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05-10-2002, 03:06 AM
Cook: Anderson has no kicks with career
Friday, May 10, 2002
There's no doubt Gary Anderson belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. So what if a lot of the voters have a thing about putting in a kicker? So what if Jan Stenerud is the only pure kicker who made it? How do you say no to the NFL's all-time scoring leader? You don't. You vote him in five years from now and ask him which team he will represent.
"Everybody in Minnesota wants me to go in as a Viking," Anderson said this week.
He spent the past four seasons with the Vikings and had the greatest year a kicker had with them in 1998.
"But I was just back in Pittsburgh this week for a golf tournament for the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation, and everyone there reminded me I spent the first 13 years of my career with the Steelers."
Anderson laughed.
"If that's the hardest decision I ever have to make in my life, that will be a pretty good deal."
As much as Anderson wants to keep kicking and delay that Hall of Fame business, it looks like his 20-year NFL run -- only George Blanda and Earl Morrall played longer -- is done. The Vikings released him last week and signed Doug Brien to be their kicker. The team felt it no longer could keep a guy who doesn't kick off, especially a guy who will turn 43 before training camp and doesn't have the leg strength he once did.
"I still feel like I can out-kick anybody out there for a few more years, but maybe it is time I hang 'em up," Anderson said.
The reasons go beyond football. Anderson won custody of his sons, Austin, 13, and Doug, 11, when he got divorced in 1999. "I'm committed to keeping them in school in Minnesota. I think that's important, especially at this stage of their lives." He re-married in February and said it will take an "unbelievable" offer for him to spend next season away from his family. Chances are he will pursue a new career as a corporate spokesman and his new passion -- fly-fishing.
"My friends don't understand that," Anderson said. "They want me to keep kicking so I can keep the scoring record for a long time. I think it's more important to them than it is to me."
Anderson broke Blanda's 25-year scoring record in the 2000 season and has 2,130 career points. Now, Morten Andersen is chasing him. Andersen, 41, who has 2,036 points, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs to replace Todd Peterson, who signed with the Steelers to replace Kris Brown.
"If he gets it, he gets it," Anderson said. "I need a better reason than that record to keep kicking. My family is a lot more important."
It figures to be a long time before anyone tops the regular season Anderson had in '98 when he became the first kicker to make all his field goals (35) and all his extra points (59). It's still hard to believe that season had such a sad ending for him. His first and only miss -- against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC championship game -- cost the Vikings a trip to the Super Bowl.
"I knew you would bring that up," Anderson said. "Do you realize there was a kicker who missed under the exact same circumstances in a championship game this season? He could have put his team up by 10 points late, but missed just like I did. Do you know who it was?"
New England's Adam Vinatieri against the Steelers in the AFC championship game.
"The only difference is Chris Chandler came back to win our game at the end for the Falcons and Kordell Stewart threw a big interception at the end for the Steelers," Anderson said.
There were a few other differences, actually. Vinatieri missed from 50 yards on grass in that noted kicker's graveyard, Heinz Field. Anderson missed from 38 on turf in the climate-controlled Metrodome. But that doesn't change Anderson's point: "As a kicker, you have to move on after a miss. Vinatieri went on and became a Super Bowl hero. I like to think I moved on, too."
In the 2000 season, Anderson made 22 of 23 field-goal attempts and helped the Vikings reach the NFC championship game again. They were crushed, 41-0, by the New York Giants, making his teams 0 for 5 in conference championship games, including the '84 and '94 Steelers. Not getting to a Super Bowl is a regret, he said, "but it's not something that keeps me awake at night."
Anderson also said he doesn't spend time fretting about leaving the Steelers after the '94 season after a bitter contract dispute, even though turning down their $812,500-a-year offer turned out to be a bad business decision. At the time, he said, "The Steelers didn't appreciate me." And now? "I never look back at any of my decisions."
We won't know for sure if Anderson still is bitter toward the Steelers until he gets that call from the Hall of Fame and has to decide between teams.
"I'm going to wait until I see if I get in before I make that decision."
