LOL. You could theoretically say every player is injury prone to the extent of Bob Sanders? Watch football much? By all means, give me a comparable situation, a player injured as frequently and severely as Sanders, who "worked out".
I'm going to give you some time to reread what I wrote and come to realize that everything you just wrote had no connection to what I said. I never said anything near any of that. For a guy who obviously wants to be looked as an intellectual on this site (for some reason), you're really doing yourself an injustice. Dig Deeper.
Well Pennington is an obvious one but one pretty good year isn't really working out for a QB. I would consider getting one season out of Sanders working out because he can't be looked at as any type of long term answer to begin with. I don't see this as a good move unless it was a very cheap contract and they brought back at least one of the safeties from last year. He is an intriguing talent but he cannot be someone you plan a season around. You would need to have someone who is ready to step in and play the whole season if you are taking a chance on a guy like Sanders.
I like this. When a player has as substantial an injury history as Sanders, there's always the tendency to want to write the injuries off as flukes, and for the most part, that's not the case. I've seen enough guys like this that I feel like it's never really a fluke, some guys just don't have the ability to avoid injuries. That said, there are two kinds of injuries, the kind that severely hamper your ability to play the game when you come back, and the kind that don't. Pennington's repeated injuries to his throwing shoulder were an obvious calamity. Jenkins' repeated ACL tears could end up taking away from the mobility and agility that make him such a special player (hopefully we'll find out in December). Bob Sanders has had a couple different things, but his most recent two missed seasons were with a torn biceps tendon, before that it was a high ankle sprain. Other than the time away from the game, there's no reason, when healthy, he shouldn't be just as good as he ever was. Obviously you don't give a guy with his injury history a big contract, but that doesn't mean you can't give him an opportunity. Sanders and Leonhard starting with Smith and maybe a rookie behind them isn't such a bad looking backfield, and if Sanders returns to form, he'd give Rex Ryan's defense the Reed-like presence in the middle that I've become convinced it can't be effective without. Throwing away from the corners is too easy without a safety who can produce interceptions, and I have no faith in Smith or Poole to become that guy. They're decent players, I wouldn't mind having them back, but finding a playmaker at safety has to be a top priority.
Even Pennington has 3 injury free seasons under his belt. Sanders has one. ONE. I also wouldn't use a QB as a good comparison. His job is to avoid contact; Sanders is best when he initiates contact. Taking a chance on Sanders for the veteran minimum is basically assuring yourself of a spent IR spot, and you STILL don't know what you're getting based on the nature of his past two injuries. There's a damn good chance he's not going to be the same player, so you may well be wasting a roster spot, too. Everyone pumping him up is basing it on 2007. His last three seasons have been dreadful, and his whopping 3 games in the past two years give NO indication that he's remotely the same player. This isn't a guy whose play simply fell off a bit and could experience a renaissance. This is a guy who hasn't seen the field for most of the past two years. He might as well be starting over entirely.
You're conveniently neglecting the recurrent knee injuries that cost him time in 2008. The last time we saw Bob Sanders--I mean REALLY saw Bob Sanders--he was struggling with his knee after that high ankle sprain healed. I'd say a knee injury that has never really gone away since his rookie season is cause for concern about his current playing ability.
You could be 100% right. I don't expect the Jets to sign him and if they do I would hope they don't have major plans for him on the defensive end. If a talent like that is available for basically nothing, which a minimum contract or incentive based deal is because if he doesn't work out it isn't affecting the cap. I could care less if Woody loses some cash on taking the chance on him as long as the cap isn't affected. In the end this discussion is probably for nothing because I just don't see the Jets making this move.
...and the Jets win. Just like they have 3 of 5 times since Rex got here, including an ass kicking in the playoffs.
The only positive thing I am taking out of this is that the Jets are acknowledging the fact that pool and smith aren't the answer and hopefully they'll address the Safety position through the draft.. hmm.. wonder if they are looking at Rahim Moore in the first and Sanders as a mentor.. COMPLETE SPECULATION
Good post I agree with you. No reason not to work him out and if you think he can still play then see what type of money he wants. Sanders is a playmaker and also a great run stopper.
