Bob Sanders had a helmet at practice, and other AMAZING news stories

Bob will start if he’s healthy.

I’m sorry, but I have to believe you wrote this just to stir some controversy. You just wrote an article like 2 days ago stating how dumb you were for questioning the coaches’ decision to start C.J. over Ugoh. Now you are arguing that Bullitt “deserves” that spot over a recent defensive player of the year? The best players play. Period. There is no deserve in the NFL. People don’t deserve to lose their jobs to injury, but it happens all the time these days when a player steps in for an injured player and plays better.

I understand that Bob’s inability to stay healthy may eventually cause the Colts to go with Bullitt over Bob, but as long as Bob is on this team and can play, he will and he should.

How soon we forget. Don’t bust on Bob because he’s injured. It’s obviously not from a lack of taking care of himself. He’s the size of Spud Webb and plays like Ray Lewis. How can you say we don’t need him? We are four freakin games into the season, and last I checked, we really haven’t been tested. Not to mention, the last good running team the Colts faced left tire tracks all over our players backs.

I understand your frustrations, but your conclusions are whacko.

That’s the expression we use to say a player is practicing. Sometimes, guys will be out there, but if they don’t have a helmet, they’re just watching. My colleague said Sanders was out there for practice. It would appear the hunch that Tennessee week was his target for returning is accurate. We’ll see how much he practices later in the week, and more importantly, how his knee handles it.

and entirely disagree. You lay out an honest, intelligent opinion about your position regarding this news, and without taking any cheap shots, but Bob Sanders is the starting safety. Does that mean that Bullitt should get a pat on the back, a “thanks for the effort, kid,” and get benched. Absolutely not. He should continue to see extensive playing time, as he has earned it.

That being said, with Bob being out, it seems you forget how valuable he truly is when healthy. Melvin Bullitt is a very good player, and he has done very well in Bob’s absence, but he has not “outplayed” Bob. Bob was the defensive MVP two years ago, and when healthy, is still at that level. Bullitt is not. He has been very good, but not “best safety in the NFL” good. A lot of Bullitt’s success also stems from the improvement of the defense as a whole. A few year’s back, Bob and Freeney were the only chance our defense had of containing offenses. Bullitt does not have that kind of an impact (yet).

As for the toughness bit, it seems you lead on that because Freeney recovers faster than Bob, he is tougher (I really doubt you are not seriously questioning Bob’s toughness, so I may have misread that, and if I did, disregard). That is not a fair comparison at all. They are both extremely tough (about the same), two of the toughest guys in the league. Bob’s toughness is due to the way he throws his body at people no matter the cost. He has no fear of contact with players of any size. That is why he gets hurt, because he plays THAT hard. And don’t forget, he is not a large man. Freeney is of course as tough as Bob, but is also much bigger, which may factor in his quicker recovery rate. And yes, recovering from surgery and recovering from a muscle strain are NOT the same. At all.

As for the Grady mention, I loved that guy as much as anybody and was sad to see him go, but if you are seriously saying that we should have kept him instead of Bob, you are out of your freaking mind. To keep Grady, we should have cut a guy like Simpson or another player. Not a former D MVP. Just because he had the gall to surgically repair an injured knee.

Now as for Bullitt, if he should start the game when Bob returns, I will be 100% okay with that, but Bob should see as much, if not more, PT than Bullitt, because it is Bob’s position that Bullitt was filling in for. He did not steal it from Bob, and hasn’t performed well enough to do so (not a shot at Melvin b/c few could). You say Bob hasn’t “earned it.” Yes, he absolutely has. He has earned it with each year of significant impact he has given us, even if it meant risking his health. He earned it by being the best safety in football. The position is Bob’s to lose and I don’t anticipate him letting someone have it. If he does come out and underperforms, and it seems he has lost his edge, then by all means, we are still in great shape with a great player in Bullitt, who should start. But until Bob proves he CAN’T do it, it is still his job.

with bobzilla back…do you not think he can help make the run defense better? I mean the Titans are gonna try to run and I would love nothing more than to see bobzilla knock chris johnson on his seat.

but just as coach speaky as “preaching accountability” is “you don’t lose a job to injury”

Bob has shown himself to be the best safety on the team and among the top handful in the league with his play over the last 4 years. He’s come back from injury to being as good or even better every time. There is no reason to doubt that we’ll see the Bob Sanders that has been playing on a DPOY level since the 2006 defensive turnaround.

