Semi Ot: Sanders V. Polamalu

[cmgww]

Here's just a random topic...something to change the pace a bit...

You have two top safeties of their generation. Bob Sanders and Troy Polamalu (when Sanders was/is healthy he's a top safety, let's assume that)

Their styles are similar. Hard hits, fly to the ball, move around (though the Steelers use Troy in a lot more ways than the Colts did and Chargers do)

Let's look at their vitals:

Troy- 5'10", 215 lbs....combine 40 was 4.3, 29 reps at 225 on bench, and a 43 inch vertical jump (from what I gathered in the web)

Bob-5'8", 206 lbs...combine 40 was 4.35, 15 reps at 225 (wow, didn't expect it to be that low), and a 41.5 vertical jump

Remember those numbers were a long time ago. I am just trying to establish a baseline I guess.

So Bob gives up a few inches and about 10 lbs to Troy...

Here's my point (to those still reading)...Bob has been injured a ton in his career, yet he is built like a brickhouse. Troy, while suffering injuries at times, is still going strong. And in a recent ESPN magazine profile on Troy there were several shots of him w/out his shirt. He's not a physical specimen..If fit but not what you'd expect from a modern day SS, not ripped like Bob, strong but not stone chiseled like Bob is...in fact seeing him out of uniform, if you didn't know he was Troy Polamalu you'd not expect him to be an All Pro SS.

So the final point is this. Troy, who is no doubt in shape but not stacked like Bob Sanders, is still playing at a high level. Bob, ripped as he can be, is injured yet again. Is it a case of bad luck? Is it possible PED use with Bob (hate to accuse, but two bicep tears in consecutive years??) I think his frame isn't big enough to support the muscles (thus the PED rumors...never proven, make no mistake). I knew plenty of friends in college that got "too big" for their bodies and suffered injuries as a result (I always suspected steroids back then)

Or is it the scheme? The Colts used Bob as an "eraser" of defensive mistakes, meaning he had to clean up a lot of messes b/c the DL and LBs couldn't. With Troy he can roam the field (like he did Sunday) and just play rover and make plays (sometimes it burns him though)

Thoughts???

[CR91]

not saying bob takes roids, but while they do make you bigger they also can make you too big for your body leaving you open to injuries

[cmgww]

not saying bob takes roids, but while they do make you bigger they also can make you too big for your body leaving you open to injuries

I know that from a friend's experience with them (only took Finaplix for a few months and got massive gains in body size, bench press, and attitude as well...he became a * while on it...This was 6 years ago). He now is in stage 1 kidney failure. It's not all due to the roids; he had the condition before but the docs didn't think much of it b/c his tests (creatinine levels were a bit high but nothing to worry about at the time)...Now he's in Stage 1 renal failure)....just don't mess around w/ 'roids, HGH, etc.

[CR91]

its not worth it to take roids. what satisfaction do you get from it knowing you did nothing to earn your body.

[RedHJedi]

Years ago, Troy was suffering from the same thing Bob was, and coming off an injury that kept him out of more than half the season if I remember correctly...he started a new training path, utilizing fast reps with low to moderate weight...and the piece they showed on TV said it was targeting flexibility and tendon strength...and I immediately thought of Bob..."why isn't Bob taking this approach?"

well..it seems to have proven which method works...Troy hasn't had significant games missed since, and Bob has been Bob every year other than '05 & '07. as for the PED thoughts...He's been huge and ripped since College, it's not like he got that way recently...and as far as his bicep tears, I'm not sure they ever showed the first one, but the second one (last year) he fell on his own arm, and got rolled over on it, hyper-extending it...and I'm not sure anyone could have done that and not gotten a tear of some sort...

[Steagles]

I don't like the thought of Bob possibly juicing up, but if he did, that would make the injuries make more sense.

[jskinnz]

Would not be surprised to find that Sanders has done steroids at some point. In fact, if that were to be divulged about any player, it would not shock me. Even some of the most highly recognizable figures in the game who are thought to be above that kind of "cheating."

But I think the answer to your question is that they play football for a living and run into large men at a high rate of speed. Some are just more unlucky or lucky I guess, depending on your point of view. I am sure you can find players with Sanders' body type who have stayed healthy. I am sure you can find guys who look more like Troy P who are routinely beat up.