It's not a question of if. It's a question of when.
Friday, May 10, 2002
There's no doubt Gary Anderson belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. So what if a lot of the voters have a thing about putting in a kicker? So what if Jan Stenerud is the only pure kicker who made it? How do you say no to the NFL's all-time scoring leader? You don't. You vote him in five years from now and ask him which team he will represent.
"Everybody in Minnesota wants me to go in as a Viking," Anderson said this week.
He spent the past four seasons with the Vikings and had the greatest year a kicker had with them in 1998.
"But I was just back in Pittsburgh this week for a golf tournament for the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation, and everyone there reminded me I spent the first 13 years of my career with the Steelers."
Anderson laughed.
"If that's the hardest decision I ever have to make in my life, that will be a pretty good deal."
As much as Anderson wants to keep kicking and delay that Hall of Fame business, it looks like his 20-year NFL run -- only George Blanda and Earl Morrall played longer -- is done. The Vikings released him last week and signed Doug Brien to be their kicker. The team felt it no longer could keep a guy who doesn't kick off, especially a guy who will turn 43 before training camp and doesn't have the leg strength he once did.
"I still feel like I can out-kick anybody out there for a few more years, but maybe it is time I hang 'em up," Anderson said.
The reasons go beyond football. Anderson won custody of his sons, Austin, 13, and Doug, 11, when he got divorced in 1999. "I'm committed to keeping them in school in Minnesota. I think that's important, especially at this stage of their lives." He re-married in February and said it will take an "unbelievable" offer for him to spend next season away from his family. Chances are he will pursue a new career as a corporate spokesman and his new passion -- fly-fishing.
"My friends don't understand that," Anderson said. "They want me to keep kicking so I can keep the scoring record for a long time. I think it's more important to them than it is to me."
Anderson broke Blanda's 25-year scoring record in the 2000 season and has 2,130 career points. Now, Morten Andersen is chasing him. Andersen, 41, who has 2,036 points, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs to replace Todd Peterson, who signed with the Steelers to replace Kris Brown.
"If he gets it, he gets it," Anderson said. "I need a better reason than that record to keep kicking. My family is a lot more important."
It figures to be a long time before anyone tops the regular season Anderson had in '98 when he became the first kicker to make all his field goals (35) and all his extra points (59). It's still hard to believe that season had such a sad ending for him. His first and only miss -- against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC championship game -- cost the Vikings a trip to the Super Bowl.
"I knew you would bring that up," Anderson said. "Do you realize there was a kicker who missed under the exact same circumstances in a championship game this season? He could have put his team up by 10 points late, but missed just like I did. Do you know who it was?"
New England's Adam Vinatieri against the Steelers in the AFC championship game.
"The only difference is Chris Chandler came back to win our game at the end for the Falcons and Kordell Stewart threw a big interception at the end for the Steelers," Anderson said.
There were a few other differences, actually. Vinatieri missed from 50 yards on grass in that noted kicker's graveyard, Heinz Field. Anderson missed from 38 on turf in the climate-controlled Metrodome. But that doesn't change Anderson's point: "As a kicker, you have to move on after a miss. Vinatieri went on and became a Super Bowl hero. I like to think I moved on, too."
In the 2000 season, Anderson made 22 of 23 field-goal attempts and helped the Vikings reach the NFC championship game again. They were crushed, 41-0, by the New York Giants, making his teams 0 for 5 in conference championship games, including the '84 and '94 Steelers. Not getting to a Super Bowl is a regret, he said, "but it's not something that keeps me awake at night."
Anderson also said he doesn't spend time fretting about leaving the Steelers after the '94 season after a bitter contract dispute, even though turning down their $812,500-a-year offer turned out to be a bad business decision. At the time, he said, "The Steelers didn't appreciate me." And now? "I never look back at any of my decisions."
We won't know for sure if Anderson still is bitter toward the Steelers until he gets that call from the Hall of Fame and has to decide between teams.
"I'm going to wait until I see if I get in before I make that decision."
It's not a question of if. It's a question of when.