"With so much at stake heading into what might be a career-defining fifth season with the Indianapolis Colts, there was only one place Anthony Gonzalez wanted to be this summer.

It was back home in Columbus, Ohio. The former Ohio State standout receiver determined his best opportunity to prepare for 2011 was to reacquaint himself with the trainer and training methods that helped him become the Colts' 2007 first-round draft pick.

In hindsight, it was the right choice, and one aided by the NFL's 41/2-month lockout. Unable to have any contact with teams, players had to fend for themselves.

"I had a great (summer) of training," Gonzalez said. "I went back to Ohio State and stayed there the entire offseason. I hadn't done that since college and never got hurt when I was in college."

By contrast, Gonzalez's past two seasons with the Colts have been all about injuries and unfulfilled expectations. He sprained a ligament in his right knee in the first quarter of the 2009 opener and missed the remainder of the season. Last season, he appeared in just two games while dealing with a high sprain to his right ankle and ligament damage in his left knee. The latest knee injury was the result of a controversial out-of-bounds hit by Houston safety Bernard Pollard.

The two-year bottom line: three games, five catches, 67 yards.

"It bothers me that for the last two seasons I've had to sit on the sidelines and watch my teammates, my best friends, go out there and do what they love and what I love," said Gonzalez, whose first two seasons produced a combined total of 94 receptions, 1,240 yards and seven touchdowns.

"Not being able to do that has been disappointing. If other people are disappointed, I don't know. I assure you I'm more disappointed than anyone else.""