Wrong. You responded to my injury concerns with a claim that you could theoretically say that every transaction carries a risk. You removed degree entirely, and yet degree of injury is specifically where the concern lies. The only way that your point was analogous is if you were suggesting that every player carried the same INJURY risk as Sanders. Otherwise, you're simply practicing some reductionist form of argumentation that amounts to mere fluff and zero substance. My pointing that out most certainly had a connection to what you said. In fact, it did you the favor of connecting it to the actual conversation. As far as wanting to be looked at as an intellectual, I could give a fuck. I write and speak on here how I write and speak normally, which I would assume is the case with everyone.
He was a playmaker when he was healthy.. can't really call a player who is off the field A LOT more than he is on the field a playmaker
It was more about brevity than convenience. He's missed the last two seasons, by far the most time he's missed, with a torn biceps tendon, an injury which will have no lasting effect on his game, assuming he ultimately does shake it. The knee and ankle stuff falls under the category of stuff that, if it doesn't return, has no impact on his game. The fact that it's likely to return is why he'll come cheap enough for the Jets to even consider signing him while guys like Harris, Holmes and Edwards await new deals. We went into this last season worrying about Poole's concussion history, and it ends up being Leonhard who goes down hard and misses the playoffs. The best you can hope for is when he gets back up, he's the same guy he was before the injury. If the Jets doctors say Sanders will be the same guy, the Jets should sign him, because he brings something to this team that it sorely lacks. But depth will have to be a concern. Which works out, since the top safety might be the best the Jets can land at the 30th pick, and I'm sure they want Eric Smith back as a role player and special teamer anyway.
I'm just not sure people understand that we're not getting the 2007 Bob Sanders. His entire image is based on that season and the 2006 postseason, and conveniently ignores everything that has come since. That's why I'm skeptical of the "talent like that" talk. I get the feeling Bob Sanders today is going to be more like Priest Holmes post-2004.
Totally agree with this. I mean, if we let Pool and Smith go and opt for going into the season with Sanders, Leonhard, and questionable backups, then we're asking for trouble. But I'd have zero issue replacing Smith or Pool with Sanders. When Sanders is on the field, he's a great player, and he would be a great, great fit in this defense. Of course, asking him to stay on the field for most of the season is a major question mark, but that's why we keep the third safety and limit Sanders's plays to try to keep him healthy longer. I get that he's injury-prone. But the upside of Sanders is much, much greater than the upside of any other safety we could either sign or draft this year. Even if he plays 11 games, he'd still be a big step up from our mediocre safeties. Unless something bad shows up on the medical report that shows that he's almost assuredly going to get hurt again, then I'm completely in favor of signing him. Plus, I doubt the Jets would sign him if they were totally convinced he was a lost cause and damaged goods. The salary is also an issue, if he's getting a huge contract from someone, let him get that elsewhere, we have higher priorities. But I doubt that happens. I'd love Bob Sanders on my team.
He doesn't need to be 2007 Bob Sanders. If he's better than 2010 Eric Smith or Brodney Pool when he's out there, that's enough for me.
Pool is another inappropriate comparison. The Jets doctors can't possibly say that Sanders will "be the same guy". There's no way to truly evaluate where he's at before he's suited up. That MASSIVE uncertainty is why the Jets should look elsewhere for safety help IMO. It's beyond optimistic to talk about the possibility that his knee problems don't return. He had knee issues in 2005, 2006, and 2008. Had he not had incredibly short seasons in 2009 and 2010, it's a better than average guess that he'd have had knee problems again. With age? Forget about it. People need to realize we're not talking about a guy one season removed from his DPOY season. This is a guy with constant injury problems for 3 straight seasons. His body is breaking down, and when that happens, you're not going to get him back at that 2007 level short of a miracle.