[No 1 Manning Fan]

So Bob gives up a few inches and about 10 lbs to Troy...

Here's my point (to those still reading)...Bob has been injured a ton in his career, yet he is built like a brickhouse. Troy, while suffering injuries at times, is still going strong. And in a recent ESPN magazine profile on Troy there were several shots of him w/out his shirt. He's not a physical specimen..If fit but not what you'd expect from a modern day SS, not ripped like Bob, strong but not stone chiseled like Bob is...in fact seeing him out of uniform, if you didn't know he was Troy Polamalu you'd not expect him to be an All Pro SS.

So the final point is this. Troy, who is no doubt in shape but not stacked like Bob Sanders, is still playing at a high level. Bob, ripped as he can be, is injured yet again. Is it a case of bad luck? Is it possible PED use with Bob (hate to accuse, but two bicep tears in consecutive years??) I think his frame isn't big enough to support the muscles (thus the PED rumors...never proven, make no mistake). I knew plenty of friends in college that got "too big" for their bodies and suffered injuries as a result (I always suspected steroids back then)

Thoughts???

It could be that Troy does more sport-specific conditioning exercises to help prevent injuries. These type of exercises will not give you an "ideal" physique, but do their job quite well. Bog on the other hand may well engage in more bodybuilding exercises which helps the body to look great, but may not translate to keeping his body healthy for football. This is just speculation, of course. But I do know that over developing your "flex" muscles without working on flexibility and support or stabilizer muscles can easily lead to injury.

[WSO]

More players are on the juice than you think but the media doesn't blow it up like they do in baseball.

[IndyTrav]

There is no comparison between Troy and Bob. Troy is better at every aspect, and nationally there is still a little backlash from Bob winning that DPOY. I loved me some Bob, but he was in Troys league, once.

[Rich Cannon]

As stated earlier, wouldnt surprise me if most top athletes have at one point taken some type of enhancement drug.

[Mouthfire]

I honestly don't think it has anything to do with steroids. True, Bob does seem way more injury prone than Polamalu, but there are a couple of potential reasons:

1) He never had the "big guys" up front to take the brunt of the damage. The years that he was playing for the Colts, our run D was just atrocious. HB's could practically get to the second level relatively untouched. HB's running unfettered in the secondary at full speed ==> frequently injured Bobbie Sanders, especially when he's your primary run stopper in the secondary. I'll bet that if you compare the plays that Troy and Bob have been involved in the past, Troy would have a much higher percentage of HB's were at least slowed down by the front seven.

2) If you read past interviews with Sanders, his philosophy is "if it hurts me when I hit them, then it'll hurt them 10x worse". Although that philosophy is great for "big hits", it kind of speaks to the general disregard Bob had for his body. Perhaps if he could have toned down the big hits a little bit, he might have had a longer, more productive career.

[jskinnz]

I honestly don't think it has anything to do with steroids. True, Bob does seem way more injury prone than Polamalu, but there are a couple of potential reasons:

1) He never had the "big guys" up front to take the brunt of the damage. The years that he was playing for the Colts, our run D was just atrocious. HB's could practically get to the second level relatively untouched. HB's running unfettered in the secondary at full speed ==> frequently injured Bobbie Sanders, especially when he's your primary run stopper in the secondary. I'll bet that if you compare the plays that Troy and Bob have been involved in the past, Troy would have a much higher percentage of HB's were at least slowed down by the front seven.

2) If you read past interviews with Sanders, his philosophy is "if it hurts me when I hit them, then it'll hurt them 10x worse". Although that philosophy is great for "big hits", it kind of speaks to the general disregard Bob had for his body. Perhaps if he could have toned down the big hits a little bit, he might have had a longer, more productive career.

I think both of those points are just not accurate, especially when you consider the type of injuries that he has sustained over the year. In other words, when he flipped over a Texans receiver in game 1 last year and missed the rest of the season, that had nothing to do with no big DT's. The play could not have looked more harmless.

