RAMS 31, FALCONS 21 : His First of Many Happy Returns Gets Sanders Off to a Flying Start

He owns more gold than the Franklin mint and more aliases than someone whose photo decorates the walls of a U.S. postal facility. But for a precious few moments Sunday, Deion Sanders met humility.

A lasting relationship, it wasn’t.

Sanders, who wears a gold crucifix around his neck the size of a religious artifact, sat in the Atlanta Falcon locker room before his first professional game and did something his alter egos “Prime Time,” “Neon” and “Money” never allow:

He worried. A lot.

So nervous was Sanders that veteran linebacker Joel Williams stopped by and delivered a brief pep talk. “I told him that even after 11 years in the league, I still get nervous, that I still get butterflies,” Williams said. “I told him he can do anything he wants. You just got to believe in it.”

That’s all well and good, but Sanders had more than butterflies fluttering about his tummy.

“I had buzzards,” he said.

To prove the point, Sanders nearly tripped and fell the first time he ran onto the Fulton County Stadium field. And on the first play of his National Football League career, Sanders settled under a high, wobbly Dale Hatcher punt and, ta-da, fumbled.

He recovered the bobble, but the 38,308 fans could not have cared less. They booed lustily.

Minutes later, Sanders again took his place as the sole returner and again fumbled Hatcher’s punt. But this time “Neon,” or “Prime Time” or one of those other guys, picked it up and broke a Ram tackle. Then another. And another. And two more after that. Sixty-eight yards and a touchdown later, the Falcons knew why management had forked over $4.5 million in salary for four years to sign the league’s No. 5 draft pick and No. 1 defensive back prospect.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Falcon Coach Marion Campbell, who has only been in the league 27 years.

“Unbelievable,” Falcon punter Scott Fulhage said. “The second time he touches the ball in the NFL, he runs for a TD.”

“If he keeps doing that, he can keep calling all the attention (to himself) he wants,” Falcon offensive tackle Bill Fralic said.

They replayed the punt return on the stadium big screen again and again and nobody, except perhaps the Ram special teams, seemed to mind. Even Sanders sneaked a long look.

After all, it was a return to savor, what with the show Sanders provided before and after each punt. He gestured to the crowd, imploring them to make more noise. Surprisingly enough, the usually docile Falcon fans did what they were told and cheered as if it were a University of Georgia game.

And then there was the return itself. Sanders dropped the ball, retrieved it and then was on his way.

“Guys just were missing tackles,” he said. “Once I got out there, it was pretty much prime time.”

And when he found himself with only Hatcher and Buford McGee to beat?

“I said, ‘Boy, look at this. Look at what I’ve done.’ ”

Midway through the game, Hatcher began aiming all kicks toward the sidelines and away from Sanders. He did so under direct orders from Ram Coach John Robinson, who, in a sense, paid Sanders the ultimate compliment.

“He had such a big impact on the crowd, we didn’t want to give him the chance to do it again,” Robinson said.

No one could blame Robinson, including Evan Cooper, who would have been the Falcon punt returner had not Sanders arrived.

“Wouldn’t you kick it away?” Cooper said. “I would definitely not challenge him.”

Cooper blocked briefly for Sanders on the punt return. “But after I saw him break those last tackles I said, ‘It’s over’ and threw my hands up,” he said.

This has been an interesting week for Sanders. He said farewell to his New York Yankee teammates last Wednesday. On Thursday, he said hello to his fellow Falcons. On Sunday, he introduced himself to the Rams, who saw him mostly from the pursuit view.

This was quite a debut, considering that Sanders hardly has had time to open the thick playbook that rests in his locker. And you know the saying, “Can’t tell the players without a scorecard?” Sanders had one of those in his locker, too.

But while Sanders might not be familiar with the Falcon roster, the Falcon roster is entirely familiar with him. During a team meeting last week at its Suwanee facilities, the power went off, causing rooms to darken and film projectors to stop. Out of the darkness came a player’s voice:

“They paid Deion so much they can’t even pay the light bills.”

Everyone laughed, including Sanders, who, of course, will chuckle all the way to the bank.

“Hey, I’m going to be me,” he said. “I’m just like James Brown: I’m real.”

Sanders will begin earning his money even more as Campbell force-feeds him the Falcon defensive scheme. On Sunday, Sanders occasionally found himself at free safety. He hardly broke a sweat, much less one of the rubber bands he wears (a superstition) around his wrists.

“I just had center field and I’ve been doing that all summer,” said the former Yankee outfielder.

With that, he adjusted his black hat, reached for his sunglasses and began to make his way toward the locker room door. Atlanta’s newest and most eligible millionaire, the loudest mouth since Ted Turner blustered his way into town, was late for a date.

His mother was waiting.