I beleive that since this defense is better, bob will not only get better, but will not be injured as much. I mean like stated by npb

A few year’s back, Bob and Freeney were the only chance our defense had of containing offenses.
Now that bob and dwight have a great defense behinde them, it takes some load off of them.

Melvin is fantastic at his job and could start anywhere. I don’t disagree with you there. Bob is better, and is a game changer. INTs, FFs, he creams RBs in the backfield, I mean he was D MVP for an offensive team! How fickle we humans can be and how soon we forget. We’ll see how soon he is ready and I’m sure Caldwell will do the right thing, I trust whatever decision he makes (bc Tony and Bill and Jim do, and I have no reason not to).

Melvin will still see a good amount of PT, maybe some Quarter situations depending upon who is healthy at CB, I certainly trust him there. He will play when we are leading by a good amount in the 4th.

OK this is random and maybe a bad idea but it may have been nice to have 3 great safeties for Miami and really put 1 or 2 in at run D, possibly man D on RBs, during the wildcat.

I’m as big of a fan of Bullitt as the next guy (I’m from Texas and he attended A&M). I mean the dude saved some games for us last year with some game ending interceptions. Up to this point he has been lights out and our safety core is great. However, I think BoB Sanders will still be the starting safety and will bring some much needed help to our run defense. I don’t know about you guys but I am tired of seeing running backs tee off on us. We dodged a huge bullet in the Miami game and looking at our schedule we still have the likes of Frank Gore and Chris Johnson to deal with. Not to mention that elusive running back from Houston that I hate. Simply put, Bob Sanders makes offences re-think their game plan…..

with the Tony Ugoh/Charlie Johnson debate. Whoever the team goes with, i think will be the best decision and will give them the best chance to win the game.

Doesnt matter to me who it is, but i want to see them out there kicking some a**.

…if Melvin Bullit is playing?

Melvin is a good player. I’ll be happy to have him starting next season when we’re forced to release Bethea because of salary, but you’re delusional if you think he’s a superior player to Sanders simply because he can stay on the field.

Of starting Bullitt over Sanders because he has stayed healthy and played well in his absence. If Sanders is healthy now, why the hell would you sit him? Especially after the bye week. By then there’s no reason whatsoever for Bullitt to start.
Some have even said, well what if he gets hurt again? Well that will suck and im sure the Colts will deal with him in the offseason. But why would you sit an elite player out of spite? If you really want this defense to excel you dont sit the former Defensive Player of the Year when hes healthy. I would rather the Colts trade him to geniuses like the Raiders than sit him out. That is just a pure waste of talent. Because of his history, maybe he wont be worth the big paycheck when his contract runs out, but for now im in favor of the better man playing

But BBS, where did you find that screenshot from Commando? That face is f****** priceless!

Bullitt is definitely a valuable asset for the Colts considering Sander’s history of injury, but that’s not what you’re saying. You’re saying because of Sander’s history of injury, he should be benched, which is ridiculous.

I’m not opposed to playing Bullitt to spell Sanders at some point during the game, therefore maximizing his value, much like the Colts did with Freeney on Sunday and are doing with Jackson. The idea that we shouldn’t even play him when he’s perfectly healthy because he’s been hurt in the past is idiotic.

Is I completely agree with BBS!!! First time ever I think!!! I have not even thought about Bob this season…Bullitt is the starter now.

I agree with most of this article. Especially given the quotes from the defensive players that they have recently gelled, it would seem counter-productive to add a new element (even if it is Bobzilla) immediately into the starting lineup and subtract an element that has proved very efficient. I expect Bob to play because that’s what’s been said from the beginning – “Bob’s coming back for the Tennessee game, otherwise why not PUP him?” But, like how they’ve used Marlin Jackson situationally for the most part, I expect Bullit to start and Bob to act as a reliever, perhaps even a defensive closer if needed.

