Sanders still valuable to Colts

INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts have a hard time measuring the true impact made by safety Bob Sanders.

When healthy, he always seems to put up big numbers, deliver punishing hits, produce game-changing plays and provide an inspirational lift for his defensive teammates.

Opponents, like New England, would rather avoid testing Sanders.

Yet the reigning defensive player of the year still finds ways to make a difference, just as he did in Sunday night’s 18-15 victory.

“He just hits things fast and sees it fast, and that’s one of the good things he can do from 10 or 11 yards deep,” coach Tony Dungy said. “He can come and make tackles near the line of scrimmage.”

Or plays downfield, like the game-sealing interception he later described as a mistake because it cost the Colts 20 yards in field position.

Forgive Sanders for being too eager, but he wants to help the Colts (4-4) turn things around.

Sanders had missed five straight games with ankle and knee injuries and had seen his teammates lose two straight. The Colts went into Sunday night fighting to stay in the playoff chase, facing a bitter rival on national television, and Sanders wanted to prove to the football world that a couple of injuries weren’t going to slow him down.

They didn’t. Sanders still finished with eight tackles.

But his value to the Colts defense cannot be evaluated merely with numbers or highlight-making plays.

Sanders’ position on the field often dictated whether New England would throw or run, and his teammates took the cue with their hardest-hitting game of the season. They looked confident and played with passion, trademarks of Sanders’ reckless style, and when Sanders celebrated by flexing his muscles, others followed suit.

The result: Indy produced its most disciplined defensive performance of the season, even though Sanders insists it wasn’t all his doing.

“I guess you could say that, but I think it was just a win we needed, and that alone brought emotion to the game,” he said in a phone interview Monday night. “And it being the Patriots, we were going to play with a lot of emotion. That’s the type of game it is.”