Miles
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- Mar 18, 2019
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That Super Bowl season was one of Anderson's favorite memories in Denver, he said. He also recounted a 51-yard touchdown in Oakland in 2014, when he weaved through a bevy of defenders. It was Anderson's first score, and it came in front of many of his family members. His Pro Bowl appearance that season — which he earned after posting nearly 1,200 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns — also made his list of highlights.
Learning from players like Champ Bailey and Peyton Manning and coaches like Gary Kubiak, Wade Phillips and Vance Joseph also left a lasting impression.
"It obviously had a huge impact on my life, just learning from a lot of coaches and players that put me in the position [to succeed]," Anderson said.
Anderson posted his most productive rushing season in his final year in Denver, as he started all 16 games and carried the ball 245 times for 1,007 yards.
"It was huge," he said of his lone 1,000-yard rushing season. "You feel like it was a long time coming. Obviously I dealt with sharing carries. … I think the consistency is the big point. I think I was highly consistent when I got the opportunity and got the touches. If you look it up, if I was anywhere between 18-plus more touches, I've always had a very successful game. … When I look at that 1,000-yard season, even though I was sharing carries, the games that I took advantage of when I got the carries made it more special and worthwhile."
As Anderson moves away from the NFL, he likely won't stray far from the football field in his retirement.
"I've just been helping out some high school kids, and then I got a phone call from somebody who I trust who's giving me an opportunity," Anderson said. "Hopefully we can make that announcement here in a couple weeks. … I was on the fence, but I see helping some of these high school kids, giving them fundamentals, giving them technique, really making an impact on them off who I was. I was happy every day and then the decision became that much easier."
Anderson, though, will long have the relationships with players in Denver and across the NFL who helped make his career special.
"It's good to have those friendships," Andreson said. "Some that I've made with the LA Rams, with Carolina and Christian McCaffrey and Julius Peppers. With T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, Von Miller, Peyton Manning — those are special relationships that you can never break or give away."