New NYJ DE Henry Anderson Likes His New Situation

[Gas2No99]

Henry Anderson Likes His New Situation

 

As one of the newer members of the Jets, Henry Anderson is feeling like his old self again.

For one thing, the Colts, who selected him out of Stanford in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, are shifting to a 4-3 defense this year.

"I was in a 3-4 for three years in Indianapolis and all throughout college," Anderson told me this week as the Jets began their OTA practices. "The switch in the offseason was a little different for me, but being back in a 3-4 definitely feels good. I feel that's what I'm better at."

One benefit for the D-lineman is returning to the weight he's been comfortable at. He was listed at 6'6" and 301 pounds as a Colt, but this year he had already begun the process of transforming his body for 4-3 end duty.

"I probably lost 20, 25 pounds, so I've just got to gain all that back," he said (ala Shaun Ellis under Herm's switch to a 4-3). "I'm trying to put it on the right way and not just do it all at once. I'll be there for sure by training camp but I'm not quite there yet."

Then there is his health. Anderson said he's been cleared and has returned to normal after an unusual injury cost him the last seven games of last season: a laryngeal fracture.

Link to Video Interview

"I was rushing an offensive lineman, a running back chipped me, and the tip of his elbow just went straight into my throat," Anderson recalled. "You get hit in the throat a lot during a game and you just kind of brush it off. But that was the one time where, it didn't really hurt but it just felt a little weird. I kept playing, then after the game it was hurting pretty bad to drink water and eat food, so I got it checked out and it ended up being worse than I was hoping for."

He called it "kind of a stupid injury" but said the surgery and recovery were easy. One downside: "My singing voice is not what it used to be."

But he's got a chance to chirp in opponents' backfield as one of the experienced additions to the Jets' defensive, via the seventh-rounder they sent to the Colts in a draft-day trade. Penetration is one of his strengths — in 29 games with the Colts, he was in on 14 tackles for loss/no gain and racked up three sacks and 16 QB hits — and he likes what he's seeing in his new surroundings.

"We haven't watched a ton of film yet, but you see guys up front making plays. As a defensive lineman, that's something you always want to see. You want to be in the backfield getting TFLs and sacks," he said. "It's nice being out here. The facility's top of the line and this area's really nice. I'm excited to get to work out here."

[HessStation]

24 minutes ago, Gas2No99 said:

Penetration is one of his strengths

Hot

[Patriot Killa]

18 minutes ago, HessStation said:

Hot

Beat me too it. Maybe Shepherd shows the same skills and we can have double penetration.

After that injury I’m sure he isn’t a fan of .... deep throat anymore.

 

 

ok I’m done.

[jetfan39]

7 minutes ago, Patriot Killa said:

Beat me too it. Maybe Shepherd shows the same skills and we can have double penetration.

After that injury I’m sure he isn’t a fan of .... deep throat anymore.

 

 

ok I’m done.

Thanks 

[joewilly12]

Nice signing if he can stay healthy he will be a force to be reckoned with. 

[Adoni Beast]

Really excited. The value return for what we gave up is going to be really good. I envision him being a quality starter for years here.

[Thai Jet]

Said so from the get go, I think this was a great signing. He'll contribute a lot more than whoever we would have picked in that 7th round.

[Tony MaC]

Its a little strange relying on mid-round talent on the d-line after years of Wilkerson and Richardson being around, but its somehow quite exciting. I really like the idea of Anderson and Shepard rotating in and out quite a bit. ( I assume that's how it'll go)

[Patriot Killa]

1 hour ago, jetfan39 said:

Thanks 

Welcome, buddy.

 

 

 

 

who are you again?

[varjet]

48 minutes ago, Tony MaC said:

Its a little strange relying on mid-round talent on the d-line after years of Wilkerson and Richardson being around, but its somehow quite exciting. I really like the idea of Anderson and Shepard rotating in and out quite a bit. ( I assume that's how it'll go)

Personally I think the Jets should continue what they are doing on the DL and invest in other position groups.  That could include Williams.

[CanadienJetsFan]

Macc made a good signing?  Can't be.

[Cyberjet]

IF he stays healthy this will be a great signing.

[jetstream23]

There are no guarantees but the way this defensive line is looking on paper with its mix of experience, talent and youth is very encouraging.  With the exception of McClendon it seems like every player has no more than three years of experience, that’s the sweet spot for NFL players and contracts. 

[JetFaninMI]

3 hours ago, joewilly12 said:

Nice signing if he can stay healthy he will be a force to be reckoned with. 

He was traded for not signed. Keep up.

[Cyberjet]

Really that is the level you're at. Did he have to sign any papers with the Jets? Sorry nice trade by the Jets glad he didn't have to sign anything. Childish.

