Colts, Sanders part ways

Early in his career he established himself as one of the most dominant safety’s to play the game of football. Bob Sanders was mentioned with names like Polamalu, Reed, etc… he was just that good. Sanders was not highly sought after coming out of Iowa and the he landed in the Colts hands and they knew they had something special. Sanders was a terror on the field to opposing offenses his all out, no holds barred play put him up in ranks with some of the most vicious hitters in the NFL. Sanders could not only play the pass, but much like Polamalu could stop the run and do it effectively. The problem with Bob Sanders was not his desire to play the game of football or his off the field antics like other players his biggest problem was staying healthy. His all out play often led to many injuries and many missed games and it really affected the Colts defense.

The Colts were a totally different defense with Sanders on the field; he was the captain of the secondary. He much like Gary Brackett was the vocal leader in the secondary and he made plays when they needed to be made. Just look at Indianapolis’ run to the Super Bowl; it was Sanders and the defense that made the championship run possible. No doubt that Sanders was a game changer the question is can he re-capture that same fire from his NFL defensive player of the year season? Will an NFL team be willing to take a chance on the oft-injured safety?

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If Sanders can return back to form there is no question that he will give a team a much needed boost in the secondary. His passion to play the game, desire to win, and drive to be the best in the NFL are evident with the way he plays. There is the difficulty of Sanders remaining healthy, the Colts believed in him so much that they kept him even though he was injured for 3 more seasons before releasing him this off season. Sanders can make an impact, but to make the impact he has to be on the field.

By Sam Adams
ProFootball-fans.com Staff Writer