Broncos RB C.J. Anderson Talks to Predominantly Orange

Denver Broncos running back CJ Anderson knows how to beat the heat. Anderson comes from humble beginnings as an NFL player, an undrafted free agent out of California who became a Pro Bowl running back almost overnight when he stepped in for a couple of injured teammates last season.

As OTAs come to a close, Anderson is priming to train for a month outside of team facilities before the grind of his third NFL Training Camp. But, before he leaves for that, he’s spending some time at a youth football camp where he’s representing Gatorade, talking about the importance of staying hydrated and how it can impact the way you play.

Anderson says at any level of sports, whether you’re in the pros or the pee wees, you need to stay hydrated to keep your energy and endurance up, and just to stay healthy in general.

Anderson has been extremely active within the Denver community, but has also made a significant impact with the fans, being a generally great guy, and becoming one of the team’s most beloved players.

He was kind enough to take some time in his busy schedule Friday night to talk to Predominantly Orange about all things Broncos.

I asked him how things have been going this offseason and what it’s been like for him coming off of a Pro Bowl season.

“It’s been amazing. It’s been fun,” Anderson said. “You go around and people know who you are, they congratulate you and thank you. Everything that you’ve been putting out, all the effort you’ve been putting in during the season — what we do is not an easy job. I just want to keep it going and keep it pushing and be happy about that.”

As much as it’s been a great offseason for Anderson and perhaps many Broncos players, it’s been one of transition for the franchise. Despite all the changes to the coaching staff, Anderson said there’s really not much difference between the two, other than the detail stuff.

“There’s no difference really. Coach [John] Fox is a player’s coach. Coach Kubiak is the same way. There’s really no difference in the coaching staff. We do know when it’s time to get to work. Every coach is going to yell at you and when it’s time to have fun, they’re your best friend.”

One of the things I remember most about C.J. Anderson was the response he had after Super Bowl 48 when the Broncos were drubbed by the Seattle Seahawks. He took to Twitter and vowed he would do everything in his power to get the Broncos back to where they should be, in the winner’s circle. At the same time, he took a lot of blame upon himself for not proving to the coaches that he could have helped the team on the field that night.

Anderson reflected on his emotions in that moment.

“I’ve always said growing up you’ve got to blame yourself. Two years ago after we lost the Super Bowl what I tweeted out was just that I blamed myself for not showing the coaches that I was prepared or  talented enough to get on the football field and try to help our team win a Super Bowl.

I never was mad about being undrafted — I didn’t do enough at Cal to get drafted. That’s how you’ve got to look at it. I just look myself in the mirror and say, ‘It’s all on me.’ It’s not on this coach or this player, this person or situation. At the end of the day it’s all on me. The same way last year. Last year I had to show that I was prepared enough and good enough to put my talents on the field and it paid off for me.”

June 9, 2015; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson (22) performs drills during mini camp activities at the Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Broncos have an extremely talented young group of running backs, of which Anderson is the clear number one at this point. Montee Ball, Ronnie Hillman, Juwan Thompson, Kapri Bibbs, and Jeremy Stewart are all around the same age, and there’s a level of camaraderie there that a lot of other teams don’t have.

“We’re all young, we’re all around the same age. Me and Montee came in together. Ronnie is younger than us but he came in the year before us. Juwan and Kapri came in last year. Jeremy came in Ronnie’s year. We’re all about the same age, we like to do the same things, so it’s good to have that connection and that love that we have off the field and we all know when we’re on the field it’s business and it’s competition, but it’s friendly competition.”

There’s been a lot of talk this offseason that the Broncos lack leadership with some key guys missing this offseason. I never really thought that, but I asked Anderson what he thought about his role in the offense as a vocal leader, and he had a perfect answer for this point in time.

“I stay in my lane, only when it’s called for when it’s needed. We have great leaders on both sides of the ball, a lot of people who have been in this game longer than me. When the time is called for and there’s something or a motivation that needs to be there I’ll try to do it by example before I do it with my voice. After I put a couple great seasons together, then maybe I can open my mouth.”

Even though he says he’s not been much of a vocal leader on the field, his actions have spoken much louder than words as a leader off of it. Anderson has made headlines this offseason for all the right reasons, including making an impact in the community and doing awesome stuff for his family like buying his grandmother a car.

Anderson told me that the way he was raised, there’s nothing abnormal about being a good person and not abusing the platform he’s been given to go and make bad decisions. He called it being respectful.

“I’m just being myself. That’s all you can ever be.”

If Anderson keeps being himself, he’ll be able to buy his family a lot more vehicles in the not so distant future. His emergence last season behind a shaky, patched together offensive line was remarkable, and I wanted to ask the million dollar question because everyone wants to know what he is thinking of this year’s offensive line group.

“They’re all getting better, they’re all taking the system and taking it in, and learning. Clancy [Barone] has been an o-line coach in this league for a very long time, so he knows what he’s talking about. At the end of the day, we’ll make ’em right. No matter who’s running the ball, we’ll make them look good by making the right cut because they’re going to make us look good by knocking people off the ball.

I promise you they’ll be okay, and I promise you we’ll make the right cut. Everything will be fine.”

It’s good to have that assurance from one of the most critical people on the offense not named Peyton Manning, and obviously since seeing is believing, we have to trust that what C.J. has seen to this point is more trustworthy than what we know.

In addition to the offensive line, Anderson mentioned that he thinks a breakout player in this offense is going to be — you guessed it — Cody Latimer. Latimer has been receiving rave reviews from players and coaches alike this offseason, and is ready to make a significant year two jump, not unlike Anderson.

Anderson cited that he thinks after having learned behind Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and Wes Welker last year, Latimer is in position mentally to make that sophomore jump. Since Anderson brought up Demaryius Thomas’ name, I didn’t have to pop an awkward question. It was a perfect transition to my asking:

So, what’s it like not having Demaryius and Wes around this offseason?

“It’s a business. Demaryius is expecting a deal to get done and so are we, but at the end of the day, when we put the ball down in September there’s going to be 11 people in orange and blue and we have to go out there and execute.”

Can’t wait.

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