Playing With Pain

"He's come a long way," Craig said. "I've got to watch out now, because if I'm not paying attention he can get me now. Knowing you can do something like this, it makes football look easy. He's ready for camp."

Espy said: "The boy is fast, faster than I thought. He's in the best shape I've ever seen him in. He's a bad man right now."

A turning point occurred when Samari and Skylar came to stay with their father after getting out of school. They know that one of the benefits of having a pro football player as a dad is that whenever you want to play, there's a pretty knowledgeable potential teammate nearby. So as Springs contemplated retirement, his sons were dragging him out to the field. Suddenly, he was Coach Springs, leading them through the same drills his father once navigated, playing quarterback as they battled for hours playing one-on-one. While his teammates began implementing nuances of Zorn's offense during practices, Springs was taking to the parks and school fields near his home.

"Throwing the ball around with them and their little cousin, that's what football's all about," Springs said. "I want to be that excited to play, and they couldn't get enough. It's like, "Dad, let's do one-on-ones, let's do this, let's do that.' And then I find myself out there coaching them through the drills and I realized: 'That's who I am. That's what I love.' And that's what really got me back, because for a minute there I really thought this was it, I'm quitting."

About three weeks ago, McGuire was sure Springs would play again, as Springs's cocksure confidence and football braggadocio began once again punctuating their conversations. Beyond his physical prowess, Springs says his mind is steeled as well. He is primed to focus on his profession again, using football to cloud the troubles around him, excited to disprove those who believe he has lost a step or is past his prime.

Springs knew he was himself again when he allowed spectators to watch him run and box at Winston Churchill High, engaging the crowd in conversation, happily signing autographs and posing for pictures. "Before, I didn't really want to be around people, talking football and all that stuff," he said.

With the Redskins facing questions of depth and health at cornerback, Springs remains a key figure. The team's anemic pass rush remains an issue, and the entire secondary likely will be heavily tested again in a system prone to pressure-filled man-to-man coverage. After weeks of uncertainly, Springs says he is ready.

"I don't want to let the team down, and I love my teammates," Springs said. "I have no problems with the Redskins. But if I'm there I want to be really there and excited to be there and to give 100 percent, and I really feel that now. I feel like I can make a difference to my team, and I honestly feel like we're a better team when I'm out there, and that's where I want to be."