Age: 26
(Sept. 30)
5th
season in pro football & with Falcons
College: Utah
Height: 5’11” Weight: 234
Prelude:
Anderson was
chosen by the Falcons in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL draft and was strictly
a backup during his first two seasons who also returned kickoffs in ’95. He
broke out in 1996, beating out Craig Heyward, the starter for the previous two
seasons, and gaining 1528 yards from scrimmage, with 1055 yards on 232 carries
and 473 yards on 49 catches. A powerful runner and at his best between the
tackles, he also could be graceful and had the ability to burst to the outside.
Anderson was hindered by an ankle sprain in ’97 but still rushed for 1002 yards
and caught 29 passes for another 284 yards.
1998 Season Summary
Appeared and
in all 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 410
[1]
Most
attempts, game – 32 (for 104 yds.) at New England 11/8
Yards – 1846
[2, 1st in NFC]
Most yards,
game – 188 yards (on 31 carries) at St. Louis 11/29
Average gain
– 4.5 [7]
TDs – 14 [2,
tied with Fred Taylor]
100-yard
rushing games – 12
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 27
Most
receptions, game – 4 (for 58 yds.) vs. Indianapolis 12/6
Yards – 319
Most yards,
game – 58 (on 4 catches) vs. Indianapolis 12/6
Average gain –
11.8
TDs – 2
Passing
Attempts
– 2
Completions – 0
Interceptions
– 0
All-Purpose
yards – 2165 [4]
Scoring
TDs – 16 [4]
2-pt PATs – 1
[6, tied with many]
Points – 98 [20,
tied with Todd Peterson]
Postseason: 3 G
Rushing
attempts – 70
Most rushing
attempts, game – 29 vs. San Francisco, NFC Divisional playoff
Rushing yards
– 276
Most rushing
yards, game – 113 vs. San Francisco, NFC Divisional playoff
Average gain
rushing – 3.9
Rushing TDs –
2
Pass
receptions – 10
Most pass
receptions, game – 6 at Minnesota, NFC Championship
Pass
receiving yards – 59
Most pass
receiving yards, game – 33 at Minnesota, NFC Championship
Average yards
per reception – 5.9
Pass
Receiving TDs – 1
Awards & Honors:
1st
team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
1st
team All-NFC: Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl
Falcons went 14-2
to finish first in the NFC West. Won NFC Divisional playoff over San Francisco
49ers (20-18) and NFC Championship over Minnesota Vikings (30-27). Lost Super
Bowl to Denver Broncos (34-19).
Aftermath:
After setting
a NFL record for rushing attempts in 1998, Anderson’s 1999 season ended in the
second game with a knee injury that required surgery. He came back in 2000 and,
following a slow start, rushed for 1024 yards and caught 42 passes for another
382 yards. However, another major knee injury in 2001 proved to be
career-ending. Overall, Anderson rushed for 5336 yards on 1329 carries (4.0
avg.) and caught 156 passes for 1645 yards (10.5 avg.), scoring a total of 41
touchdowns (34 rushing, 7 receiving).
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues include
NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69),
WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
