The Bob Sanders Effect

It was the news Bob Sanders hoped he'd never have to share again. The Chargers safety walked to his fellow defensive backs during their Wednesday morning walkthrough and, with his usual soft-spoken tone, addressed the group together. He told them a decision had been made. His knee injury would sideline him the rest of the season. For the fourth straight year, Sanders was placed on injured reserve. “It's very tough to look at each other eye-to-eye when something like that happens,” safety Darrell Stuckey said. “Any time something like that happens to a great player or to anybody, it's never a good thing. But especially to him.” Said safety Eric Weddle: “There's nothing really to say. We just wished him the best.” The Sanders era in San Diego lasted a training camp and two games, but the 30-year-old's presence, however brief, was not in vain, as he left a resounding effect on Chargers defenders. They will face the Miami Dolphins ...