'I Belong Here!' Will Anderson Jr. Realizing NFL Dream
Football players are some of the most macho people in this country, and the better ones are often the toughest.
Crying, which is perceived by society as a sign of weakness, would likely be the last thing a football player would do in order to preserve their toughness. However, Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. — one of the league's toughest rookies — cried on Sunday.
It wasn't because he cost his team with a bad play or was in pain after an extremely hard hit. Instead, it was the overwhelming pregame realization that his dream of becoming an NFL player had come true.
"I usually walk the field and I usually warm up, but on Sunday, it was different. It was a different type of feeling," Anderson said. "I walked out there and I looked up, and it finally hit me: I was like, 'You're really in the NFL.' That got all my nerves and everything out of the way, so when we got suited up, got together as a team and walked out, I was fine."
Anderson played in the preseason but said Sunday had a more "real" feel to it facing one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Baltimore Ravens signal-caller Lamar Jackson, whose elusiveness is a pass-rusher's worst nightmare.
Any nerves the No. 3 overall pick had coming into the game were whisked away after the first snap, he said. He credited his hard work and the support system, starting with head coach DeMeco Ryans, for keeping him "level-headed" in his preparation for his NFL debut.
"I know I belong here," Anderson said. "Having all those type of people that tell you what you need to hear instead of what you want to hear, it's always a great feeling."
The Hampton, Georgia, native said the pace of Houston's 25-9 loss to the Ravens "was a little faster" than in the preseason, which makes sense. Not only was his facing full-time starters, but he did so for 48 snaps Sunday as opposed the 25 he played across three preseason games.
That didn't limit his effectiveness, though.
In fact, Anderson further validated the thoughts and projections of his greatness. Among rookie edge rushers, Anderson received the highest defensive and run defense grades and the second-highest tackling and pass rush grades, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus.
Anderson's work paid off in the fourth quarter, fighting through a holding penalty to bring down Jackson for his first career sack.
He had family — who gives him some tough love after his games — in attendance Sunday, so Anderson said he was "glad" they left M&T Bank Stadium to catch their flights home before he could go greet them.
Anderson didn't give them the cold shoulder, though. He called them Monday morning and they praised him, but he knows to prevent the family's criticism he has to ramp up his game against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.
"They always have a little something, something to say, but overall they said I did pretty good," Anderson said. "I'll take that and not look at it too much because next week they'll probably say something bad."
