Itap time for Broncos running back to put up or shut up.
Whatap a realistic goal for Anderson this season?
“I definitely want to run for over 1,000 yards,” Anderson said Thursday.
OK, letap grab a pen, put Anderson down for 1K rushing yards and call it good. Or else.
Or else what?
Either Anderson rushes for 1,000 yards this season, or itap probably time for him to skedaddle out of town.
There are no more excuses. Anderson is healthy, after a knee injury ended his 2016 season in October. The Denver offensive line has been overhauled. New coach is committed to getting physical by pounding the rock.
With a must-win game for Denver against the Los Angeles Chargers just around the corner, some knucklehead asked: If Anderson stays healthy for 16 regular-season starts, can he be a special NFL running back?
“Yes … thatap an easy question,” Anderson replied with a grin, as if he would expect nothing less than a no-respect question from me.
What else was Anderson supposed to say, right? Anderson believes in himself. Big time.
But would any NFL pro scout worth his salt put Anderson in the same category as Le’Veon Bell, , Ezekiel Elliott, or any of the top 10 running backs in the league?
No way. No how.
At age 26, Anderson has much to prove. If he cannot carry the load for a team that wants to run first, control the clock and lean on its championship-caliber defense, then Broncos executive will have to think long and hard about bringing Anderson back to Denver next year. With a contract structured in the team’s favor, Anderson could well be the of 2018.
Since joining the Broncos with fire in his belly and a chip on his shoulder as an undrafted free agent in 2013, Anderson has won a ring and earned a berth at the as an injury replacement. But he has never started more than seven games during any of four pro seasons or gained more than 849 yards rushing in a year.
The Broncos are understandably weary of hearing how their offense not only stinks, but sinks any realistic chance to win the Super Bowl. You know offensive coordinator wants to light up the scoreboard against the Chargers, who dumped him after four years as their head coach.
“He was head coach of the Chargers and he got fired. He’s playing them on Monday night. What would you want to do? I’d try to put up 100, if I could. I know itap impossible. But I’d try,” wide receiver said.
“If we can go out and score like we want to, that would be a big statement, starting off Monday night, for the rest of our season. Especially with having a defense like we’ve got, if we can average 28 or 35 points, it will be tough to beat us.”
Forget averaging 30 points per game. The only place that will happen is in Thomas’ dreams.
What I fear could prevent the Broncos from significantly improving on the 20.8 points they averaged per game in 2016 is a lack of playmakers. and Thomas have Pro Bowl credentials. But despite their presence in the huddle, opposing defensive coordinators don’t lose much sleep when game-planning against Denver’s skill-position players.
Does Anderson have the skills to rush for 1,000 yards in a season?
Yes. No doubt.
But he’s running out of time to prove it.