Personally I don’t care who’s out there as long as they’re the best player on the field for what we need. Given Fisher’s trickery when it comes to the Colts, and Polian’s sense that we’ll see a decent amount of the Wildcat this Sunday, why wouldn’t you want your best run-stopping safety in the mix? The fact is, Bob makes the defense play with a higher level of intensity, and we’ll need it. So I want him and will be disappointed if he doesn’t play much.

As for the Freeney comparison, be careful. Yes, Bob has been injury-prone, and yes, D-Free did come back immediately from the quad injury. But don’t forget that Freeney also took himself out of the season after the lis-franc injury in 07 to have surgery. Everything I heard at the time was that he could play, but risked further injury. If he could play but chose to have surgery (which arguably cost us our season with no pass rush), then I don’t see any difference between him and Bob. Both are tough players, one just happens to be a human missle (something I think contributes greatly to Bob’s injury issues) and the other is a human tornado. They always play balls out, but they’re both smart enough to know when playing would further risk injury. Freeney this week knew that he could play after the Cards game. It’s very possible that the caution from the Colts front office, coupled with a hyper media, may have led us to believe that his injury was worse than it actually was. Sanders has played with smaller injuries as well, don’t forget.

I do wish, like you, that Bob would figure out a way to strengthen the lower part of his body to match the upper part, but until it happens we’ll just have to abide by a guy who has trouble staying healthy for a full season. Why must we abide? Because when he’s healthy, nobody’s better.

I’m in the camp of those who think it’s now Bullitt’s job, but that Bob gets it back quickly, if he’s healthy. Yes, looked at in the abstract Bob is a better player than Bullitt, but right now, on the field, that’s not the case. Even if Sanders is outright given or promptly re-earns the job, there’ll be plenty of work for Bullitt, especially if Coyer can come up with a way for the nickel-dime packages to include him—and not Jennings.

Bethea is one of my favorite Colts. But, the team has committed big money to one safety and may not be willing to do so for two, especially with Bullitt on the roster. My fear has been all along that the team can afford one of three out of Bethea, Jackson and Brackett. Because of Bullitt, I think they pay Brackett and let Bethea and Jackson go. Lacey’s and Power’s development all but assures Jackson’s gone, anyway.

You cannot have a guy play most of the year at a high level of play, only to have some guy come back for a few games each year. That’s what Bob Sanders has been doing virtually every year of his career.

I love Sanders. He plays no holds barred and I wish more players played like him. However, it’s not fair to the guys who put in the time for 12-14 weeks of the year to bust their ass and get benched for him.

His 2007 season was his career year for just about everything, including games played.

Sanders is to our secondary what Freeney is to our D-Line….but if you can’t be on the field often enough, then its time to replace you. 3 years ago anyone would have called us nuts to think that we would cut Harrison from the team. Injuries and lack of being a threat removed him from being a legit WR for us. The same can and will happen to Bob.

I personally say we let him come back like Jackson is this year. Next year is a make or break year. If he can’t stay on the field, he needs to go….or be used in a rotation as many have already suggested….

Wait and see if the old Bob shows up again before you start calling for his ouster. What if he stays healthy this year and we win another Super Bowl?

And whether or not he starts is much less important than how he plays when he’s in the game. We should beat the Titans either way.

midevil knights armour…I would love to see Sanders lay just one good one on that bitch of QB. haha that would just make my day

First, staying healthy is a skill. Bob is not skilled at this.

Second, that $37MM would have looked great on some line help. If Bob Sanders was off the face of the planet, would anyone be at all worried about MB being the starting safety full time? I hope the answer is no.

Third, last year, with Bob coming in and out and in and out and out and in, it was clearly messing with MB’s preperation. On Weeks where he was definitely the starter, or on his 2nd week of starting, MB was great. On weeks where BS (good initials) would practice 2 days and then decide he needed a maitai on the beach, with no salt, MB was clearly worse (Houston game @ indy comes to mind).

Fourth, I’m pretty sure of this one, but not 100%, so I’m willing to be proven wrong. I don’t believe basic NFL stats show a difference in the defense with Sanders out/in, and I think FO did a DVOA test on defense with and without Sanders, and they said there was no major differences (someone will have to correct me, I know we have a few DVOA freeks on this board).

Fifth, I was entirely unimpressed with Bob last year. Especially the chargers game.

