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During the 2006 regular season, Bob Sanders was hurt and the Colts' defense was terrible. During the postseason, Sanders was hurt and the defense was good.

It's not quite that simple, of course, but the fact remains: The Colts have the highest-paid defensive player in the league in Dwight Freeney, but Freeney's presence seems to make less of an impact than that of Sanders, a fourth-year player who only makes a little more than the league minimum.

Sanders is starting training camp on the physically unable to perform list because of off-season shoulder surgery, but that's not necessarily bad news for the Colts. In fact, seeing Sanders on the sideline for most of the year might be a good sight for Colts fans because it would make him more likely to be healthy when the playoffs start. Sanders is an incredible talent with an incredible penchant for getting hurt. It's not realistic for the Colts to expect him to play 16 games and the playoffs, but it is realistic to expect him to make a huge impact when he is on the field.

Bottom line: The Colts' offense is good enough to get them to the playoffs. As long as Sanders is healthy in January, he doesn't need to contribute much in the regular season.

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