OT: Shocker! Bob Sanders to Injured Reserves

[PatsFan24]

My favorite Sanders moment...November of 2007 when he helped with double coverage on Moss, and still got owned.

 

[Froob]

Except Sanders sucks in coverage and he doesn't play LB. Two of the biggest reasons why the Pats lost that game. The Pats still would have been eaten alive by Manning to Clark.

Besides, if he played for the Pats he might have been IRed in that game. Sanders only played four regular season games in 2006. The Colts kept his roster spot open for 12 games eventhough they knew he was going to be out for 3 months. The Pats would never do that even for an elite player. So if he was with the Pats, he would have been watching that game in street close in the press box. He could have made a huge difference there.

The Colts are different team. They are holding a roster spot for Manning right now even though the chances of him returning are remote. What they did for holding a roster spot most of the season for Sanders was stupid, but they just lucked out that it worked out for them.

So if you think that having Sanders on the Patriots payroll watching that game from home was the difference in that game, then you have a point. Whether he was with the Pats or Colts in that season, there would have been no way he would have played for the Pats that game because there is no way Belichick keeps a roster spot open for 3 months for a player. The most I have seen him hold a roster spot for a player before giving up was probably six weeks.

Uh yea, if sanders isn't on indy's active roster for the playoffs the patriots go to the super bowl(not that they shouldn't of anyways one of the poorest officiated games ever). Simple as that. It's not really stupid. Different strategy Pats could of had Leigh Bodden last year for the playoffs if I remember right. Maybe Cotchery doesn't get wide open in the slot who knows.

 

[Rob0729]

Uh yea, if sanders isn't on indy's active roster for the playoffs the patriots go to the super bowl(not that they shouldn't of anyways one of the poorest officiated games ever). Simple as that. It's not really stupid. Different strategy Pats could of had Leigh Bodden last year for the playoffs if I remember right. Maybe Cotchery doesn't get wide open in the slot who knows.

First, you don't know that the Pats go to the Super Bowl if Sanders isn't on the roster. He didn't catch one pass from Peyton Manning in that game and Manning put up 349 yards and the Colts offense scored 31 points in the second half. No one player, especially a safety, is the reason a team wins or loses a game with the possible exception of a QB like Manning or Brady.

Second, Bodden had a torn rotator cuff that needed surgery. The chances of him returning for the playoffs was remote if not near impossible.

Third, roster spots are too invaluable to keep one open for three months even for a stud. The Colts were just lucky it paid off. They had the leagues worst run defense that year (arguably the worst run defense in history) and it cost them a first round bye. If they were in a good division it would have cost them a playoff berth. They could have used that roster spot to bolster the run defense. It was pure luck that Sanders returned and helped to turn around their defense in the playoffs along with the most stupid bonehead coaching by Herm Edwards who decided not to run the #1 RB in the league that year more than 13 times in the game against the Colts in the first playoff game.