Sixth, I think he’s living on 2006. I think there was a time when Bob’s ability to was vital, but that time was when the Colts had Cato June, Rob Morris, Gilbert Gardner, and the Oompa Loompa’s at DT. This is a completely different defense than the last time Bob played. Hell, the last time Bob played, the economy was great, a bush was in the white house, the berlin wall was still standing, the migration to the west was beginning, the earth had just cooled, there was a big bang. Out of sight, out of mind. Give us our roster spot back!

Unrelated: some of you are mentioning Marlin Jackson walking, which I believe is the most likely course of action. However, and maybe someone could give a more informed answer, but I think that if next year is uncapped, Marlin Jackson loses his UFA status. This is only his 4th or 5th year, and under the uncapped system you need 6 years, so I think that means if there’s an uncapped year, Marlin is stuck with us.

I’d like to repeat the fact (1st mentioned by Shake) that BBS’s entire hack of an article here is based on false information. Remember what BBS said:

Now, in all seriousness, it is nice to see that Bob is now able to carry heavy equipment to the practice field

Today, he had a helmet. Tomorrow, he’ll be in pads. On Thursday, he’ll run a little bit. On Friday, maybe he’ll do a walk through. And then, on Sunday night, maybe he’ll play and maybe he won’t.

So, while I’m sure many want to throw a parade because Bob Sanders showed up to practice with his friggin’ helmet, the fact is I really don’t care.

considering it is now Week Five and he has participated in ZERO practices since January.

Even if Bob does practice this week

Every one of those lines suggests that you didn’t know that Bobzilla actually practiced yesterday. Quickly, what Phil B said (and was included in LovinBlue’s FanPost that you linked too):

That’s the expression we use to say a player is practicing. Sometimes, guys will be out there, but if they don’t have a helmet, they’re just watching. My colleague said Sanders was out there for practice. It would appear the hunch that Tennessee week was his target for returning is accurate. We’ll see how much he practices later in the week, and more importantly, how his knee handles it.

Your entire article/argument is built upon a false premise. And what is it that Shake says happens when you build an argument upon a false premise? Oh yeah:

just kiss and make up or I will have Bob Sanders come and visit you both.

I forgot he was even still a Colt.
All I know is, the Colts always play the best man. Well, most of the time.

and for all the fighting here:

This is an interesting topic but a bunch of people being idiots ruined it. -1 for all of you who were involved.

All I’m going to say is, if it takes “convincing” or “explanations” for anyone to realize that a healthy Bob Sanders should take every defensive snap he can (yes over Melvin Bullitt), then it’s not worth my time. Have fun with this one.

welcome back bob….THE HITMAN COMETH

bob just standing on the opposite side of the field makes every offensive team lined up against them and him afraid. he doesnt even have to make a tackle and they are aware of him.

although bullitt has done a very good job taking over for him while he is injured…Im putting the guy out there who can make a difference just by his presence and oh ps I think alot of you have a very short memory of bob on the field. I cant even believe this is a discussion.

have we all decided dallas clark is worth his contract yet….dont forget, a few too many colts fans were saying he wasnt worth the $$ and he has to many drops. funny how a few games of greatness changes all that!

However, as Aaron Schatz pointed out in the Colts chapter of Pro Football Prospectus 2007, the defense allowed more yards per carry in the four regular season games Sanders played (5.55) than in the 12 he didn’t (5.27).

and for more on how the Colts defense didnt change in the 06 playoffs, read here [note: I’m not saying I agree 100% with this article, but there are actually numbers to back up certain things, too]

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/extra-points/2007/inexplicable-defense-partially-explained

i think what polian thinks is that until bullit gets the defensive player of the year award then bob is gonna stick and miss the games that he has to to recover and when he comes back hes gona take the starting job sooooo im loyal to bob i dont hold the injuries against him you guys should really see that because our weak ass d line he had to throw his body at bigger bodys and dont tell me that bullit could do that and not get hurt because if melvin did what bob did then he wouldnt come out alive sooo i dont underestimate bobs toughness its just that he throws himself at bigger bodies for the sake of a win so thats why to me bob can come and miss all he wants cuz in my book hes earned that starting job until he retires.