Sanders Joins Loaded Redskins

The “Who’s Who” team now has a Prime Time lineup.

Deion Sanders brought his flash and dash and two Super Bowl rings on Monday to the Washington Redskins, who fully expect him to get a third one this season.

His signing of a seven-year, $56 million contract is the boldest move yet in an audacious off-season that reflects the championship-or-bust mentality of owner Dan Snyder.

“If the top priority’s not to win the Super Bowl, then I don’t know why you even play the game. I don’t play for the money, although the money is fine, God bless you, Mr. Snyder,” said Sanders, who got an $8 million signing bonus and has received about $28 million in signing bonuses in the last five years.

“If you win it all, the money will come.”

Already this year, the Redskins have signed free agents Bruce Smith, Mark Carrier, Jeff George and Adrian Murrell. They also traded to get two of the top three picks in April’s draft, choosing Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington and Alabama tackle Chris Samuels.

“We’re definitely the ‘Who’s Who’ of the NFL now,” receiver Irving Fryar said. “We’ve got a lot of great names who carry a lot of great talent with them. Yeah, on paper, we’re the team.

Sanders passed a physical in the afternoon before signing his contract in Ashburn, Va.

Coach Norv Turner said Sanders would immediately start at cornerback--and then hedged as much as he could concerning Darrell Green and the other incumbent, Champ Bailey.

Turner said Sanders also will return punts, but downplayed the possibility of Sanders lining up at receiver.

Sanders, selected to eight Pro Bowls, has at times been the most dominant defensive player in the game. As a speedy cornerback with dogged man-to-man skills, he can take away half the field from an offense.

Sanders also has a history of injury. He missed the first two games last season because of an ailing toe and was bothered by hamstring, knee and ankle problems as the year went along. He was selected to the Pro Bowl, but did not play because of knee surgery Jan. 24.

Sanders has played for Atlanta, San Francisco and Dallas during his 11-year career, which he has juggled at times with stints in baseball. He won Super Bowls with the 49ers and Cowboys.

He spent the last five years with Dallas, but was released Friday because the Cowboys would have owed him a cap-bursting $23.5 million guaranteed over the next two years.

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Detroit Lion quarterback Charlie Batch injured his right knee during a workout at the Silverdome and had to be taken off the field in a cart.

Batch left the stadium, was examined by team doctors and underwent an MRI on Monday evening, team spokesman Steve Reaven said. The extent of the injury would not be known until test results became available Tuesday, he said.

Batch was participating in the eighth of 14 non-contact preseason drills when he was hurt. Batch injured the knee while rolling out, Detroit radio station WWJ reported.

Batch, in his third season with the Lions, is negotiating an extension to his four-year contract that would raise his salary far above the NFL-minimum $358,000 he would otherwise earn this year.

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The New York Giants released linebacker Corey Widmer in a cost-cutting move, the team said. Widmer, 31, started 13 games last season.

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On the Dotted Line

The busy off-season for the Washington Redskins (decimals indicate money in millions):

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Player Position Terms Team Deion Sanders Cornerback 7 yr./$56.0 Dallas Marco Coleman Defensive End 6 yr./$26.5 re-signed Bruce Smith Defensive End 5 yr./ $25.0 Buffalo Mark Carrier Safety 5 yr./$15.9 Detroit Darrell Green Cornerback 5 yr./$10.0 re-signed Jeff George Quarterback 4 yr./$18.25B Minnesota Larry Centers Fullback 4 yr./$6.15 re-signed Keith Sims Guard 3 yr./$4.0 re-signed Andy Heck Tackle 3 yr./$3.3 re-signed Cory Raymer Center 2 yr./$1.5 re-signed Adrian Murrell Running Back 1 yr./$440,000 Arizona James Thrash Wide Receiver 1 yr./$472,000 re-signed Tommy Barnhardt Punter 1 yr./$440,000 New Orleans Ray Zellars Running Back 1 yr./$413,000 New Orleans Albert Connell Wide Receiver 1 yr./$1.027 re-signed

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