Mike Florio, with Sporting News, wrote a story today discussing seven players in the NFL who should be granted their release over the Independence Day weekend. Florio included Colts safety Bob Sanders on his list, discussing his injury history and concluding that those injuries make him unworthy of his hefty salary.
Bill Polian has indicated that he has no intention to release Sanders, and word from Sanders and the Colts is that he is healthier now than he has been in a very long time. It is no secret that Sanders has spent very little time actively participating in the Colts minicamp or training camp in years past so I respectfully would argue that Florio’s opinion is short-sighted and silly.
Sanders’ history with the Colts is certainly at a pivotal crossroad, as it would not make any sense for the Colts to hang on to him at his salary if he fails to stay healthy this season. He needs to make a meaningful contribution this year, particularly during the post-season (assuming they make it).
Still, for Florio to suggest that a healthy Sanders, who currently provides the promise of taking the Colts defense to a new level, should be cut before he is given the opportunity to play it out, is absurd. There is no reason, in an uncapped year no less, for the Colts to part ways with their biggest defensive difference-maker without real-time justification.
The fact is, when healthy, Sanders changes the face of the Colts defense and takes its intensity to a whole new level. One of the most intriguing story lines for the Colts for the coming season is the prospect of Sanders returning to an active role on defense. To throw it away without giving him a chance is counter intuitive at best and stupid at worse. No, I do not think that Mike Florio is a douche or an idiot, but I think he is dead wrong about Bob Sanders and the Indianapolis Colts.
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