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Welcomed back

What's different about the p orous Colts defense of the past and potent defense of the present? All-Pro safety Bob Sanders .

By JOANNE KORTH
Published January 20, 2007

For nearly two months, the Colts defense was miserable. Missed tackles, missed assignments, missed opportunities.

Turns out, what it really missed was Bob Sanders.

Sanders, the feisty All-Pro safety, returned from knee surgery in time for the playoffs. Not so coincidentally, Indy's defense came roaring back to life.

Led by Sanders' team-high 10 solo tackles, Indy's defense has allowed one touchdown, intercepted four passes and recovered three fumbles in two victories.

"I don't know what it is," said Sanders, who missed 12 of 16 regular-season games. "All I do is go out and do what I do.

"Since I've been back, it seems like the guys have a lot more energy. But we're in the playoffs, so that may be it, too."

Sanders, a third-year pro from Iowa, is inspiring comparisons with many of the game's elite safeties. Coach Tony Dungy has likened him to Denver's eight-time Pro Bowl pick John Lynch, whom Dungy coached for six seasons with the Bucs. Others see flashes of Pittsburgh's three-time Pro Bowl pick Troy Polamalu.

"He's a very fast player," Dungy said of Sanders. "He's got a lot of pop in his body. He's a strong hitter. But probably more than anything else, I think he loves to play the game.

"He's even excited about practice. He's an emotional player, and the rest of our players pick up on that and feed off of it."

With the Colts hosting the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday at the RCA Dome, the obvious comparison is to hard-hitting New England safety Rodney Harrison, the NFL's all-time sack leader among defensive backs with 281/2.

Harrison, a 13-year pro in his fourth season with New England, hopes to play Sunday after missing the first two playoff games with a right knee injury sustained Dec. 31.

"He's definitely a great player and has made a lot of plays in this league and helped his team in many ways," Sanders said of Harrison, whose aggressive play put him atop Sports Illustrated's list of dirtiest NFL players two of the past three seasons. "That's definitely a compliment for people to compare us and say we play alike."

Still, Sanders does not necessarily see the correlation between his return to the lineup and the resurgence of a Colts defense that was the league's worst against the run during the regular season, allowing an average of 173 yards.

In two playoff games, that average is down to 63.5.

"One guy can't really come in and change things around," said Sanders, 25. "We have the same personnel that we had all season. A couple guys here and there changed up. But other than that, I just think it's all about attitude and everyone being passionate about it and wanting to win. Just knowing in the playoffs it's do or die."

Teammates are more blunt.

"He's an All-Pro safety, so having him back in the lineup, it's the same as having any star player back on the field," linebacker Cato June said. "His intensity is amazing, and the guys rally around that. It makes a difference."

Sanders is 5 feet 8, 206 pounds, considerably smaller than Lynch, Harrison and Polamalu, each weighing 220 pounds. But he still packs a punch. Sanders frequently plays close to the line of scrimmage to support the run defense and disguise coverage then uses his speed to quickly drop back into pass coverage.

"He probably has the same role in their defense as Rodney," New England tight end Daniel Graham said. "He sets the tone and makes so many great plays. He's a free safety you have to pay attention to on every play."

Sanders had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in September. He was a surprise starter against New England on Nov. 5, recording 11 tackles and an interception in the Colts' victory. He did not play again until Dec. 3, but because of swelling in the knee, he was sidelined again until the playoffs.

Now that he is back, Sanders has no intention of holding back.

"After a few weeks, I kind of realized the knee was going to be a thing that I was going to deal with all season," he said, "and I just had to be patient. Patience is the main thing. Now that I've worked myself back in, I'm comfortable.

"I feel good."

[Last modified January 19, 2007, 23:46:27]