Pro Football Weekly and Riddell present ...
2002 NFL draft
Q&A with Northwestern RB Damien Anderson
April 8, 2002
|
| As a junior, Northwestern RB Damien Anderson was considered an upper-rung
performer because of his versatility and surprising power for a medium-build running back.
But his senior season left a lot to be desired, including his health after a season-ending
shoulder injury. Anderson is considered a prospect, but might not be added to an NFL
roster until the second day of the draft because of questions about his shoulder, his
speed and his ability to acclimate in an NFL offense. Q: How’s the shoulder?
A: Fine. I don’t think there is any doubt now. I did 27 reps (of 225 pounds in the
bench press) and caught the football in drills (at the NFL Scouting Combine) and
haven’t had any pain. The doctors like the way I’ve responded.
Q: How disappointed were you with the way your college career ended?
A: I was clearly disappointed with the way things happened. I couldn’t finish it
out like I wanted to, especially when you come back for your senior season.
Q: What did you do as far as rehab?
A: I surrounded myself with quality people. I trained at Competitive Edge Sports in
Atlanta with (trainer) Chip Smith. The competition there every day was great — the
best of every position. Myself, I went against Verron Haynes from Georgia and Lamar Gordon
(North Dakota State).
Q: Do you have any regrets after your junior season?
A: Not at all. I don’t live in the past. Hindsight is 20-20 for everyone. I’m
trying to make the best of the situation right now. That is why I worked so hard and
rehabbed the way I did to get back.
Q: What can you tell me about that Northwestern offense?
A: It is a pro-style offense, which a lot of people don’t realize. The only
difference was, we did it as a no-huddle. Nobody questions Clemson, Florida, those
schools, who run the same offense; it is the exact same. There is nothing tricky about it.
We just implemented the shotgun. I ran for 1,200 yards in a pro-style offense. I ran for
207 yards against Michigan.
Q: What do you have to prove?
A: I think I just need to legitimize myself in the physical areas. Teams know I can run
around and past people. But I don’t consider myself a finesse running back or
football player. I like the contact and I’m not shy about dropping my shoulder.
Q: What does a team get with Damien Anderson?
A: My history as a college back is what it is, but I have to show them I can do it at
the next level. I have to show I can catch the football, run up the middle. I want to be
an every-down back; that is my goal.
To Scouting Combine main page |
|
 |
The Archives
2001 - 2002 Season |
| Online writers
— features and columns by our PFW staff, columnists, national correspondent, AFC
reporters, NFC reporters and contributing writers |
| College football
— articles, college notepad, key college game previews, PFW's college top 10,
Scouting Combine, Senior Bowl, top 25 predictions |
| Fantasy football
— articles, injury reports, weekly fantasy tips, weekly matchups, The Fantasy Doctor,
"In our opinion" daily fantasy columns, Fantasy spins |
| Free-agency
— news and notes, updates and features |
| General features
— Internet features, features from our print edition, MVP meter, Rookie meter, They
said it, team reports, training camp reports |
| Handicapper's
Corner — staff selections, games of the week, PFW Players of the Week, NFL
standings, weekly handicapping columns, predictions, trends, tips and timely stats |
| "In our
opinion" daily columns — opinions on general football topics |
| "PFW spins"
— short-takes on current events |
| Joel
Buchsbaum — college player evaluations, NFL player analysis, NFL draft coverage,
NFL notepad, NFList, college game previews and other NFL articles by PFW's contributing
editor |
| NFL Draft —
player evaluations, printouts, feature stories, commentaries, draft recaps |
| Ron
Pollack — articles and commentary by PFW's editor-in-chief |
| Season in
review — the 2001-2002 NFL season |
|
