At this time last year, Neal Anderson and former Bears coach Mike Ditka weren’t even speaking to each other. Ditka threatened to trade the four-time Pro Bowl running back, then platooned him with Darren Lewis throughout the season.
Ditka’s successor, Dave Wannstedt, has different plans. Tuesday, he said Anderson is his starting tailback.
While he respects Ditka’s coaching accomplishments, Wannstedt said he will use a new approach with the players. He said he will attempt to motivate through constructive criticism.
“The glass will always be half full,” he said. “You don’t accomplish anything using the other approach.”
Anderson is so enthused that he has changed his tune about possibly retiring at the end of the 1993 season.
“I was way off. I have taken that back,” said Anderson from his home in suburban Chicago. “As the starting running back of the Bears, I thought I would get the ball 25 times a game for a lot of years. But last year I had nine carries a game. I don’t think I got a scratch last year. No injuries.
“The year before, I had the hamstring injury, so I missed quite a few games. I don’t even look at the last two years as football seasons. I think I have many more years ahead of me.”
Anderson obviously is pleased with the coaching change.
“I thought we needed a change,” he said. “Sometimes change is good. It gives everybody a fresh attitude and a fresh outlook on the upcoming season.
“Just from talking to the coaches and seeing the system that they are implementing, I am excited about it.”
Wannstedt says he plans to revamp the offense, using a two-back attack most of the time.
“The passing game is going to use the San Francisco influence with more timing routes and five-step dropbacks by the quarterback than seven-step drops,” he said. “And the running game is going to be closer to what we did with Dallas.”
“I’m excited about the blocking schemes and their ideas about the running game,” said Anderson, who knows Emmitt Smith won the rushing title as part of Dallas’ offense in 1992. “They seem like they have been planning this for four years. It doesn’t seem like they just came in. It’s so smooth, the things they are doing.”
With his contract expiring at the end of next season, Anderson, 28, realizes a big year could help him hike his already lucrative $1.6 million salary.
“I don’t mind saying that is on my mind, too. When you work hard and produce, you can reap all the benefits of it,” he said.
Anderson has been working out with his teammates this off-season. Ditka was angry with Anderson last off-season for working out on his own with a personal trainer.
“I can’t think the off-season workout thing was that big of a deal because there were other guys who showed up even less than I did,” said Anderson. “It wasn’t made out to be a big deal with them. So I would think his feelings had to go back to somewhere before that.
“Both of us are very strong-willed, and we clashed at times. But I have a lot of respect for him, and I think (Ditka) does for me. We probably couldn’t be close friends because we would probably clash again. But before he left I told him I would be looking for him to play golf during this off-season, and I will.”
