Anderson healthy again

DENVER – Those who wondered if Mike Anderson would ever be the same after he endured a season-ending groin injury this time last year can stop wondering.

As Anderson showed Saturday night, he can still run – fast … and catch … and start for the Denver Broncos.

One year to the date when he was lost for the 2004 season, Anderson showed he’s all the way back. He ran for 159 yards, caught two passes for 22 more and scored two touchdowns in Denver’s 37-24 win over Indianapolis.

The highlight, of course, was his 93-yard scoring run, a burst through the middle, then a sprint past the Indy cornerbacks, capped by a dive into the end zone.

“I’m not the fastest guy out there,” Anderson insisted. “I used the field to my advantage.”

Whatever the case, it was quite a message Anderson sent to the many who thought that if he could return to his former level, he would be the bullish runner, but that Denver would have to turn to smaller, speedier Tatum Bell for big plays.

Thanks to his latest performance, the Broncos have every reason to believe Anderson can do it all, like he did in 2000, when Terrell Davis and Olandis Gary each got hurt. That opened the door for the sixth-round draft pick – a one-time Marine who played the drums, not football, in high school – to add his name to the list of Denver’s 1,000-yard backs.

“I started as a long shot,” said Anderson, whose 251-yard game against New Orleans set an NFL rookie record and helped him to 1,487 yards in 2000.

“You expect a guy that didn’t play high school football, what are his chances? What are his odds of making that to the Division 1 level?” Anderson said. “And then you take it step further and say, what are his odds of making it to the pros and if he does make it, how long will he be there? It’s all about believing in yourself and having the people believe in you and giving you that opportunity. The Broncos did that from Day 1 when they drafted me.”

Problem was, the Broncos weren’t sure what to do with Anderson after his standout 2000.

He ended up splitting carries with Davis after his return in 2001, then got shuffled behind Clinton Portis in 2002, and by 2003, was playing fullback again – the position he was originally tabbed for in Denver’s offense.

With Portis gone, Anderson was supposed to have a chance to compete for Denver’s tailback spot in 2004, but he tore two muscles in his groin while covering a punt in a preseason game against Houston. The injury required surgery and an extensive rehab.

When he came back this season fully healthy, he found himself paired off with some pretty impressive prospects: Bell, Quentin Griffin, Ron Dayne and Maurice Clarett, to name a few.

But Broncos coach Mike Shanahan put Anderson at the top of the pecking order. Apparently, the coach knew what he was doing.

“We really feel like Mike is in great shape,” Shanahan said. “He’s had a great camp. There are no questions in our minds that he’s totally healthy.”

Anderson doesn’t have any doubts, either.

His rehab was complete last December and he says he could have played in the playoffs had there been a roster spot open.

The Broncos decided to wait.

After Saturday’s fine showing, the wait seems worth it.

“Performance-wise, you never know about that,” Anderson said. “But I had no doubt about me coming back and coming back 100 percent healthy.”