Mario Williams gets all the attention along Buffalo’s revamped defensive line, and understandably so. That’s what a $100 million contract -- the largest ever for a defender in NFL history -- will do.
That’s fine with Buffalo’s other marquee addition at defensive end, Mark Anderson.
“That doesn’t bother me one bit,” Anderson said. “I’m happy to be here.”
If Anderson keeps performing at his current level, however, he’s going to grab his own share of the spotlight very soon. The 29-year-old has been one of Buffalo’s most impressive performers at training camp. In fact, he’s been one of the team’s best players since joining the Bills as a free agent in March.
“Let me tell you, he may be forgotten by the public or by the press, (but) he's not forgotten by our football team or us as coaches, I can promise you that,” coach Chan Gailey said.
Williams is exactly how most coaches would draw up a defensive end. He’s a physical phenom at 6-foot-6 and over 300 pounds and has blazing speed for a man his size.
Anderson is almost 50 pounds lighter than Williams, but he’s also blessed with a tremendous amount of athleticism to go with his 6-foot-4 frame. He shows a terrific burst off the line and frequently gets around the edge with ease. He also has a high motor to match.
“He'll push himself so hard sometimes we have to slow him down -- and that's a good problem to have, by the way," Gailey said.
What makes Anderson stand out even more, however, is his approach to pass rushing. In the spring, Gailey compared Anderson’s unique style to wide receiver Stevie Johnson’s routes -- neither player goes exactly by the book, but it certainly works.
“He’s very, very unorthodox,” said offensive tackle Chris Hairston, who has gone up against Anderson plenty at camp. “He’s not like any other guy in the league. Studying him, you’ve surely got to throw the book out. He has such quick-twitch (fibers) and such explosive ability that he can change into a move in the blink of an eye.
"So you’ve got to be ready for everything. He might be smaller than some of our other ends, but he’s not a small guy. He can bull rush, he can press the pocket, turn the edge tight, spin, he can do about anything you can name and he can do it well.”
“He jumps out on film. He’s a different type of rusher. It’s sort of funny because it reminds me a lot of Stevie, how he runs routes ... it might not be how coaches coach it up but it always gets you open. It might not be how the coaches tell you to rush, but he always gets to the quarterback.”
It was no surprise that Anderson was listed with the starters when the Bills released their first depth chart of the preseason on Saturday. He remains in a competition for the starting right defensive end job with Chris Kelsay and Shawne Merriman, but it would be a surprise if he wasn’t in the starting lineup come opening day.
Based on his performances thus far, he’s earned it.
“We were fortunate to get him and really glad to have him,” Gailey said. “He is going to be a big, big part of our defense.”
For more updates on the Bills follow correspondent Mark Ludwiczak on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLBUF and @MarkLud12.
