He Loads Bow, Fires Arrow

Deion Sanders finally gets it.

As a member of the Dallas Cowboys, the standout cornerback was on the winning side in six of 10 meetings with the Washington Redskins, including the last five.

But now, preparing to face Dallas for the first time as a Redskin on Monday night, Sanders has changed his thinking.

“It’s totally different,” he said. “I didn’t think it was that much of a rivalry, maybe because we were on the winning side most of the time. But being on the Redskins now, you realize that the rivalry is more than just a normal game.

“And it has playoff ramifications this early in the season.”

Maybe for the Redskins, but probably not for the 0-2 Cowboys.

Philadelphia Coach Andy Reid, who served as Green Bay’s quarterbacks coach in 1997 and 1998, sees similarities between his second-year quarterback, Donovan McNabb, who plays out of control at times, and the young Favre who Reid coached.

“Brett went through those same things,” Reid said. “He is an aggressive player, he’s a confident player, and, when he was younger, he’ll be the first to admit he was a gunslinger. He truly felt that he could make the play in the toughest of situations.

“That part, personality-wise, is very similar to how Donovan approaches the game.”

So there’s hope.