C.J. Anderson: Broncos Running Back Job Isn’t His Yet
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - A day after his stellar 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown that turned the Broncos’ fortunes around in Oakland, running back C.J. Anderson is playing the humble card.
“I look at it like this: I have a role, and I never try to outdo my role. I’m not Peyton (Manning) or (Demaryius Thomas). I just try to stay in my lane, so whatever role they decide to give me, I will make the best of my opportunity,” Anderson said on Xfinity Monday Live.
He won’t say he’s the starter, although with Ronnie Hillman injured and Montee Ball yet to return from an injury, Anderson looks like the Broncos’ No. 1 option for now.
“It’s a pretty good life right now,” Anderson said, “just want to keep it consistent.”
The good life started when Anderson — in to run a route but primarily to assist left tackle Ryan Clady on a blocking assignment — caught a Manning pass on third-and-8 and scampered to the end zone to give the Broncos a 13-10 lead. They never looked back, winning 41-17.
He started the play by chipping a defender on the line. When he turned around seconds later, he wasn’t even in his route yet. But he saw Manning, under pressure, looking his way.
“He threw it quicker than I expected,” Anderson said. “It shocked me. When I caught the ball, I knew I had one defender on me, and I made him miss. And then I saw defensive end Khalil (Mack) coming, and I made him miss. Then after that, I was like, ‘Maybe I got a chance.’ When I made the first guy miss, I thought, ‘Let’s pick up the first down and move the sticks.’ “
With blocking assists from Thomas and Wes Welker, he cut back to the far side of the field to score.
“I’m not the fastest guy, so I’m not going to beat people with my speed,” Anderson said. But he said he’s quick enough and has the strength to break tackles.
He said the newly shuffled offensive line was very supportive and wants to see the running backs succeed.
That he did. Until late in the second half, Anderson had outgained the entire Raiders offense. He finished with 13 carries for 90 yards and four catches for 73 yards.
That helped the Broncos improve to 2-2 on the road and bounce back against what he called an embarrassing loss to New England on the road last week.
“We always talk about being road warriors,” Anderson said. “It’s everybody in that city or in that town or in that state against us. Now we have a good defense coming up in St. Louis. We have to go out there and play our game and play at a high level and continue to try to stack these Ws.”
Playing against the physical NFC West division — so far this season, they’ve beaten San Francisco and Arizona and lost to Seattle — helps in the long run, Anderson said.
“It will help a lot, especially when we’re trying to establish our run game,” he said. “If you can establish your run game against a physical conference that is known for the running backs in their conference and how they play run defense in their conference, we can go out and be successful in the run game. That would just help because we all know what we can do in the air.”
