The solution to some of the Vikings‘ secondary woes may have just fallen into their lap. If they’re willing to take a chance on a veteran safety who is as well-known for tearing his own body parts as he is for tearing up offenses.
The oft-injured veteran safety I refer to is Bob Sanders, who today was cut by the Indianapolis Colts. Actually “oft-injured’ may be an understatement in Sanders’ case: the former Defensive Player of the Year has appeared in only nine games the last three seasons due to various physical problems. Both his 2009 and 2010 seasons were cut short by biceps tears, the latter occurring in the first quarter of the first game, which would have to suck.
The Colts reportedly tried restructuring Sanders’ contract, but were unable to reach an agreement with the player and therefore parted ways with him. Sanders still had $12.5 million left on his old contract.
And now the inevitable question: In light of his injury history, would signing Sanders make sense for the Vikings, a team that is desperate to upgrade at safety?
If you ignore the injury issue, Sanders is a perfect fit for the Vikings. He played in the Cover-2 in Indianapolis, the same scheme the Vikings employ. Last year the Vikings were hurt by having slow-reacting safeties who didn’t tackle; Bob Sanders is a fast-reacting safety who is legendary for his huge hits. A healthy Sanders would represent a massive upgrade at the position, even if he isn’t the greatest in coverage.
I’m sure Sanders himself would be intrigued by the chance to play for the Vikings. He’s familiar with the scheme like I said, and perhaps more importantly, he’s familiar with Leslie Frazier who was his defensive backs coach for a time in Indy.
It all comes down to money. If Sanders can be had for cheap, it makes sense for the Vikings to take a run at him, injury history and all. Even if he never gets back to his previous Pro Bowl form, he would still be better than Madieu Williams who is a great humanitarian but a dreadful defensive back.
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