Anderson’s mind-set stays well-grounded
There’s not a Lamborghini sitting in C.J. Anderson’s parking space at Broncos headquarters. No new diamond-studded chains draped around his neck.
“(Aqib) Talib said he can’t wait to see how my life changes,” Anderson said this week. He added: “I’m going to be myself. You won’t see any jewelry or fancy cars. That’s just not me.”
Anderson said he’s the same guy Denver signed as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and the same running back who worked his way up from third string to starter in 2014. But a whirlwind free agency provided a huge improvement to his bank account.
When NFL free agency began March 9, the Broncos placed the lowest restricted free-agent tender on Anderson, a $1.67 million price tag that the market deemed inadequate.
“I don’t think I was upset,” he said of the low-round tender. “When we lost the Super Bowl (to Seattle two years ago), I felt like I wasn’t good enough to be a part of that team. I felt like I wasn’t good enough to get on the field to make plays and help my team win. I just believed I got the low tender because, whatever I did in those three years, I didn’t do enough to get a higher tender. And I felt that. I always put the pressure and the blame on myself, never the organization.”
Later that day, Anderson was on a flight bound for Miami, where he quickly received a four-year, $18 million offer sheet from the Dolphins, who are now coached by Anderson’s former offensive coordinator, Adam Gase. The Broncos matched Miami’s offer in the eleventh hour, five days later, reversing course to keep Anderson as a constant in an offense that still is undergoing change.
But the bump in pay came with an unwritten clause: Bigger money means a bigger role and higher expectations.
The follow-up to Anderson’s 2014 Pro Bowl season got off to a
slow start last fall, thanks in large part to foot injuries that hindered his ability to cut and bounce off tackles. After the first six games, the starting reins were handed to Ronnie Hillman, a move outsiders perceived as an affront to Anderson, who responded with 101 yards rushing and a touchdown against the then-unbeaten Green Bay Packers, then returned four weeks later to play hero against the New England Patriots in an overtime thriller.
“When you’re not 100 percent and you’re out there playing, you’re not making the plays that you want to make,” Anderson said. “We got better in the second half of the season because we got more comfortable with the system in the second half. You look good. You look at yourself at practice on tape during (organized team activities), during training camp and during preseason, you think things are going well. Things are just amped up when you get into the season. Teams play a little harder. Teams are out there with their ones (firstteamers). … As we grew as an offense, we got better as an offense.”
Last week, the Broncos resigned Hillman to a oneyear contract, preserving a rushing corps that, despite its ups and downs in 2015, helped them to a Super Bowl victory. Coupled with the arrivals of veteran linemen Donald Stephenson and Russell Okung and the added year of experience for Ty Sambrailo, Max Garcia and Matt Paradis, Anderson expects improvement across the board up front.
Anderson’s role will change this season, expanding to fit his pay raise, and many of the faces around him are new. But some things, he says, will remain status quo.
“This is my fourth season in the NFL,” he said. “Now I know what the expectations are, what my body (needs) and where everything needs to be. I’m just going out there to play ball and have fun.
“I’m glad to be in orange and blue. I started here, so why not finish?”