Bob Sanders
| Indianapolis Colts | |||||||
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| Career information | |||||||
| College: | Iowa | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2004 / Round: 2 / Pick: 44 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2008 | |||||||
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Demond "Bob" Sanders (born February 24, 1981 in Erie, Pennsylvania) is an American football safety for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa.
In his NFL career, Sanders has earned two Pro Bowl selections, been named AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year and earned a Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl XLI. Nicknamed "The Hitman" because of his hard hits and tackles. Another nickname that has stuck is "The Sandman" because of his last name.
Born with a name (Demond)[1] that was difficult for many to pronounce correctly, Sanders asked his mother if his name could be changed. His mother suggested "Bob" as a nickname, and the name stuck. His parents are Jean and Marion Sanders.
Early years
Sanders attended Erie Central High School as a freshman before transfering to Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie, Pennsylvania and was a student and a letterman in football as a running back and as a safety. In football, he was a four-year letterman, a two-time All-Conference selection. As a junior, he was a third-team All-State selection. As a senior, he was a team captain, and a first team All-State selection and finished his senior season with 900 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns while leading his team to a 13-1 record and a trip to the state championship game. Sanders graduated from Cathedral Preparatory School in 2000. He also had 7 sacks in a high school state championship
College career
Sanders was not cheesy in high school (Cathedral Preparatory School) due to his lack of size, but he was offered and accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Iowa. He recorded 12 tackles and forced a fumble in his first career start against Wisconsin, and he was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten as a freshman. In 2001, Sanders started 11 games and led Iowa in tackles, garnering him the nickname "Hitman."
As a junior, Sanders helped lead Iowa to its first undefeated conference season in 80 years and was a key part of the 5th best rushing defense in the country. He started 12 games and made several key plays for the 2002 Hawkeyes. Sanders blocked a Purdue field goal attempt which was returned for an Iowa touchdown, resulting in a potential 10-point difference as Iowa narrowly defeated Purdue, 31-28. He also forced a fumble in the second half of a game against Michigan as Iowa was clinging to a one point lead. Iowa scored a touchdown and cruised to a 34-9 victory. The Hawkeyes compiled an 11-2 record and won the Big Ten title in 2002. Bob Sanders was named First-Team All-Big Ten and a Fourth-Team All-American.
Sanders was issued the number 33 at Iowa because his high school number, 20, was unavailable when he was a freshman. When the player wearing #20 left the team, he requested to change his jersey, but was prevented from doing so because his #33 jersey had become quite popular in the replica jersey market.
Sanders was hampered early in his senior season by a foot injury. He returned to score his first career touchdown against Illinois on a fumble return. In his final home game against Minnesota, Sanders recorded 16 tackles and forced three fumbles as he was named the Big Ten defensive player of the week. He led the nation in forced fumbles in 2003. Sanders was named Iowa's defensive team captain and MVP after the season. He was named First-Team All-Big Ten for the third consecutive year, and he was named a Second-Team All-American.[2]
Sanders recorded 348 tackles in his career at Iowa and became a fan favorite due to his heavy hits and relentless play. He graduated from Iowa in 2003, majoring in African-American World Studies.
Sanders is also the cousin of sophomore safety Mengis Gebar.
Professional career
NFL Draft
Although Sanders did not play in the Senior Bowl, he impressed scouts in workouts and the weigh-ins.[2] Sanders is known for his athleticism -- he ran a 4.35 second forty yard dash at the NFL scouting combine and measured a 41.5" vertical leap -- and his reckless aggression on the field, which was noted by many sports commentators as a leadership factor for the team. He also did 15 consecutive reps on the bench press with 225 lbs.[3]
Bob Sanders was selected in the 2nd round (44th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Sanders is the only second-round draft pick in NFL history to be the last player to sign following the NFL Draft.
Indianapolis Colts
He made 34 tackles and started six games a rookie in 2004.
Sanders started the first 10 games of 2005 and earned a reputation as one of the NFL's top hitters at the position. He made 92 tackles on the year and was chosen to play in the 2006 Pro Bowl at Free Safety position for the AFC Team. He is the first Defensive Back to make the Pro Bowl for the Colts since moving to Indianapolis.
In the 2006 regular season, Sanders played only four games in the regular season due to a knee injury he suffered early. In those four games, he racked up 28 tackles. He was soon dubbed "The Hulk", due to his reckless and punishing hits on opposing players which prevented many of the big plays that the opposing teams might have otherwise made happen. The Colts had the worst rushing defense in the NFL statistically, allowing at least 100 yards rushing in every game. During the playoffs, however, Sanders continued his comeback from injury, and breathed new life into the defense. The 2006 Colts in the playoffs, with Sanders, had the second best run defense with only 73.3 rushing yards allowed per game. Sanders went on to help the Colts, on the road, to their victory in Super Bowl XLI.
For the 2007 NFL season Sanders was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 2. This was in part due to the 11 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks he recorded against division rival Tennessee Titans at Tennessee. He was largely responsible for shutting down Vince Young at the end of the game, clinching the victory for the Indianapolis Colts 22-20.
On December 28, 2007, Sanders was signed to a 5 year, $37.5 million contract with $20 million guaranteed. The contract makes him the highest paid safety in the history of the NFL.[4]
On January 7, 2008, Sanders was named AP Defensive Player of the Year for the 2007 NFL season, the first Colt to earn the award and only the fourth safety in NFL history to win it. He earned 31 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. With Sanders in the lineup, the Colts became stingier and more physical as Sanders played closer to the line of scrimmage. Sanders received much of the credit for the turnaround in Indy's soft defense, which saw its yards per carry average cut from 5.3 in 2006 to 3.8 in 2007[5].
Sanders was expected to start the 2008 training camp on the PUP list, but general manager Bill Polian has stated that Sanders will come back in the middle of training camp. On August 24, Sanders made his 2008 debut, along with fellow injured teammate Dwight Freeney in the week 3 preseason matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
On September 17th, 2008, the Colts announced Bob Sanders will be out for the next 4-6 weeks because of a high ankle sprain. The injury occurred in the Colts second game of the season against the Minnesota Vikings. [6] Sanders would be replaced by second year safety Melvin Bullitt.
References
- ^ The Official Website of the Indianapolis Colts
- ^ Sanders' Iowa Hawkeye Bio
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Colts make Sanders highest paid safety". CBC Sports. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3185005
- ^ Sanders could miss up to six weeks with high ankle sprain