[21isSuperman]

The roids talk is unsubstantiated. As for the difference between the two, here is my take. Pittsburgh has a much better run defense than Indy. Players like Farrior, Woodley, Aaron Smith, Harrison, Hampton, Clark, etc. can all stop the run. As for our defense, we haven't had many run stuffers, so Bob had to do much more to stop the run in our system than Troy in Pitt's system. Constantly being in on tackles has taken it's toll. There is also the possibility of different rehab/training programs. I remember seeing a video on NFL.com about Troy's rehab and they worked on fluid movements and rapid muscle fire instead of building strength. It's certainly worked for Troy.

[21isSuperman]

I think both of those points are just not accurate, especially when you consider the type of injuries that he has sustained over the year. In other words, when he flipped over a Texans receiver in game 1 last year and missed the rest of the season, that had nothing to do with no big DT's. The play could not have looked more harmless.

From what I recall, he didn't flip the WR. He was going in for a tackle, but the WR fell at the last second, so Bob (who was expecting to hit someone) ended up diving into nothing, expectantly. His reaction was to put his arms out to break his fall and he ended up tearing his tendon.

[jcdavey]

i think it's clear, troy misses less games due to injury because he's got that epic hair

he's samson!

[number28]

You have two top safeties of their generation. Bob Sanders and Troy Polamalu (when Sanders was/is healthy he's a top safety, let's assume that)

cough cough...Ed Reed

many people think he is better than both of these combined. I sorta agree with them.

[Fr33UpFr33ney]

I dont know whats up with Sanders.

I was talking today about Darren Sproles who in college, was ALWAYS INJURED.

I was extremley suprised that the kid even got drafted. He was great when healthy, but missed a lot of games in college.

He gets banged up a bit, but really, he's like what 5'5 or 5'6. If he can do it, Sanders should be able to do it.

Why Sanders cannot do it, maybe attributed to his training off the field. Is he only doing wieght lifting? Is he not doing dance or yoga or something like that? Did bob have a personal trainer besides the staff's?

[Mouthfire]

cough cough...Ed Reed

many people think he is better than both of these combined. I sorta agree with them.

This.

As much as love Bob, in their primes, it was always 1a) Reed, 1b) Polamalu, and 2) Sanders.

[21isSuperman]

This.

As much as love Bob, in their primes, it was always 1a) Reed, 1b) Polamalu, and 2) Sanders.

I'm not sure. When Bob was healthy, our defense was completely different and when he stayed healthy for 13 games, he was voted as the best defensive player in the NFL. Bob was huge in helping us win a championship whereas Reed has never won a Super Bowl. Many people, including me, think Clay Matthews deserved the DPOY award last year and if it had gone to Clay, Sanders would be the only one out of those three with a Super Bowl and a DPOY. But this is all ifs and buts, if Bob was healthy...

When healthy, Bob was arguably better than both of those two, however Bob has not been able to stay healthy very much. With Bob, it's all potential/speculation (could he have done _______ if he was healthy?) whereas Reed and Troy have managed to stay healthy and produce.

[Finlandia]

IIRC Sanders suffered ruptured bicep tendons. Now I thought I had read somewhere that while juicing adds muscle mass, tendons don't keep up at the same rate, and failure becomes an increased possibility.

Here's something

There are many risk factors for tendon rupture, but the most common predisposing factor for individuals involved in physical development, and particularly competitive bodybuilding and strength competition, is the use of anabolic steroids."

While Bob wasn't a bodybuilder per say, he sure had the type of body one would.

[tikyle]

I just can't not comment on this topic.

I've seen both guys in person and countless times with my NFL Ticket and I can say that I don't really think one is better than the other. Bob made some of the most incredible plays/hits I've seen since Ronnie Lott. Troy P. had some of the best timing and nose for the football as any player ever.

I think Bob is a better run defender. Troy is better in underneath coverage. Both are pretty equal in deep coverage. They were just asked to do different things. When Bob was allowed to freestyle and play like Troy (I remember a game vs. Vince Young where he was blitzing/spy all game) he did the same things.

Oh and finally Ed Reed is a FS. Arguably the most valuable non-QB in the NFL for his entire career. He plays deep middle better than any player ever and in today's NFL FS is the most valuable and under developed position in the league. But Troy and Bob were true SS.

FS

1. Ed Reed

-=big drop off=-

Nick Collins

Antoine Bethea

-=big drop off=-

the rest of the league