[Cyberjet]

 

4 hours ago, joewilly12 said:

Nice signing if he can stay healthy he will be a force to be reckoned with

Don't let JetFaninMI see this

 

[Cyberjet]

3 hours ago, Thai Jet said:

Said so from the get go, I think this was a great signing. He'll contribute a lot more than whoever we would have picked in that 7th round.

Again JetFaninMI said this was a trade not a signing. Keep up.

[BurnleyJet]

A great move for me, if he shows he's a starter level 34 end it's a steal.

The Jets have quietly restocked the DL with a lot of youth. To be honest with the lack of effort from Wilkerson I don't think he will be missed.

 I'm looking forward to seeing Shepard play. He's my fav draft pick in a while, outside the obvious Darnold one.

[JetFaninMI]

8 hours ago, Cyberjet said:

 

4 hours ago, joewilly12 said:

Nice signing if he can stay healthy he will be a force to be reckoned with

Don't let JetFaninMI see this

 

Rookie

[maury77]

If Anderson pans out, how are they getting him, Sheppard and Williams on the field at the same time? Are they going to look for Sheppard to bulk up and play nose tackle?

[Thai Jet]

8 hours ago, Cyberjet said:

Again JetFaninMI said this was a trade not a signing. Keep up.

If you read the whole post I mentioned that he was better than the  7th rounder we gave up for him for him.

[Ken Schroy]

But can he dance with the OL like MO ?

[Gas2No99]

How an unexpected trade to Jets revived Henry Anderson’s career

Henry Anderson was playing video games at home on the afternoon of April 28 when his phone rang.

He looked at the caller ID: “Chris Ballard,” as in the general manager of the Colts, the team Anderson had played for the past three years.

“When I looked down and saw the GM’s name on my phone, I thought I should probably pause my video game and pick this up,” Anderson recalled this week.

Ballard was calling to tell Anderson that he had been traded to the Jets. On the third day of the draft, the Jets sent a seventh-round pick to Indianapolis in return for the defensive end.

“We needed another guy at the time,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “We wanted a veteran guy on the inside to help out at least on the four-down packages and not just rely on a rookie going in that way. We figured he was better than most of the guys we would have taken at that pick, so we went ahead and made the trade.”

For Anderson, the trade was a bit of a life raft. The Colts were switching to a 4-3 this season under new coach Frank Reich. Anderson had spent his entire college career at Stanford and his time with the Colts in a 3-4. Anderson was excited when he heard about the trade, knowing the Jets play a 3-4 primarily.

Anderson knew he did not fit what the Colts wanted to do in 2018, but the trade still caught him off guard.

“I wasn’t totally expecting it,” Anderson said. “I didn’t really get any concrete signs ahead of time. I knew I wasn’t their ideal fit when they switched defenses. I know I’m not their prototypical D end in that system. Looking back on it, it wasn’t something I should have been too shocked about it, but ahead of time I didn’t really know too much.”

The Jets had a hole on the defensive line after cutting Muhammad Wilkerson in February. Anderson will help fill that hole, as will third-round pick Nathan Shepherd.

Anderson has also taken Wilkerson’s familiar jersey No. 96.

“I hadn’t even realized that [Wilkerson was gone],” Anderson said about when he was initially traded. “Over the years, you’d think of the Jets and you’d think of the D line they had with [Leonard Williams], Sheldon Richardson, Wilkerson, [Damon Harrison], Kony Ealy was here for a little bit. I knew Sheldon had been traded, but I didn’t realize that Wilkerson had moved on. I probably had read that at some point but had forgotten.”

The 6-foot-6, 300-pounder has been a full participant in Jets’ OTA practices. It is his first time back on the field since last November, when he took an elbow to his throat from a Texans running back.

“When it happened I didn’t think anything of it because you get hit in the throat all the time,” Anderson said. “Usually it’s just nothing. It feels weird and then you just keep moving on. I thought it was just another one of those things. After the game it was starting to hurt to drink water. I wanted to get it checked out. I didn’t think you could seriously injure your throat like that until the doctor told me.”

Anderson (left) talks with Leonard Williams during Jets OTAs on Tuesday.AP

The doctor told Anderson he had fractured his larynx, the muscular organ that forms an air passage to the lungs and holds the vocal cords. The doctor told him if kept playing with the injury he risked death because if he was hit there again, it might have cut off his breathing.

“It was scary,” Anderson said.

He missed the rest of the season, a tough blow for Anderson, who had torn an ACL as a rookie. Just before the throat injury, Anderson had started to come on for the Colts. He had two sacks in his last three starts, and two weeks earlier had four tackles, a sack and a forced fumble against the Jaguars.

Now, he is back on the field with a new team, eager to prove he can contribute.

“I’m excited to work with some of the guys on the D line,” Anderson said. “When I heard [about the trade], I just wanted to get out here and get to work and start to get to know the guys here.”