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MIAMI -- They're kind of cute, the stars of the Indianapolis Colts defense. They're little guys. And the ones who can't be described as "little" can be described in another way: tiny.
Defensive ends Dwight Freeney (6-foot-1, 268 pounds) and Robert Mathis (6-2, 245) look like linebackers. Linebacker Cato June (6-0, 227) looks like a safety. And safety Bob Sanders? He looks like a Teletubby.
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| Bob Sanders doesn't necessarily look like a wrecking ball until he gets on the field. (AP) |
Sanders? The guy looks so cuddly I wanna hug him -- but he is the biggest hitter of the bunch. If he were a dog he'd be one of those short-legged little Dachshunds, but if he were a weapon he'd be a heat-seeking missile. Sanders is listed at 5-8, 206 pounds, which means he's probably more like 5-7, 215. He's way too short and thick to be a dominant NFL safety, yet he is.
Sanders is so dominant, in fact, that the Colts gambled their entire regular season on his health for the playoffs. He underwent knee surgery after the second game and played just twice more the rest of the regular season. He could've played more, but the Colts wanted to ensure his health for the playoffs, knowing the impact he could have in January.
And what impact has that been? It has been everything. In the regular season the Colts defense was on the wrong side of mediocre, ranking 21st among the NFL's 32 teams at 332.2 yards allowed per game. Their scoring defense was slightly worse, ranking 23rd at 22.5 ppg. Rushing defense? You don't want to know. But fine, since you asked, Indy's rushing defense was last in the NFL at 173 yards per game and 5.3 per carry.
History insists that only stout defenses need apply for a Super Bowl ring. Offensive freak shows like those led by Warren Moon, Dan Fouts and Dan Marino don't win rings. Defenses win rings. And this postseason, which has seen future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning reach his first Super Bowl, the Colts have been led not by Manning's freak show on offense -- but by Bob Sanders and his miniature marvels on defense.
In the playoffs the Colts have held the Chiefs, Ravens and Patriots -- whose offenses rank among the top half in the NFL -- to per-game averages of 229.7 total yards, 73.7 rushing yards and 16 points.
This is how you win playoff games in the NFL.
Even if this is not how you're supposed to look.
The Colts defense is small everywhere, not just where Freeney, Mathis, June and Sanders are concerned. The front four averages 6-2, 272, compared to a Chicago defensive front that averages 6-4, 290. Indianapolis' linebackers average 6-0, 235, with Chicago's linebackers 6-3, 245. The Colts secondary goes 5-9, 193, compared to 6-0, 196 for the Bears.
Chicago isn't all that big, either. Chicago's defense is typical of the NFL. Indianapolis' defense, in terms of stature, is more like something from the Mid-American Conference. And Bob Sanders? He looks so little on the field that I want to ask him if he's lost, and if so, maybe I could help find his mother.
But then the ball is snapped and you understand why this one man -- this one little bitty man -- has made such a huge impact. Without Sanders, Indianapolis was an opposing running back's best friend. Down the stretch the Colts were abused by Buffalo's Anthony Thomas (109 yards), Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook (124), Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor (166 and 131 in the same game), Houston's Ron Dayne (152) and Miami's Ronnie Brown (115).
In the playoffs, Indianapolis held Kansas City's Larry Johnson to 32 yards, Baltimore's Jamal Lewis to 53 and New England's Corey Dillon to 48.
The defensive front, anchored by squatty Anthony McFarland (6-0, 300), does a solid job taking on the offensive line. The linebackers, led by June and the Zach Thomas-like Gary Brackett (5-11, 235), are reliable tacklers. But when blockers account for most of the Indianapolis front seven, someone from the Colts secondary has to make the tackle. And when he's healthy, that someone is usually Sanders.
Sanders is full-speed spackle, filling holes and knocking down whatever he hits. In three playoff games he leads the Colts with 19 tackles. Typically, when your leading tackler is a safety, your defense is in trouble. The Colts defense is not typical. Listen to Freeney describe Sanders.
"He's a Pro Bowler," Freeney said. "With him, we're going from a second- or third-string safety to a Pro Bowl guy. Think about it. If you play eight in the box, and (the other team) is running to that eighth man, and if that eighth man goes from a second-stringer to a Pro Bowl guy ... that's huge."
Even if Sanders isn't.
