PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : NFC : Welcome to the Deion and Jerry Show

Deion Sanders dazzled Dallas on Monday, but did Cowboy owner Jerry Jones pay $35 million for a part-time player who won’t play hurt?

The question became an interrogation of Jones and Sanders at a Cowboys’ celebration news conference.

Jones said his doctors told him there were 15 players on the Cowboys who had worse ankle problems than Sanders.

But he quickly added, “I want Deion to have his physical condition in the best shape. This is not a big deal. The ankle is a non-issue for me. His tolerance for pain is well known.”

Sanders attacked any thought he should be rushed into action before he was ready.

“When I step on the field I want to be 110%,” he said. “I’m not at full speed. I can’t cut. If I’m limping on the baseball field I know what it will be in football. I know what I can’t do.”

Sanders, who hurt the ankle in the spring when playing for the Cincinnati Reds, said he will undergo arthroscopic surgery as soon as the San Francisco Giants are eliminated from the playoff picture.

Dallas particularly wants him on the field for the Nov. 12 game against the Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers.

“I want the ankle to be the best it can be,” he added. “I want to give my best when I represent the Dallas Cowboys. If I score after a touchdown I want to be able to dance and have the ankle hold up.”

Sanders, loaded down with gold jewelry and wearing a blue pin-striped suit, a Cowboy cap, and a shirt collar with “Prime Time” on it, had the crowd laughing when he joked he could have squeezed more money out of Jones if his mother, Connie Knight, had quit saying she wanted her son in Dallas.

“I kept telling her, ‘Mom, cool it, you’re costing me money,’ ” Sanders said.

As it was, Sanders got plenty, starting with a bonus of one penny short of $13 million. It’s a seven-year deal for $35 million. Sanders gets $25 million if he opts not to play the last two years.

Sanders said he would make Dallas his permanent home and will try to keep playing baseball with the Giants.

*

San Francisco 49er right guard Derrick Deese, knocked out of Sunday’s game against Atlanta because of a left ankle sprain, probably won’t play Sunday against New England, Coach George Seifert said. Rod Milstead or Chris Dalman will start in his place.

Receiver John Taylor, who sat out the Atlanta game because of a right knee sprain, is expected to return to practice Wednesday.

*

Fullback Kevin Turner of the Philadelphia Eagles will be sidelined the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury in Sunday’s 31-19 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, the team said. He suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and underwent surgery.

Also, tackle Lester Holmes, one of the Eagles’ best offensive lineman, likely will be sidelined three to six weeks after tearing the medial collateral ligament as well as cartilage in his right knee during the second quarter.

*

Dave Krieg is still the Arizona Cardinals’ starting quarterback, despite his erratic play.

Coach Buddy Ryan said Krieg, who will be 37 next month, will start Sunday’s road game against the Detroit Lions, the team he led into the playoffs last season with a 5-2 record as starter.

Krieg is 0-2 for Ryan, and has had five of his passes intercepted.

Meanwhile, Eric Swann, whom Ryan considers the NFL’s best defensive tackle, will have an arthroscopic procedure today on his right knee to repair cartilage and any damaged ligaments. Swann was injured during the first quarter of Sunday night’s loss to Philadelphia.