One of his guests, linebacker Gary Brackett, promised if Sanders was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year — becoming the first player in franchise history so honored — the group would pick up Sanders' tab at this week's gathering.
"I'll be getting my money back," Sanders said Monday in the Colts' locker room.
The hard-hitting safety overwhelmingly won the league's top defensive honor, getting 31 of 50 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Tennessee Titans tackle Albert Haynesworth and Seattle Seahawks end Patrick Kerney tied for second at four votes each.
"It's a goal I set every year for myself," Sanders said. "I couldn't be more excited.
"This is great, man."
Along with being the first Colt to win the award, Sanders joins Baltimore's Ed Reed (2004), Seattle's Kenny Easley (1984) and Miami's Dick Anderson (1973) as the only safeties to win it.
That's an elite group, and Sanders earned it. He ranks second on the team with 132 tackles, but first in making an impact.
"He's a game-changer," Brackett said.
The ability to finish plays or compensate if a teammate misses a tackle led coach Tony Dungy to nickname the fourth-year player "The Eraser." Dungy noted that Sanders and the Colts' defensive scheme are a perfect fit. Not only is the safety effective when crowding the line of scrimmage, he makes plays deep in coverage.
"He's probably what you would look for if you were designing a safety for this system," Dungy said. "Every now and then you get that guy who just really fits the job description."
Sanders was instrumental in the Colts' first Super Bowl win in more than three decades last February. After missing 12 games with a knee injury, he returned for the postseason and helped resurrect a defense that ranked last in the league against the run during the regular season.
It's been more of the same this season. Sanders proved he could stay on the field — he missed one game with bruised ribs — and was a key component as the Colts defense finished first in fewest points allowed and third in total yards allowed.
"We've been known so long as an offensive team (that) for someone from our defense to be recognized ... is quite an accomplishment," Dungy said. "He's made a difference for us. He's a great player."
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