The Aging Process

Ron Springs sits in his wheelchair, laughing in their imaginary confrontations. He says he'd crush his son in the open field, but today cannot use the men's room without assistance. His lunch arrives: a luscious 8-ounce steak resting on five bright spears of asparagus. His wife, Adriane, sits to his right, always ready to assist, but in a poignant moment, Shawn's face softens, and the macho football talk wanes. The son leans forward without speaking, picks up a set of utensils and gently slices his father's steak into bite-size cubes.

The next night, at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, Springs leaned back into a leather chair, sipping a mojito. Sweet rum and mint leaf passed through his straw and he ruefully held it for a long moment before swallowing.

"Over the past 10 years, my father looks like he's aged 50 years," the Redskins cornerback said. "I mean, it wasn't that long ago that we were playing basketball together."

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In two face-to-face meetings with Gibbs this offseason, Springs believed his Redskins career was disintegrating. No one in the organization told him so exactly, but Springs sensed an uneasy momentum.

The team's assistant head coach-defense, Gregg Williams, and secondary coach Jerry Gray said just the opposite, that Springs was still the best cornerback on the team. Gibbs told him the same, reiterating to Springs his importance to the Redskins. The coach told Springs that the Redskins were at their best when Springs was on the field.

"You're going to have people for whom the age thing is scary," Gray said. "I got to that point. He may think that, but I don't think he's gotten that perception from any of the coaches. When he's on the football field, we're a better team."

Yet to Springs -- who seems to make a clear distinction between his affection and respect for Gray and Williams and his feelings about the Redskins' front office -- the conversations did not go well. Despite the verbal bouquets, the Redskins mentioned his reputation for fragility -- he played just nine games last year, his lowest total since 2001, when he was with the Seahawks -- and in turn asked him to accept a $2 million pay cut.

In between the conversations, according to league sources, the Redskins also were in trade talks with the Detroit Lions. They wanted to replace Springs with Dre Bly and make Springs a reserve. Had the Redskins been able to acquire both Bly and Fred Smoot, sources said, the Redskins would have cut Springs. Washington managed to get Smoot, but Bly wound up in Denver.

During the NFL owners' meetings in March, Springs met with Gibbs for breakfast at the Arizona Biltmore resort. Gibbs assured Springs that the team wanted to move forward with him. The pay cut, the trade talk and the possibility of a June 1 cut -- the latter having weighed on Springs's mind for months -- were all off the table.

Late last week, Gibbs reiterated his position that Springs remains a valuable member of the team and expressed disappointment that Springs had stayed away from the team's workout at Redskins Park.

But by that point, Springs had already made his own decision: He was going to work out as hard as he could, on his timetable, on his terms, to protect his career.