Minnesota Vikings Possible 2012 NFL Free Agent Pickups: SS Bob Sanders
With two of his former coaches now in Minnesota, there is no doubt the Vikings will take a look at bringing in Bob Sanders in 2012. Sanders, new defensive coordinator Alan Williams, and head coach Leslie Frazier were all on the 2006 Super Bowl champion Colts team. A reunion in Minnesota would not be that far fetched.
In six short years the public perception of Sanders has changed drastically. Back in 2006 when you said the name Bob Sanders, most people probably thought ‘best safety in football.’ Nowadays the words ‘injury prone’ probably come to mind. Sanders has not even finished a season since he won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2007. The knock on Sanders is legitimate, to say the least.
So why you ask, would Minnesota take a chance on Sanders at this point in his career? I think there are several realistic reasons the Vikings have to at least consider signing Bob:
(1) Frazier and Williams coached Bob when he was at his best. They have to have some bias towards him and they are more likely than other coaching staffs to even give him a chance based on their past experiences with Sanders.
(2) Bob Sanders has always played the Vikings ‘Tampa 2′ defensive scheme. From his days at Iowa, and certainly his whole career with Indy, Bob has always played in the same system. Not only has he always played in this system, he’s played the one specifically coached by Frazier and Williams.
(3) You can get him cheap. You offer him a one year deal worth $1-2 million with a bunch of performance bonuses built in. At this point Sanders can’t expect anything more than that.
(4) You sign him and expect nothing. As long as you’re not counting on Bob for big things, you won’t be disappointed if he goes down with another injury. You go into the season with a player right behind him ready to take his place at the drop of a hat.
Bottom Line: Bob Sanders is worth at least one more roll of the dice. He has basically had 3 years off from football at this point and his body has to feel better on some level. It sounds strange but it’s actually a low risk to bring him in, everyone expects him to get hurt so any production you get is a bonus. There is a chance, a small chance, that you hit a home run and Bob returns to 2006.
Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter @the_realfish
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Getting Bob Sanders for the Vikings is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of.
I would not put it past Frazier, who insist on hiring his friends and buddies whether they can do the job or not. The Vikings are rapidly becoming a hang out spot for Frazier’s friends rather than a professional foot ball organization.
Hey, I have an idea, lets bring back Robert Smith as running back!
Eric