Erie Times-News staff writer John Dudley spent a day this week at the Indianapolis Colts training camp in Terre Haute, Ind., days after Erie's Bob Sanders returned from an injury to take part in practices.

Sanders, an All-Pro and Pro Bowl safety in his third year in the league, sat down with Dudley for a Q&A. Don't miss Dudley's feature on Sanders' immediate -- and lasting -- impact on the Colts in Friday's Erie Times-News.

Q: You had shoulder and biceps surgery after last season. Were those old injuries?

A: It happened sometime during last season. I didn't really find out until after the season. I knew I had to get it fixed. With this type of injury it's six months minimum, so that's what we were planning for. The first couple months is rehab and the last four months is strengthening it and getting it back in shape to where you can take a pounding, take those hits.

Q: Do you have to look at your personal success last season and divide it from the disappointment of not making it to the Super Bowl as a team?

A: Ah, man. To me I really don't care about my personal achievements. Those things come, but this is a team sport, and that's how I take it. I want to win games. I could have gone to the Pro Bowl, I could have been an All Pro, and if we don't make it to the playoffs I'm not happy. You've got to be happy about the personal things that you achieve. But my ultimate goal is to make it to the Super Bowl and win it. I can't do that myself.

Q: How long did the playoff loss linger for you?

A: For me it was over when it was over. When the final seconds clicked off the clock it was over for me. You eventually have to go back and watch the tape and look at the mistakes you made and try to go back and correct them. Whenever you get in that situation you want to try to do the right things to put yourself in the best situation to win. I think we'll do that this year. We know what it's like to have everyone expecting us to win, and to go in expecting to win. When you go in and you fall short it's tough on you, but it's a new year, we've got guys back, and we've got a lot of new guys in. As long as we keep working on things we need to correct I think the sky's the limit for us.

Q: Was it difficult when you finally did have to go in and watch that tape?

It was hard to watch, because knowing the first game we came out and played excellent. There was a lot of talk going on that week about how we were soft, and how we weren't as physical as they were and all that kind of stuff. But we went out and played close ball. The second game it's kind of tough when you don't go out and play the way you expect to play, the way you know in your hearts you can play. We didn't play that way that day. I give a lot of credit to them. They went on to win the Super Bowl. They had a great game plan coming into that day.

Q: Do you look at them now as the team to beat?

A: Uh, me personally, not really. I take it a week at a time. I don't try to look forward and say, 'They won the Super Bowl last year so they're the team to beat.' Everyone loses great players on their teams each and every year, They've lost guys who were great players from last season. In this league it's kind of tough to say, you just want to win your division and make it to the playoffs. We don't really look forward and wonder who is the team to beat, because if you don't beat that team you play in the second game or third game you might not get that chance to play them when it counts.

Q: It seems like you've always felt you had something to prove. After last year, what's left to prove?

A: I don't think I have anything to prove to anybody. To myself I think I have a lot to prove about how I can get better, things I can improve to help this team win and be more consistent. Myself, I need to be more consistent, being one of the veterans on this defense. Being that I had the season I had last season, guys who are coming in are going to look up to me, so I need to be more consistent than I have been. Leading by example to me is the most important thing.

Q: What's it been like to have Ed Hinkel around?

A: We're kind of split up on this team, offense and defense, so we don't see each other that much, but we've talked. It's kind of crazy . We played high school ball together, we played college ball together, and now we're here. You don't see that very often. Just to watch him grow through the course of his years, it's excellent.

Q: What would the storybook ending be for you two guys in football?

A: For him to end up making the team and for us to win a Super Bowl together. That would be crazy.

-- John Dudley