Deion Back in Saddle Again : Pro football: Sanders makes an electrifying Cowboy debut on offense and defense in 28-13 victory over the Falcons.

ATLANTA — After months of existing in a world of histrionics, hype and headlines, Deion Sanders finally stepped into an NFL game Sunday.

Broke down the door is more like it.

Bandanna showing, towel flapping, gloves flopping, shirt sagging, bracelet shining and gum snapping, Sanders caused a curious physical reaction during the Dallas Cowboys’ 28-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

“Jaws were jumping all over,” said Cowboy guard Nate Newton.

In one end zone, Sanders broke up a third-down pass that killed an early Falcon charge.

In the other end zone, he barely missed a diving catch of a 52-yard pass from Troy Aikman.

In the middle of the field, he caught a pass and ran for six yards during the Cowboys’ game-clinching scoring drive.

On the sidelines, he tugged and jabbed young Falcon receiver Bert Emanuel on the third play of the game, ruining him for the rest of the afternoon.

Then in the locker room, he had enough left for jokes.

When asked if the Georgia Dome was still his “house”--as he proclaimed last year when starring here for the San Francisco 49ers--Sanders said: “Not anymore. Since the roof caved in, I sold it.”

The only thing he didn’t do wasnoted by Coach Barry Switzer after Sanders slipped on his green boxer shorts with dollar signs and walked away in a typically baggy suit.

“I told Jerry, for $35 million, Deion should be picking up the jocks and socks,” Switzer said.

That’s Jerry, as in Jones, Cowboy owner and the happiest man in Atlanta on Sunday aside from a few guys from that baseball team across town.

Jones fought the 49ers to sign Sanders, and now is fighting the NFL to ensure that Sanders’ unique contract is valid.

But after watching his newest acquisition change the game without scoring a point, he said the fight has been worth it.

“I’m looking down on the field and thinking, I may be here 30 years, and we will never have as many great players as we have right now,” he said.

Oh, yes, there were others who helped the Cowboys win for the seventh time in eight games.

Emmitt Smith rushed for 167 yards, Michael Irvin caught 10 passes for 135 yards, and Aikman threw two touchdowns.

The defense, led by Charles Haley’s two sacks, allowed the Falcons to score 10 points and rack up 145 yards in the game’s first 19 minutes . . . then held them to three points and 113 yards in the other 41 minutes.

“To say that we’re every bit as good as Dallas . . . no,” said Falcon quarterback Jeff George.

George was so flustered after dealing with Sanders that he engaged in a sideline shouting match with Coach June Jones late in the game when he grew tired of throwing to Emanuel, who had two drops after his fight with Sanders.

“Deion changed everything they did today,” said Cowboy safety Darren Woodson, wonder in his voice.

And not only on defense, where he was forced to make only two plays. He broke up the sure touchdown pass on one, then allowed Emanuel to catch an 11-yard comeback play on the other.

It was on offense--where the 49ers refused to use Sanders last year--that he provided the biggest tease.

He was on the field for only four offensive plays. But what four plays they were.

Switzer said that amount will double next Sunday. By the end of the season, don’t be surprised if he is one of their starting wide receivers.

“I can see using him for every play on offense, and just on nickel downs [passing downs] on defense,” Switzer said.

On Sanders’ first offensive play, in the second quarter, Aikman faked a handoff to him on a reverse ploy and threw a screen to Smith instead. The Falcons bit on the fake, the pass went for 10 yards to midfield, and eight plays later the Cowboys scored their first touchdown.

“Every time I went on the field, I could hear the Falcons screaming, ‘Watch Deion, watch Deion,’ ” Sanders said. “It was really fun to play offense. It kept the game from getting boring.”

On his second play, at the beginning of the third quarter, Sanders sprinted down the left side on a fly pattern and beat cornerback Anthony Phillips at the 20. But Aikman was worried about the sudden appearance of a safety, and completed a short pass to Irvin instead.

His third play was a screen in the flat that was good for six yards during an 81-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter.

The final play was his diving miss of the bomb by Aikman. Sanders landed so hard on the turf that he opened a gaping wound in his side, bloodying his shirt.

“I wish I had that back--God knows I wish I had that back,” Sanders said. “Those are plays I should make.”

The Cowboys were so impressed that he had beaten Phillips, they didn’t care.

“He didn’t drop it; Prime Time never drops it,” Newton said. “The turf just grabbed his arm.”

The issue of whether Sanders’ salary-cap-stretching contract will allow him to stay on the field is in the courts, where it will probably stay for several weeks. There is little chance, however, that the league will be allowed to sideline its most entertaining player over the “spirit” of a union contract.

For now, Sanders is preparing for next week’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday during, well, prime time.

“I’m glad this is all over with so you guys can go back to treating me just like a football player,” Sanders said.

In your dreams.