Colts Release Sanders

By Justin Worsley,

When he was on the field, he was a force of defense, especially when defending the run.

The problem, however, is he was rarely on the field.

The Indianapolis Colts have released safety Bob Sanders on Friday. Sanders played in the season opener last year, but missed the rest of the year after suffering a torn biceps tendon.

In his seven-year career, Sanders has never played a full NFL season and has missed 64 games due to injury.

Sanders, 29, was a key component of the Colts defense in the 2007 postseason. After missing all but four games during the regular season, Sanders showed up healthy in time for the playoffs and helped lead the Colts to a Super Bowl victory.

The following season, Sanders was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year after posting 96 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks and two interceptions in 15 games.

After winning the award, Sanders quickly inked a five-year, $37.5 million contract, but only played in a combined nine games in the next three seasons.

Indianapolis could use the cap room created by releasing Sanders on Peyton Manning, whom the Colts want to make the NFL's highest paid player in league history.