The Ties That Bind a Father and Son

"I was like, 'Please don't let me tweak nothing,' " he said. "For a week I did nothing but eat snacks out of a vending machine and lay around the hospital."

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Springs took part in about 55 plays, and thrived in the 21-19 Washington victory. On Monday, it was back to Dallas, staying at a hotel , seeing Dorsett and Walls and getting to the hospital early to talk to his father, unsure if any words were getting through.

"He's handled this remarkably well and played at a very high level," Williams said. "His leadership has been outstanding."

Every week since the surgery, Springs has spent Monday and Tuesday either in Dallas or in Williamsburgwhere he meets with his grandmother, aunts and uncles from that area, making plans should his father pass away. Wednesdays are the most draining. He is usually the first person at Redskins Park to begin studying film to make up for lost time, guzzles coffee, takes dips in hot and cold tubs and tries to keeps his mind active when feeling worn down.

But this week there was little solace in routine. This was Dallas Week, when Springs's past and present always collide.

An Inspiring Father

The story of Ron and Shawn Springs is well known, how they toured the country promoting kidney and diabetes awareness this summer, hitting network morning shows. In Dallas, it's still big news, so the interview requests for Springs leading up to today's game came in deluges.

It's a vital game for the Redskins' playoff hopes, against an 8-1 division foe.

Springs knows he will see Walls, Dorsett and other longtime family friends, and he hopes he doesn't break down from the memories, the sound of his father's voice ringing in his head, chiding him, "How you gonna play? What's your game plan?"

Everything about Dallas reminds him of his father, especially at this time of year. Shawn Springs was raised by his paternal grandmother in Virginia and Maryland, but Thanksgiving meant Texas Stadium and dad. "The holidays will be tough," he said.

It was Ron Springs who taught his son to analyze game film in grade school, and helped him to choose cornerback over running back, where NFL careers are shorter. When Springs wasn't certain football was his calling, his dad bought him a drafting table to pursue architecture; it remains a passion and Springs played a major role in the design and layout of his home.

Ron Springs moved to the Washington area to take a coaching job at Howard University when Shawn attended high school in Silver Spring, nurturing him through those years. He helped steer Shawn to Ohio State, gave Coach John Cooper an earful when the staff redshirted his son his freshman year, and assured Shawn he was ready to leave the Buckeyes for the NFL after his junior year. His dad also pushed Springs until the day he finally got his college degree in sociology in 2003.

When Shawn was a free agent in 2004, Ron Springs charmed Gibbs and Snyder during a dinner at Morton's and, though, a "die-hard" Cowboy, Shawn said, urged him to sign with the Redskins. "I knew Coach Gibbs would work him hard and make sure he gets the most out of him," Ron Springs said in an interview in 2005. Gibbs still chuckles about Ron Springs's "funny bone" and says he keeps him in his prayers.

When Ron Springs's kidneys were failing, his son offered to walk away from his multi-million dollar contract and donate a kidney. His father refused. Now, Springs worries that his dad will never see him play again, and recently signed a living will stipulating that he not be placed on a respirator.

"This made me more aware that I never want to put anybody in this position," he said.

The doctors say Ron's condition is relatively stable, and he seems at peace, as if in a deep sleep. So Springs will continue to travel to Dallas, cherishing each morning spent by his father's bedside, and dreading the decisions yet to be made.

"Whatever God wills, that's what it's going to be," Springs said. "One of these days he might wake up and be at my game, and one of these days I might be missing for a couple of days because I'm at a funeral. It's possible. That's a realistic thing, and the longer it goes the tougher it gets, but what do you do? I guess all you can do is play football, and try to live a normal life."