A day before Brian Waters showed up for his first spring workout -- which he watched without participating in -- fellow Pro Bowl guard Will Shields also showed up for the first time.

But while Waters assured reporters that he had concrete plans to attend the mandatory mini-camp and be ready when training camp began in July, Shields sounded far less certain about his future.

Though his coaches and teammates generally believe that the 34-year-old Shields intends to play a 13th season in 2005, the intensely private 10-time Pro Bowler refuses to confirm his intentions to others.

"I still haven't done anything yet. We'll see how it goes," Shields said in response to reporter's inquiries about his retirement plans. "I'm just going to come out here and keep doing the things I've always done and see how it goes. All that other stuff is for other people to worry about."

This coy, somewhat cagey approach is fine with Shields as long as the people who really matter to him -- his family, his teammates, his coaches -- are not among the "other people" who are worried about his plans.

"The guys know where I'm at," Shields said. "We have a lot there that's deeper than anybody's else's questions."

It's not that Shields has lost his love for football. Far from it.

"I think I could try to play football 'til I'm 50," he said. "But sometimes it's a question of whether the body can do it or not."

And therein lies the nature of what passes for a mystery. If Shields still feels good heading into training camp, everyone expects to see him back as the cornerstone of one of the NFL's best offensive lines.

"If I think I can do it, if I can be out there contributing, that's what most important," he said.

As no one has ever questioned Shields ability to play, count Shields in for another season.

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