Even for All-Pros like Dallas Clark and Bob Sanders, the NFL is a tough business

Dallas Clark and Bob Sanders have had some wonderful times after getting drafted out of Iowa by the Indianapolis Colts.

They own Super Bowl rings. They've made All-Pro teams.  Clark was arguably the most productive tight end in the league last year. Sanders was the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2007. Heady stuff.

But there is a physical price to pay.

Clark has an injury to his left leg that will keep him out of the rest of the Colts' preseason games. He has been held out of practice since Aug. 13. He says he'll be ready to play in the team's regular-season opener on Sept. 12.

Here's something that doesn't sound reassuring, though, according to the Indianapolis Star story I linked here:

Neither the team nor Clark would address the nature of the injury.

"I don't think it's been mentioned," Clark said, "so I don't want to be the guy to let the cat out of the bag."

Sanders, a safety,  has played in just seven games in the last 23 months. He played just two games last year because of a knee injury and ruptured biceps tendon. He has been injury-prone, to say the least. His style of play, all-physical all the time, induces injuries to hitters and hittees alike.

He did play in the Colts' most-recent preseason game, which was a happy sight to his team.

From this other Indy Star story, by Mike Chappell:

Sanders was credited with two assisted tackles, but he was unable to deliver a finishing hit on a couple of other occasions when his aggressiveness seemed to get the better of him. ...

He conceded he's "still a little rusty and I have a ways to go," but the latest phase of his comeback was encouraging nonetheless.

Tough racket, pro football.