Houston Texans' Will Anderson Jr. Reveals When His 'Terminator' Mode Switches On

Houston Texans rookie edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. believes his "Terminator" nickname helped him earn a captain role.

Houston Texans rookie edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. has already made a massive impact both on and off the field since he was drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in late April.

The 21-year-old shattered records at Alabama with his speed and power to consistently reach opposing backfields. His jaw-dropping efforts earned him the nickname "The Terminator" during his sophomore and junior years playing for the Crimson Tide.

Today, Anderson is often seen smiling wide during interviews, but when it comes time to play football, he revealed the moment that "The Terminator" typically turns on.

"As soon as the helmet and shoulder pads go on or even when I walk in the door," Anderson said on Deep Slant. "It's just a switch that says 'it's business time and everything that you put in through the whole week leading up to this moment, it's time to go put on display.'"

Anderson explained that the main purpose of the switch was to help his teammates on Sundays.

Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) warming up.

© Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

"I got to go out there and do a job not only for me, but for the dude beside me, because he's counting on me to do my job," Anderson said. "I have to ball out for this dude right here because I know he's going to give me everything he has."

Anderson's Terminator mentality helped him earn one of the captain roles during training camp. He admitted that it was unique for a young rookie to have a "C" on his uniform over a 10-year veteran, but he believes his "preparation" was the main reason he earned the patch.

"When guys see a humble hard worker that doesn't complain, is hungry, and wants it, I think they just respect him in the locker room," Anderson said.

He said that just because he has the "C" on his uniform, doesn't mean that there are other leaders for the Texans. Anderson explained that everyone does a good job of "holding each other accountable," and there's one other leadership tactic that is often used that he also utilized at Alabama.

"We have a 'match me' thing, which encourages us to match each other's energy out on the field and be on top of everything," Anderson said.