Rookie Sanders gets stops, passing marks after replacing Doss

INDIANAPOLIS -- Bob Sanders never doubted his skills. All he wanted was a chance to show how he could play.\nIn Sunday's 45-35 loss at Kansas City, Sanders earned his biggest opportunity of the season when he replaced the injured Mike Doss. He finished with nine tackles, one fumble recovery and emerged as one of the Colts' few bright spots on an otherwise bleak defensive day.\n"He played about 35 plays and did pretty well," coach Tony Dungy said.\nSanders has waited nearly 10 months to hear those words.\nThe Colts made him their top draft choice in April, trading down and selecting him in the second round with the 44th overall pick even though he was hurt.\nDuring his senior season at Iowa, Sanders had surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot. He did not practice during the team's offseason workouts. That was followed by a monthlong holdout -- the longest of any draft pick this year.\nWhen Doss injured his groin during the third quarter Sunday, Sanders finally got a chance to prove himself. If Doss can't play Monday night, Dungy said Sanders likely would make his first NFL start.\nAnd Sanders promises to be ready.\n"I'm looking forward to the challenge," he said. "I want to make sure I'm prepared, and I've been here long enough to know what's going on."\nThe Colts (4-3) are hoping this could be deja vu.\nIn 2002, their top draft pick, defensive end Dwight Freeney, didn't start until Week 8 and quickly made an impact. He finished with 47 tackles, a team-record 13 sacks, nine forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.\nDungy is not making any comparisons yet.\nBut if Sanders can stay healthy and play like he did Sunday, he could become a stabilizing presence in the Colts' injury-depleted secondary.\nSafety Cory Bird (calf) and cornerback Joseph Jefferson (right knee) were both inactive Sunday. It's uncertain whether either will play against Minnesota.\nThe Colts have already lost starting cornerback Donald Strickland for the season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The other starting cornerback, Nick Harper, has played through elbow and shoulder injuries.\nDoss missed four games with a pulled hamstring and the Colts' other starter, Idrees Bashir, also has missed time with several injuries.\nSanders, too, is on the injury list after jamming his right wrist Sunday.\nBut after sitting out almost 10 months, he isn't about to let a sore wrist keep him off the field. Not when he has a chance to prove he can make an impact.\n"It felt good to get back in the mix," he said. "I got an opportunity to play a lot more and get a feel for the speed of the game. Everything went the way it should and I'm looking forward to getting better"