Adam Schefter is one of the best 'info guys' covering the NFL. No one is ever 100% accurate, but Shefter is about as close as one can come to that mark. So, when he says that the good news reported via the Indy Star yesterday, that Bob Sanders returned to practice despite speculation he was done for the 2010 season, was actually a 'dress up session,' my ears perk up and my stomach sinks.
If you don't know what 'dress up session' means, PFT explains:
As Adam Schefter of ESPN explained it during Monday Night Countdown, Sanders' return to practice possibly was a "dress-up" session, aimed at making folks think that Sanders isn't hurt as badly as he is.
So why would the Colts do that? Because if they are hoping to sign a new safety or trade for one, they don't want the player or the other team to have the kind of leverage they'd have if it's known that the Colts badly need a replacement for Sanders.
Again, Schefter is as good as they come. so, when he reports stuff like this, I am actually included to believe him more than anything the Colts say. There has been a lot of annoying speculation surrounding Sanders, and it is preciously this that, in my humble opinion, makes him more of a liability than an asset.
We talk more about Sanders' health than we do about what he does on the field.
We're also starting to see articles pop up on Colts.com about how the team 'has faith' in Melvin Bullitt. Personally, I'm done with Sanders. Even if Bob's healthy, sit him. Melvin Bullitt has clearly earned the right to start. At this point in both their careers, Bullitt is more productive and more reliable.
If Bob is not healthy, it is a disaster for the Colts, and if they are pulling silly tactics like this in order to potentially trade for a safety, it only highlights just how bad things have gotten.