Reeves Proves That You Can Bypass Fear of Quick Return

Dan Reeves’ decision to return to the sideline less than one month after undergoing quadruple-bypass surgery was not a difficult one. It was less stressful for him to coach the Atlanta Falcons than to watch Rich Brooks coach them.

I don’t mean that as a shot at Brooks. OK, maybe a little one.

But the real point of this is to send a message to those who worry that Reeves has jeopardized his chances for a complete recovery from his Dec. 14 surgery by coaching in the playoffs.

Relax.

Recent medical studies, including a widely quoted one from Stanford, indicate that the recovery rate for patients who return to their jobs quickly is about the same as for those who take more time.

“There was a much more cautious approach in the past, but things have really switched around,” Dr. Gregg Fonarow, director of cardiomyopathy at UCLA Medical Center, said Monday, speaking generally because he is not Reeves’ physician.

“It’s important for patients to maintain their diet and exercise programs. If they do that, it should be safe for them to return to work within a few weeks even if they are involved in relatively stressful situations.”

Like coaching in the Super Bowl?

Reeves’ presence on the sideline at Pro Player Stadium, Fonarow said, could serve as a powerful message for those facing bypass surgery.

“It shows that, as long as you follow the medical and surgical advice, this doesn’t have to be career threatening,” he said. “You can get back to 100% pretty quickly.”

Reeves, 55, said he feels about 85%. One concession has been to relinquish play-calling duties, although he maintains veto power. Another has been to allow his personal physician, Dr. Charles Harrison, to stand near him on the sideline.

Harrison said--jokingly, I think--that he isn’t as worried about the stress of facing the Denver Broncos on Sunday as he is of facing the media during the week, when Reeves will be besieged daily with questions about his relationships with John Elway and Mike Shanahan.

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Is or isn’t Atlanta cornerback Ray Buchanan guaranteeing a victory? . . .

He said he was last week on HBO’s “Inside the NFL,” then told reporters in Atlanta that he was baited by Cris Collinsworth and didn’t really mean it. Now that he’s here, he says he meant it. . . .

Denver players are calling him Ray Namath. . . .

The difference between Super Bowl III, when Joe Namath predicted the Jets’ win over Baltimore and delivered, and Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami? . . .

“We were up in Fort Lauderdale and there were probably six reporters,” Jet kicker Jim Turner recalls. . . .

NFL officials say they expect to distribute 3,000 media credentials this week. . . .

The early lead for dumbest question of the week: Falcon quarterback Chris Chandler was asked Sunday, “If you were a car, what kind would you be?” . . .

If he were a car, he couldn’t answer. So he didn’t. . . .

That’s the usual response to questions from Denver’s offensive linemen, who assess themselves fines if they talk to the media. . . .

With the $5,500 they collected this season, they took their muzzles off long enough to eat at one of Miami’s most famous restaurants, Joe’s Stone Crab. . . .

Scouts might not have been impressed with Cade McNown at the Senior Bowl because of his lack of height and arm strength, but coaches loved him. . . .

“A quarterback has to have spontaneity, he has to have a competitive element, and McNown does,” said Jim Fassel of the New York Giants. . . .

Art Shell, Atlanta’s offensive line coach, is expected to accept a job next week as New England’s assistant head coach. . . .

Ray Rhodes’ first priority as Green Bay’s coach is to talk Reggie White out of retirement. . . .

Who’s running the Bears, Jerry Krause? . . .

John Lucas, a Denver Nugget assistant coach, calls Nick Van Exel and Antonio McDyess “the hip-hop Stockton and Malone.” . . .

Unless Van Exel’s knees have improved since last season, he’s got more hip than hop. . . .

Michael Jordan predicts the Indiana Pacers will win the NBA title. . . .

“But the good thing is that it’s wide open,” he says. “The other good thing is that I don’t have to worry about it.”

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While remembering when we wondered if anyone on the PGA Tour could ever hope to compete with Tiger Woods, I was thinking: I guess David Duval doesn’t need that goatee to attract attention, Al Davis stopped being a genius the day he fired Shanahan, it’s a sad day when the IOC needs an ethics commission.

Randy Harvey can be reached at randy.harvey@latimes.com