More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders (21). (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Adam Shefter keeps bringing the hits, via Twitter:

News gets worse for Colts. As reported on ESPN, Colts safety Bob Sanders has a torn biceps tendon. He now will be out for the year.

Believe it or not, I'm actually kind of glad. No, I am not happy to see one of my favorite players lost for the season, again. But, the merri-go-round of Bob Sanders on the injury list was a constant source of frustration for me. Will he? Won't he? Can he?

Now, the distraction is gone.

Bob has not proven he can stay healthy over any consistent period of time, and I think his days with the Colts are numbered. It's sad, but "great" players are not injury prone, and Bob pretty much defines the term. He's a super guy and I very much hope he heals up so he can continue his career. But his constant presence in the training room is a distraction this team does not need. They need to move forward.

For the Colts, it's next man up. Melvin Bullitt has played at a Pro Bowl level in 2009, and deserved to start even when Bob was "healthy." Again, as I wrote earlier today, the Colts are getting their "bump" for the year right now. Whether or not they are a great team will depend on how they respond.

Tip to ctnyc

[UPDATE]: The Indy Star has a little different spin on the Sanders injury. They say Sanders suffered and elbow injury and will miss "an undetermined amount of time." The article does not state whether Sanders was placed on IR, nor do they collaborate ESPN's report that Sanders suffered a torn tendon in his biceps.

[UPDATE]: It's official; Bob is done for 2009. Tom Santi has been signed to the active roster off the practice squad.

Adam Shefter is indeed the god of NFL Twitter updates:

Shefter's report backs up the story from Yahoo! Sports yesterday. The positive out of all this is Gonzo's season is not over. They discovered loose particles in his knee, and they are getting them cleaned out. With Pierre Garçon and Austin Collie playing well, I have no problem with Gonzo chilling out until December.

The distressing thing is that Bob Sanders is (sigh) once again friggin hurt. This time, it's an elbow and it's serious. Players do not go to see Dr. James Andrews unless it is serious. Bob had already visited the good doctor about his knee during the year. Now, it's the elbow. You can scratch Bob from the lineup this week folks, because if Bob visited Andrews, that means a trip down to Alabama.

Again, it is because of things like this that I do not consider Bob the starting strong safety for the Colts. Melvin Bullitt started most of the 2008 season at strong safety, and it seems he will do the same in 2009. I'm perfectly OK with this because, in my opinion, Melvin is now better than Bob Sanders. Talent and "playmaking ability" are all great things, but they are all secondary to durability.

If you cannot stay on the field, you are not "good."

Also, Josh Thomas was signed to the active roster. Josh had been sitting out all season after playing for Indy during the pre-season.

Tip to Z.Pain

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Indianapolis Colts defensive back Marlin Jackson (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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I'm waiting for my ride last night. So, I take out my handheld (Sprint Palm Pre, but I still hold love for the iPhone), go to Stampede Blue, and see ctnyc's FanPost that Marlin Jackson tore his ACL in practice on Thursday and that he is done for the year. For Marlin, this is the second year in a row he has done this, and it comes at an unfortunate time for him. After this season, Marlin will either become a free agent (if 2010 has a salary cap) or he will become a restricted free agent is there is no cap in 2010. What this also does is give Marlin two major ACL injuries in only one year's time. Surgeries and rehab today are much, much better than they were even five years ago, but it is very tough for a starting cornerback to recovery fully from two ACL injuries. Marlin had seemed to not fully recovered yet from last year's ACL injury, which might have been why he lost his starting job to Jerraud Powers. The Star's PhilB elaborates:

Jackson had told me after the bye week that his most recent injury was to his left knee, that favoring his right knee put more strain on his left. That evidently led to this tear. Media member or fan, it's an understatement to say you just hate to see this.

So, from Marlin's own lips, last year's right knee injury directly contributed to this year's left knee injury. Both kness. Both with ACL tears in only one calendar year. That's not good for Marlin.

The other disturbing thing about this is Marlin was listed on the Thursday injury report, which is the official report sent to the league office, as NOT practicing. Yet, we see Marlin was hurt while practicing.

Aside from losing another great guy who had worked so hard to come back and contribute to this team -- starting SLB Tyjuan Hagler was lost for the season to a torn biceps this week -- it will be interesting to see the Colts' explanation on Jackson's injury. He got hurt in practice, or so he says. Yet the injury report listed Jackson as "Did not participate."

The Colts could say he was working out on the side, that his injury happened outside the framework of practice, I guess. But the way this was reported, first by ESPN and now confirmed by The Indy Star, certainly suggests the injury report was inaccurate.

The Colts have some explaining to do, and if they did try to fudge the injury report, or hide the fact that Marlin was hurt in practice, I hope Roger Goodell fines them. I just spent the first few days of this week blasting Mike Singletary for cheating, and falsifying an injury report (if indeed the Colts did that) would be in the same boat as players faking injuries during games.

So, if the Colts did fake that report, they cheated, and we fans should hold their feet to the fire on that. Bill Polian loves to lecture fans and press during his radio show about "the integrity of the game." Well, if they just got caught falsifying an injury report, Bill Polian and the Colts are hypocrites.

