Bob Sanders of the Indianapolis Colts has been one of the most dominant safeties in the NFL since 2004. At least when he's healthy anyway. Sanders has been plagued with injuries throughout his entire career. Most of which have kept him out of multiple games per season and even for full seasons. These injuries usually include his knee or ankle which could slow down his speed in the long run. There is no denying that Bob Sanders is a great player. In the two seasons that he actually played 14 or more games (2005 and 2007) he was actually named an all pro and went to the Pro Bowl, but even in those years he missed at least one game. Sanders has yet to play a whole 16 game season since being in the NFL.
06 games in 2004
14 games in 2005
04 games in 2006
15 games in 2007
06 games in 2008
02 games in 2009
01 game in 2010 so far
It doesn't matter how great a player is if he can't be on the field helping his team win football games. It is considered a huge flaw to be injury prone which Sanders is. Now the question is, should he go ahead and retire? Obviously the money would be a huge reason not to considering the Colts gave Sanders a 5 year $37.5 million contract with $20 million guaranteed back in 2007. The problem is though is if he doesn't play he can't get that money and I'm sure his medical bills are pretty high. Even if he wasn't to retire I really doubt he will be able to play at the same high level as years past. I also don't think the Colts will continue to have him on the roster after this season for the same reasons. The Colt's secondary is very vulnerable but it's time that they start looking for another big time safety to move forward with. As for Bob Sanders, I'm sure he would be picked up by another team but I doubt anyone will want to pay him that much money, which is also why it would be hard for the Colts to try and trade him away. Now I'm not saying it's impossible for him to continue a career (just look at Cadillac Williams) but there will be some decisions to be made for both parties in the off season.
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