THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 13, 1995 TAG: 9509130572
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
It's funny that Deion Sanders' reputation and worth seem to be based on his ability to guarantee a team the Super Bowl.
As recently as a year ago, Sanders was recognized as a great player and uncanny self-promoter. He was a two-sports star and consummate pitchman - Bo Jackson without the limp.
On the football field he has long been celebrated as a terror to quarterbacks and, when the mood struck - which is to say, always - a dancing machine.
Sanders was characterized as a colorful, exciting, sometimes humorous, athlete who loved the camera.
But a winner?
No way. In the corporate boardroom, sure. But not on the field.
At a time when almost everyone outside Northern California thinks that Sanders guarantees the Cowboys a Super Bowl, let's stop and ask a question: Isn't it the other way around?
Put another way, the question goes: Exactly how many Super Bowls did Sanders appear in while wearing an Atlanta Falcons uniform?
Obviously, Sanders played a key role in the 49ers' championship season. But he got to his first Super Bowl by joining a team that probably would have gone anyhow.
One reason Sanders gave for signing with Jerry Jones was that Texas has no state income tax. With Dallas, Deion won't be overtaxed on the field, either.
He's been brought in to be a part-time player. This season, he's being paid to play against the 49ers once or twice, to guard Jerry Rice, if he can.
Don't assume, though, that the Cowboys couldn't reach the Super Bowl without him.
If Sanders really wanted to impress people, he'd lead the Denver Broncos or Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl. Anybody being paid $35 million for part-time work should be able to perform miracles with the Houston Oilers.
For the kind of money he'll be making - his $13 million signing bonus is worth nearly as much as Emmitt Smith's four-year contract - you'd think Sanders would be the Cowboys' franchise player.
But he's not. He's not close to being a franchise player. That distinction belongs to Smith or Troy Aikman. And how far would the Cowboys go without Michael Irvin?
Jones is the same owner who went to war with Smith over a new contract the year after the Cowboys won an NFL title. The owner did not find creative ways to get around the salary cap when Smith wanted more money.
The Cowboys, you may recall, were 0-2 the next season, before Smith ended his bitter holdout, then led Dallas to another Super Bowl victory.
The Cowboys are a comfortable 2-0 without Deion Sanders. They do not need Sanders the way they need Smith. Or Aikman.
But, apparently, Jones does. For Jones, Sanders represents more than the missing ingredient to a Super Bowl season.
Jones wants something else that belongs to the 49ers. He wants their reputation as the finest, classiest organization in the NFL. Predictably, he thinks money can buy everything, even respect.
Jones would not have spent so much on Sanders if this were just about football. His ego was at stake.
Meanwhile, the 49ers appear to have found a source of inspiration. They will spend the rest of the season trying to prove they can win without Deion.
In that case, perhaps Sanders' departure from San Francisco didn't weaken the 49ers as much as Jones hopes. by CNB