He came off the edge and wreaked havoc, wrapping up Eli Manning on the game’s first drive. Five years and one day prior, it was a different Manning that New England Patriots defensive end Mark Anderson was trying to corral. It was a different Super Bowl, Anderson wore a different jersey then, but the outcome was the same.
A former University of Alabama alum and Chicago Bear, the circumstances were drastically different between Super Bowl XLI and XLVI, other than the fact that Anderson would give pursuit to a Manning. In Super Bowl XLI, as a rookie member of the Chicago Bears, possibilities seemed “Limitless.” There’d be no Bradley Cooper cameos or wonder drug, although it’d be hard to tell as the fifth-round pick piled up 12.0 sacks in an improbable rookie season.
At that time, it just seemed like the first of many trips to the Promised Land for Anderson. But five years later, Anderson made just his second trip to a Super Bowl after a great season that seemed just as unlikely as that fateful rookie season of 2006.
Mark Anderson’s career took a turn for the worst after that inaugural campaign. His sack totals took a tumble, and his playing time did the same all the way up until he was cut by Chicago after just a few games in 2010. He’d finish the year in Houston, but heading into the 2011 season, there wasn’t a considerable amount of interest around the league.
When the Patriots came calling, it was a relief, but a roster spot seemed far from guaranteed in an organization that’s been known to take a flyer before, but Anderson overcame those odds on a way to a 10-sack season. It was his first season with double-digit sacks since his rookie year, and once again Anderson saw a Manning standing between him and the ultimate goal of a championship.
Flashback to Feb. 4, 2007, when Peyton and the Colts lined up across from a wide-eyed Mark Anderson making his Super Bowl debut. Individually, Anderson had just one goal; get to Manning and make things difficult. He’d succeed on one occasion, recording a half-sack, but the Bears failed to get the job done losing by a score of 29-17.
Last night it was Peyton’s brother, Eli, and the Giants standing in Anderson’s path. Once again, on a personal level, Anderson succeeded in getting to the younger Manning. He recorded a sack-and-a-half, but the Patriots fell short 21-17.
However, for Anderson, it’s a bitter aftertaste to an otherwise sweet year. This time there will be no assumptions, and obviously no guarantees. What there will be is an understanding that even when you’ve reached the pinnacle you’re only one misplaced step from the edge.
Mark Anderson won’t likely be in jeopardy of being left off a roster in 2012, but he certainly shouldn’t take that for granted.
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