We will see in the next couple of days if anything comes out of it.

Moving forward, Marlin was in and out of the lineup all year, and yet the Colts have still managed to have a great pass defense. Jacob Lacey and Jerraud Powers have come on, and Tim Jennings (despite his haters) is still a quality player. Like with the Tyjuan Hagler injury, it hurts to lose such a great person and tough-minded player, but the depth on the team is good enough to move forward.

More photos » by AJ MAST - AP

about 1 month ago: Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez is helped off the field after being injured in the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, Indianapolis. The Colts won 14-12. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

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The rumor mill is buzzing that Anthony Gonzalez's season may be over:

The word is that [Gonzalez is] asking Dr. James Andrews, who is likely to confirm that he's got more than sprained PCL. The thought is that it is likely torn.

The long term health of Gonzo is important, and I do not want to see the Colts pull a 2007 Marvin Harrison with Gonzo's injury. If he can't go by December, IR him and use the roster spot on someone who can help the team. Right now, Gonzo is not helping the team.

With the emergence of Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie, along with the signing of Hank Baskett, the loss of Gonzo is not that severe. I know some are "worried" that Garcon is too inconsistent, and others are pissed Baskett dropped a few balls against the 49ers Sunday. Calm down. Relax. The wide receivers are fine. We don't have Aaron Morehead back there anymore. We actually have guys who can, you know, do stuff.

Back to Gonzo, I'd very much love it if he can play again this year. If he can't, the team has the talent to move on.

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Tyjuan Hagler (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Thanks to tenyardfight for posting about this earlier.

John Oehser is reporting that Tyjuan Hagler tore a biceps muscle during the 49ers game Sunday and that his 2009 season is over. Philip Wheeler, the man who had the starting job in pre-season before Hagler wrestled it away from him, is once again the starting SAM backer. Ramon Humber will also compete, and Cody Glenn was promoted from the practice squad.

For Hagler, this injury (which sound similar to the injury he had in 2008) is another set back. He'd signed a one year deal to return to the Colts in hopes of competing for his starting job again, which he'd lost last season ( presumably because of the injury) to Clint Session. Hagler fought back and was playing significant snaps in 2008 at WILL. After an off-season of little interest from other teams, Hagler returned to Indy, signed that one-year deal, and had to (once again) earn a starting job, which he did.

Now, this.

It's very sad for Hagler, but he can fight back again. He's the kind of tough-minded scrapper that the Colts really like, which is likely why they re-signed him this past off-season. Maybe they'll do so again.

For now, Philip Wheeler should do a good job. He played much of the 49ers game, and seemed to do OK (forced a sack on Alex Smith). Humber and Glenn are solid depth behind Wheeler, and Session has some experience at SAM as well.

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

about 1 month ago: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and a former teammate, Seattle Seahawks running back Edgerrin James, shake hands following an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. The Colts defeated the Seahawks 34-17. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Uh oh, here we go again boys and girls.

Edgerrin James was recently cut by the Seahawks for reasons unknown.  Some speculate it was due to lack of production, others believe the Seahawks want to go young.  Both are legitimate I believe it was because of the latter, but that's just my opinion.

Naturally every Colts fan is going to be asking themselves whether the Colts should consider signing Edge.  There's no hiding the fact that the Colts running game is abysmal at best right now.  Rookie running back sensation Donald Brown has shown what a game-breaking running back can do when put behind a mediocre line, busting out some huge gains.

The disturbing thing regarding the running game to me is the way the Colts handling the situation right now.  While Donald Brown was sidelined with a shoulder injury this past Sunday, the entire workload was put on Addai's shoulders.  As I mentioned in my latest rant, it's puzzling to me as to why none of the other running backs were used in that game.  Going into last season everyone was very high on Mike Hart.  A 6th round pick out of Michigan, he showed us a lot of grit in the pre-season games he played.  He showed that same determination with the two carries he had in the Baltimore game before he tore his ACL.  The Colts did the proper thing this past offseason in drafting the leading rusher in the nation in the first round this past April, but we still deserve to see what Mike Hart is able to do, especially with him recovering from that devastating knee injury.  This was a perfect game for him to be tested in my opinion.  The 49ers run defense is quite stout and I believe we could have learned a lot on how healthy Mike Hart's knee is, but that wasn't the case.  He was no where to be seen and that is extremely frustrating.

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The news is good as 5 injured/sick players returned to practice today. Dwight Freeney,  Reggie Wayne, Eric Foster, Jacob Tamme, and Ramon Humber were back practicing fully. Missing a 3rd practice this week were Donald Brown, Anthony Gonzalez, Marlin Jackson and Adam Vinatieri.

Bob Sanders was back at practice after a day off. Tony Ugoh got the day off and taking part of today off to rest was Peyton Manning, a quite rare sight.

OUT: Anthony Gonzalez, Marlin Jackson, Adam Vinatieri

DOUBTFUL: Donald Brown

QUESTIONABLE: Dwight Freeney, Reggie Wayne, Eric Foster, Jacob Tamme