Ever since he was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2004 NFL draft, strong safety Bob Sanders has been an integral part of the team’s young defensive unit.

That is, when he has been able to remain healthy. Foot, knee and shoulder injuries have played havoc with his playing time the previous three seasons, limiting the hard-hitting Sanders to seeing action in just 18 out of a possible 48 games.

A year ago, as the Colts were en route to the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship (and first since the team moved to Indianapolis prior to the 1984 season), knee problems forced him to bide his time until the final month of the regular season.

But even though he wasn’t much of a factor during the early portion of the 2006 schedule, his dominating on-field presence during the team’s run to a world championship proved to be invaluable. And, from the looks of things, a lot of the mojo that he helped to engender with the team’s defense has carried over through the first two games of this season.

That much was made very clear when Sanders was named as the AFC’s “Defensive Player of the Week” for his performance in last Sunday’s 22-20 AFC South win over the Tennessee Titans. Eleven total tackles, 2.5 quarterback sacks (the first of his professional career), and three quarterback hurries. It was the type of eye-opening performance that could put him in the running for NFL “Defensive Player of the Year” at the end of the season.

But, once again, the key is the remain healthy. His somewhat dimunative height (5-foot-8) might have been a detriment to other players. But his compact body (Sanders often looks as if he’s wearing shoulder pads when he’s only got a T-shirt on) has been known to deliver some rather vicious hits to opposing quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends and wide receivers.

His wide-open, hit anything that moves playing style comes straight from the playgrounds and streets of Erie, Penn. It’s a way of playing that he honed early on as a youngster.

“I was usually one of the smaller guys in the neighborhood. So I had to develop a certain way of playing if I was going to be allowed to play with the bigger guys,” he recalled recently. “A lot of parents of guys my age wouldn’t let their kids play with me. They thought that maybe I played too rough sometimes.

“I was the kid that everybody’s parents warned their kids about. And then when I tried to play with some of the older guys in the neighborhood, I had to prove to them that I could hang with them and let them know that I belonged. So I had to be even tougher.”

The desire to prove that he belonged followed Sanders throughout his high school and college career. Iowa was one of the few Division I schools to offer him a full-ride scholarship. And, once again, he proved the doubters wrong. Much like he has proven to some skeptical NFL types that he wasn’t too small to be an every-down strong safety in the NFL.

“I think he’s something else. I think he’s the best safety in football, and there are some great ones out there in this league. He’s a difference maker,” Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak said last week.

“He’s a physical presence, a great tackler. When he gets down in that box, he’s going to make a difference. Of course, he wasn’t there when we played them at the end last year, but I see him as a special football player and a difference maker for their team.”

In last week’s win over the Titans, Sanders was used as an extra linebacker on several occasions. He often lined up on-or-near the line of scrimmage, serving as a the player assigned to keep a close eye on Tennessee’s mobile quarterback Vince Young.

“It was going to be one of those type of games that we were going to use him down in the box a lot. We brought him on some blitzes. It was just that type of game that he was involved in a lot. And he really played well,” said Colts coach Tony Dungy, who knows a thing or two about how to use a player with the diverse blend of talents that a player like Sanders possesses.

“It’s a little bit of everything, and the fact that he can do a lot of things. He can play deep pass and he can also play close to the line of scrimmage. He can blitz. He can chase things down. He’s a guy that makes up for a lot of things in our defense. And a lot of it is because of his speed,” Dungy said.

In many ways, Sanders is a throw-back to the rock’em-sock’em safeties that played in the NFL in the early and mid-1960s. His aggressive style is reminiscent of former players such as Larry Wilson (of the former St. Louis Cardinals) and Paul Krause (Minnesota Vikings). Or perhaps even a latter-day Ronnie Lott (San Francisco).

“I bring experience, attitude, being aggressive, playing fast. And I’ve got speed out there. I don’t think it’s much more than that,” he said this past week. “It’s exciting that I do make the plays that I do make. But our defense puts me in those positions to make those plays. That’s my job. That’s what they expect me to do. Whenever I get the opportunity, the chance to make a play, I’ve got to be there and I’ve got to make it.”

Comparisons to such Hall of Fame players is not too much of a reach. But what also made those players so successful — in addition to their on-the-field performances — was their longevity in the game. And, once again, that is what could eventually separate Sanders in the mix of very good or great NFL safeties. He has to remain healthy for longer periods of time. And that’s his utlimate goal.

To that end, Sanders is being limited each week in practice. He will be given one day off, usually on a Thursday, in order to rest up and be ready to play on the weekends.

“I think that’ll be the smartest thing for us to do. We talked about it, we can make it happen. It’s a precautionary thing. It’s a long season. You don’t want to speed through it. I think it will help,” he said. “I feel good. If I can keep this up every week, then I can be great.”

• Pre-game notes — Counting the postseason, Indianapolis has won seven straight games dating back to the 2006 season...The Colts have a 91-39 won-loss record since the start of the 1999 regular season...Indianapolis is the only NFL team to earn seven playoff appearances in the last eight seasons...The Colts have won 36 of its last 43 regular season games...Indianapolis has a 24-7 record in AFC South play since the start of the 2002 season...The Colts have owned or shared the lead in the division in 80 of 87 weeks of the AFC South’s existence...Indianapolis has won four straight AFC South championships, the best divisional title streak in franchise history...quarterback Peyton Manning has thrown 25 touchdown passes and just four interceptions in the series, compiling a 119.3 quarterback efficiency rating...Manning has completed 222-of-311 passes for 2,708 yards in 10 previous meetings with the Texans...Manning has thrown for 300 yards or more twice in the series, led by a 400-yard effort (26-of-38) in the Colts’ home win last season...Manning has had a 100 or better quarterback efficiency rating in eight of the 10 previous meetings, led by a 135.5 rating (21-of-27, three touchdowns, no interceptions) in last year’s 27-24 loss at Reliant Stadium...wide receiver Marvin Harrison has recorded six 100-yard receiving game (out of 10 total games) with the Houston Texans.

• Stat of the week — The Colts’ defense has only had two games during the 10-game series with the Texans where it has not registered a sack, including the second game of the home-and-home series a year ago.

• Did you know? — Indianapolis has won 10 straight games in the month of September and 16-of-18 games in September since Tony Dungy took over as head coach of the Colts in 2002. The franchise’s last loss in September was a 27-24 decision at New England on September 9, 2004.

• Quote of the week — “It’s a big game for us as well. We’ve had a lot of close games there in years past.  Even the ones that we’ve won, the majority of them have gone down to the wire. We know it will be a tough game this week. There are some things we need to do better this week and improve on, and hopefully we can take that to the field.” Peyton Manning on the importance of today’s game for both Houston and the Colts.