Re: Tick Tick Tick 22 hours until free agency
Anderson might be getting a little over-rated because he was better than people expected him to be.
Which is the basic point of my entire theory.
Andy and I do not seem to agree with this particular issue, and that sometimes happens when people break down nuances of a game or player.
As far as the stats being pointless, I will agree on some level (and agree with Andy too). Sacks can be meaningless, however that argument can apply to any of the major rated DE's and LB's who accomplish them.
My point was that he is still a big liability in the run game, and we all know that; however, I do believe that he improved this year, and it was noticed by many of the announcers and analysts during the stretch run and playoffs. Andy brings up the mediot factor and their tendency to all jump in the same ship, that is certainly a very valid thought. You know you are searching for things when you need to resort to Ron Jaworski's analysis, (which I did) so I can understand that thinking.
Where Andy and I respectfully disagree, is exactly "IF" and "HOW MUCH" he improved against the run. It's hard to judge that based on someone who has shown a weakness in that regard, so I can understand both viewpoints. I will state that I do believe that M.Anderson made some strides vs the run this yr, and that he may have the potential to continue to do that in this system. There were rumors that Pepper Johnson was taking him under his wing a bit, and helping him to search for some offensive lineman's tendancies, while also helping Anderson to break down film better. Only time will tell if Anderson continues to improve (if he did at all), or whether he goes on to show more of the player that he'd become prior to coming here.
At the end of the day, I think most of us can agree that Anderson may be seeking a payday that tends to overrate his skills a bit more, and we see that all of the time when a player makes noise during a year. I think that there's a chance that he understands that he may have flourished in this particular system, and if so--they may be able to come to terms. If not, I don't think any of us are going to run and cry either. At the end of the day I think we all would prefer to see him stay, under the terms of a fair deal.
