravens in the offseason.
When Lamont Brightful fumbled a punt return during the morning practice, one fan yelled, "Where's Deion?" (Sanders was an outstanding returner, in addition to being a premier "shut-down" corner.) "Deion brings excitement to the game," linebacker Adalius Thomas said.
"We're already star-studded, but you bring 'Prime Time' to the game. . . . You used to watch him as a kid, and now you get the chance to sit down with him and pick his brain. . . . It'll be very exciting if he does come back."
Reporters and television crews surrounded cornerback Corey Fuller, one of Sanders's close friends, for insights into what Sanders, who considered a comeback in December 2002, might do. But even Fuller, who says that he talks to Sanders every day, gave conflicting information.
Over the course of a 10-minute interview, Fuller first proclaimed that Sanders was not going to return: "The man says he's not coming. . . . He's got four kids, and it's school time. You can say this and that about him, but I know otherwise."
A few moments later, Fuller seemed to back away from that statement: "It's 50-50. If the man comes, he comes. If he doesn't, he doesn't."
Regardless, Fuller said that Sanders works out regularly and is in great shape. Fuller added that Sanders invites young defensive backs and wide receivers to his home during the offseason and they do passing drills, which provide a gauge of where he stands.
"He's a special individual with special talents," Billick said. "He is not too old, I can promise you that."
Sanders hasn't played since the 2000 season, when he was with the Washington Redskins. He retired in July 2001, reportedly telling the Redskins that his performance the previous season was not up to his standards. But Sanders had also been critical of then-Redskins Coach Marty Schottenheimer during that offseason, and that factored into his decision to retire shortly before his 34th birthday.
