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Both of them
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,225
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This guy is freakin' good
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/footb...ully09.article
Quote:
With apologies to former LSU basketball coach Dale Brown, the real freak defense these days belongs to the Bears. From Brian Urlacher's size/speed ratio to Tommie Harris' first step and upfield burst, the Bears boast a collection of genetic freaks. The guy who may end up being the biggest freak of all is defensive end Mark Anderson.
''How many guys with a 43-inch vertical [jump] do you know?'' Bears coach Lovie Smith said when asked about his new starting right end, who displaced Alex Brown in the offseason despite Brown's status as a Pro Bowl alternate on a Super Bowl team.
Anderson says he can run a 4.5-second 40-yard dash. Does that mean he could beat Urlacher in a race?
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''I don't know; Urlacher is kind of fast,'' Anderson said. ''Put it this way, I'm the fastest guy on the defensive line.''
Not to be a stickler about these things, but Anderson set a combine record with a 42-inch vertical jump. And his best recorded time in the 40, according to one draft guide, is 4.62, not 4.5. Regardless, he's listed at 6-4 and 255 pounds and has a wing span that reminds you of Scottie Pippen.
And the really impressive statistics were the ones he put up on the field last year. Anderson's 12 regular-season sacks set a franchise rookie record and an NFL record for a player drafted in the fifth round or later. He was the 159th overall selection in 2006 and might be the best pick made by the Jerry Angelo regime -- a high compliment indeed.
''The ultimate goal is to be a starter, but I am ready to play whatever role they want me to on Sept. 9,'' Anderson said of the season opener at San Diego. ''Shoot, I'm ready to get started right now.''
Anderson injured his left hamstring on the second day of training camp last year and didn't play in a preseason game until the last one at Cleveland. Some speculated he might have earned a roster spot in that game, but Smith has insisted that Anderson showed enough athletic ability and promise in spring practices that the Bears wanted the intriguing rookie on the roster.
Now, after he produced five more sacks than any other Bear last season, the idea is to get him more playing time, which should lead to more production. It's sound in theory, but some wonder if Anderson will be as productive as a starter. Teams will design game plans to stop him, and he could wear down after frequent downs against men who outweigh him by 40 pounds or more.
More plays, more production
''I don't buy that argument at all,'' Smith said. ''I buy the argument that he only played a small percentage of time, and he was productive with it. If you give him more plays, he's going to be productive in more ways. We put him in there in third-down situations, passing situations, and most of the time the only thing he could do was get a sack, and he did that.
''Good players are productive in the situations you put them in. Mark Anderson will cause havoc.''
Anderson said he has some specific goals in mind, but he prefers to keep them in his head.
''I'm expecting to have a pretty good year,'' he said.
He might be the most natural pass rusher working off the end that the Bears have had since Richard Dent. Every great pass rusher has a distinct move or advantage, and for Anderson it's his speed, including a blazing first step that allows him to get around even the best offensive linemen. He had two sacks against Seattle's Walter Jones in the teams' regular-season meeting. One came when the quarterback was flushed in his direction, but the other came on a pure speed move that left Jones scrambling to get out of his stance as Anderson went past him.
''I am more of a speed rusher, but I might mix it up here and there,'' Anderson said. ''It all starts with the speed, but I might spin inside or spin outside. I like to set up the speed rush because that allows me to do multiple moves. You have to have multiple moves and counter moves and then whatever your special move is.''
The best pure speed rusher Smith has worked with is Leonard Little in St. Louis. Little lines up on the left side over the right tackle, who is usually a bigger, engulfing player. The left tackle is the better athlete because he protects a right-handed quarterback's blind side. Smith said Little began on the left side and has stayed there, while Anderson is a better fit on the right.
A Little reminder?
While there is an advantage to putting a speed player against a size guy who would need some double-team help in passing situations, the beauty of facing most teams' best offensive lineman translates to fewer double teams.
''One of the things about the right end, a lot of times you are single blocked,'' Smith said. ''Most of his sacks are going to come with him beating the offensive tackle. How many guys end up chipping to give a left tackle help? If you are giving a left tackle help, there is something wrong. You are in serious trouble.''
Does Anderson's development and ability remind Smith of Little?
''Well, Leonard Little is and was a great all-around player,'' Smith said. ''He got better each year. I am anxious to see Mark Anderson. You should not talk about Mark that way until he becomes a full-time starter -- which he's doing this year -- and then we will see. If I were a betting man, I would say that Mark Anderson, in time, will be one of those pass rushers that we're talking about.''
A real freak show.
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This guy is freakin' good
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