Wow! Bob Sanders is Really Gone!

In the pantheon of awesome but hated NFL entities among fans of the Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Tom Brady and his New England Patriots undoubtedly stand as the veritable Jupiter in his firmament, eternally presenting a daunting hurdle for the Colts to clear on their way to the promised land. Even so, the lightning bolts striking at the Colts most regularly in recent years seem not to come from Brady's Jove but from the electric San Diego Chargers. Buddy Ryan's redemption this past off-season notwithstanding, the seasonal death blows suffered by Indy seem to come routinely from Philip Rivers and company. Now, we have word that San Diego will get a chance to really twist the knife, as they've signed former Colts safety Bob Sanders to a free agent contract. Say it ain't so!!

We all knew that Sanders would likely be released after missing, again, almost an entire season due to injury. He's played only nine games since signing his bajillion-dollar contract after being name the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2007, and the Colts couldn't afford to continue eating his contract as they ramp up for their run at breaking the bank with Peyton Manning. Still, there was not a crushing sense of finality when Sanders was cut last month. There were hints and hems and haws that maybe the Colts could sign Sanders to some more reasonable deal later on in the off-season. The pending labor unrest made this possibility seem all the more real, because who was going to jump in and sign him before the financial landscape was well-known. What's more, there was the feeling in some circles that Sanders might just opt to retire rather than try to catch on elsewhere. In this case, the tea leaves lied to us.

Now, when San Diego comes to town, or the Colts head out to get a suntan, they will have to worry about more than Rivers pinning his receiver in the corner of the end zone with a booming game-winner or Mike Scifres pinning the Colts at their own half-yard line with one of his impossible punts. No, the Colts have to also factor in the possibility that all of Bob Sanders own pins and screws and scar tissue have healed him into a semblance of his former self and that he will turn his talents to pinning blue horseshoes to the turf. He seems like a nice guy, and the Colts gave him a lot, but you know he'll be motivated.

Beware Charger Bob!