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Indianapolis Colts President Bill Polian: S Bob Sanders to return "barring unforeseen circumstances"
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Indianapolis Colts S Bob Sanders (Darron Cummings/AP Photo)
S Bob Sanders almost certainly will return to the Indianapolis Colts next season.
While Sanders, a two-time Pro Bowl selection placed on injured reserve late last week with the latest of a well-documented series of injuries, has had "a lot of tough luck with injury," Colts President Bill Polian said Monday he sees no reason Sanders wouldn't return.
"This is simply bad luck," Polian said Monday on his radio show, which typically airs on 97.1 Hank FM in Indianapolis. "He is no different a player – and I think everybody saw that in the couple of games he played this year – than when he was Defensive Player of the Year in the NFL [in 2007]. He's just had a lot of tough luck with injury. We have invested a lot of money in him and I see no reason why we would – assuming this next procedure goes as expected and there are no complications and the knee continues to improve as it has – I wouldn't see why we would not bring him back. That, to me, just seems to be foolish."
Sanders, a Pro Bowl selection in 2005 and 2007, missed 10 regular-season games in 2006 and 12 in 2008 with knee injuries. He missed the first five games of this season with a knee injury, played two games, then sustained a torn biceps against San Francisco on November 1.
The Colts placed him on IR Friday, ending his season and prompting speculation among some observes the Colts might part ways with Sanders.
Reviewing Bill Polian’s Weekly radio show:
Part 2: “We are always going to want the football” Here
Part 3: Matchup with New England Patriots “One of 16″ Here
Part 4: Jerraud Powers Rookie of the Year? Here
Polian said not only is that not likely, but that Sanders could return better next season.
"Luck plays a role in this business," Polian said. "There's no two ways about that. There's no reason to believe Bob won't be the same player he was after these injuries as long as he continues with rehab and works out religiously and as I told him, with a good offseason program that's injury free and rehab free, if he can get back with a real good feeling about his ability to lay it on the line, he'll be an even better player than he was before he was injured. I think barring unforeseen circumstance Bob Sanders figures prominently in our plan."
Polian on Monday also discussed:
* The status of K Adam Vinatieri: “He will be back probably around Thanksgiving, I would say. That's the timetable right now. With injuries, the doctors lay out a timetable. They lay out a prognosis based on the average. But Mother Nature has a way of deciding with each individual how far from the average they stray. That's a target. It's not a predetermined date certain. Keep that in mind. We sometimes have a tendency in today's media to say, 'Because we said Thanksgiving if he's not back something's wrong.' In most cases, nothing's wrong. It's just taking a little longer than you might expect. The target date is right around Thanksgiving.
* Colts CB Tim Jennings: “I don't think that people target him, necessarily. Lots of times, they will go to the receiver that they have the most faith in. It's a little bit overrated with the way coverages are these days that people target individuals. That's a vestige of the days when most teams just played man to man and you could rely on the kinds of coverages you were going to get. Secondly, [cornerback] Kelvin Hayden will be back probably right around Thanksgiving, I would guess, so we have some help coming with respect to depth and a guy who have been a very good player for us. Right now, our depth is a bit depleted because of the injuries, particularly at corner, but I don't think Tim's doing a bad job. He had a tough break Sunday – had good coverage on a receiver on a third-down play on the last drive and unfortunately tripped as he was driving on the ball. They got a completion that looked ugly, but he was in good position. He just happened to trip. It's one of those things. He does a great job on special teams for us. He's a very good tackler. We dropped two interceptions Sunday. His was one, but he was in great position to make the play. I don't point fingers nor do I think we have any terrible weak spots on our team. We would like to have 22 All-Pros out there. It's not possible to do that, so as long as the players you have playing – particularly when they're backups such as Tim is and a valuable one – play to an acceptable level, that's what you want. Tim does a great job on special teams and he does a fine job at corner, so we feel good there and Kelvin will be back right around Thanksgiving, I would think.
* On a holding penalty on C Jeff Saturday that offset with an offsides call against Houston: “There is a portion of the rule that unfortunately did not apply Sunday. If a defensive lineman goes offside and is so egregiously offside that he can't be blocked and he's coming unabated to the quarterback, the referee is instructed to blow his whistle and kill the play so that the quarterback does not take a shot from an unblocked player going a 100 miles per hour. That would typically be the case, but it almost always applies to defensive ends. It's harder inside, No. 1 because the space is more constricted, but secondly, because those players are closer to the ball and typically, they're beating the snap a lot more closely to the actual snap than the defensive ends do. The defensive ends are easier to spot. The guys inside go just a split-second before the ball is snapped. Now, was he offside? Without question. No two ways about it. But the referee and the umpire could not get him as unabated to the quarterback quickly enough to kill the play. Therefore, Jeff recognizing that, knew that he had no choice but to tackle him so that Peyton would not get decapitated. Jeff did the right thing. He tackled him. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Peyton made a great play to Austin Collie and we had a big gain. We were down to the 2- or 3-yard line and it gets called back on offsetting penalties. It's unjust, but as President Kennedy said, 'Life is unfair.' That's one of the situations where life is unfair. You just have to shrug and come back to it, get another down and go ahead and move the football again. There isn't anything you can do about it. There are not many good penalties. That is one of the few good penalties you take. We are a team that teaches penalty avoidance. We make effort every single day the team is here – every single day we work with the players, including the offseason – to teach penalty avoidance. That is one penalty we do teach: 'If a guy is running free to the quarterback, tackle him. Don't worry about the penalty. We'll get the yardage back."
RECENT COLTS NEWS
* S Bob Sanders placed on injured reserve. Here.
* LB Tyjuan Hagler on IR. Here.
*** CATCH UP WITH ALL THINGS COLTS ON INDY FOOTBALL REPORT. HERE
*** READ JOHN OEHSER'S INDIANA PACERS COVERAGE. HERE.
*** COFFEE WITH THE COLTS: NEXT DAY LOOK AT COLTS-TEXANS. HERE
*** TEXANS-COLTS GAME STORY. HERE (INCLUDES PHOTO GALLERY)
*** QUOTING THE COLTS. WHAT THEY WERE SAYING AFTER HOUSTON. HERE
*** IFR EDITOR JOHN OEHSER ON COLTS DE DWIGHT FREENEY: HERE
MAGNIFICENT SEVENS: WEEKLY COLTS THOUGHTS . . .
Magnificent Seven I: Seven training camp thoughts and observations
Magnificent Seven II: On the Colts' defensive tackle position and WR Reggie Wayne
Magnificent Seven III: On the Colts' running backs and offensive line
Magnificent Seven IV: On the Colts' offense, OG Ryan Lilja and WR Anthony Gonzalez
Magnificent Seven V: On S Melvin Bullitt and QB Peyton Manning
Magnificent Seven VI: On RB Donald Brown and the start of the season . . . at last
Magnificent Seven VII: On WR Reggie Wayne, the OL and blitzing
Magnificent Seven VIII: On WR Reggie Wayne, QB Peyton Manning and DE Dwight Freeney
Magnificent Seven IX: On DE Robert Mathis, S Bob Sanders and DE Dwight Freeney
Magnificent Seven X: On QB Peyton Manning's start and life without DT Ed Johnson
Magnificent Seven XI: On RB rotation, DE Dwight Freeney and S Bob Sanders
Magnificent Seven XII: On WR Reggie Wayne, TE Dallas Clark and running game
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