Tag: Willie Anderson

Willie Anderson issues statement after latest Hall of Fame snub

Willie Anderson with a message for Bengals fans.

Cincinnati Bengals great Willie Anderson seems closer to the Hall of Fame than ever, even after falling short of the 2024 class.

Anderson, addressing the near-miss on social media, asked fans not to go on a massive campaign as a reaction to the latest class: “Bengals fans and my supporters. I ask you a favor. Please let’s not start this Twitter campaign about me being Snubbed. Only 5 men can go . Every last man who got in into tonight deserves it. Please let’s not harass anyone and endless tweeting I was snubbed.”

A finalist for the third straight year, Anderson said in an interview after the unveiling of the class that he doesn’t get too up or down about the process now.

“I kind of told myself after the first year, when I saw that 330 phone call, I don’t want to get too up or too down,” Anderson said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “They called me this year and told me I didn’t make it and I kind of had the same feeling. You can say you get used to it, but you’re always wondering how it’s going to be. It dwindles down to 25 to 15 and we sit and wait.

Barring a stunner, the Bengals Ring of Honor member, first-team All-Pro three times with four Pro Bowls will be in the mix again this time next year.

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Bengals great Willie Anderson misses on Hall of Fame again

Willie Anderson will have to wait another year.

Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Willie Anderson will have to wait another year to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Anderson, a finalist once more, misses out on the 2024 class:

— Dwight Freeney
— Devin Hester
— Andre Johnson
— Julius Peppers
— Patrick Willis
— Randy Gradishar (senior)
— Steve McMichael (senior)

Anderson, the 10th overall pick from 1996 was a first-team All-Pro three times with four Pro Bowls, allowing 16 sacks over 195 games and blocking for some historic Corey Dillon rushing outputs. He is a member of the team’s Ring of Honor and was in his 11th year of eligibility and a finalist for the third consecutive year.

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Willie Anderson named as finalist for 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class

Former Auburn Tiger Willie Anderson has been named a finalist for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class.

Former Auburn Tiger offensive lineman Willie Anderson has been named a finalist for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class.

The Auburn alum spent his entire 13-year career in the NFL as one of the premier offensive tackles in the sport.

Anderson was fantastic for the entirety of his career, but he began receiving All-Pro accolades shortly after the Bengals drafted franchise quarterback Carson Palmer.

Along with Palmer, Anderson helped lead the Bengals to a relevance in the early 2000s The right captured first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in 2004, a year after being voted on the second team for the first time in 2003.

The 1996 first-round selection cemented himself as an All-Pro from there, as he helped the Bengals capture an AFC North title in 2005 before being named to the first-team over the next three seasons.

In total, Anderson appeared in 199 games for Cincinnati and the Baltimore Ravens. Four of those 199 were in the playoffs.

A member of the Bengals “Ring of Honor”, Anderson joins the likes of legends Reggie Wayne, Devin Hester, Antonio Gates, Rodney Harrison, and Dwight Freeney on the 2024 finalist list.

We will find out whether Anderson or the other names on the list find their way into Canton, OH on February 8th at the NFL Honors Awards.

 

Willie Anderson named Hall of Fame finalist for third straight time

Is this finally the year Willie Anderson gets in the Hall?

Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Willie Anderson is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the third consecutive year.

With just one other offensive lineman making the finals this year (former All-Pro guard Jahri Evans), it feels like the third time will indeed be the charm for the Bengals great.

One of the best overall tackles of his era, Anderson is in his 11th year of eligibility for the Hall and only three players have been finalists more than him.

Anderson wrote the following on social media: “Thank you so much to all our fans who have kept my name alive these last 15 years of retirement. Also others who are not Bengals fans who have kept this push to the finals for me last 3 years! I am truly appreciative of you. Wouldn’t be at this point without you #Whodey!”

The selection committee will pick the 2024 class next month, with the announcement happening at the NFL Honors during the week of the Super Bowl.

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Willie Anderson named Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist

Is this the year for Willie Anderson?

Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Willie Anderson has been named as a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the fourth straight year. He is included in a list of 25 players that only includes one other offensive lineman.

Anderson is already in the Bengals Ring of Honor but is still chasing being enshrined in Canton. If he advances to the finals, it would be the third straight year he would make it that far, and the final vote is in mid-January.

Anderson was drafted 10th overall in 1996 by the Bengals, playing 12 seasons in Cincinnati before moving on to Baltimore in 2008.

The late Ken Riley was inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this year after being eligible for years. He was the second Cincinnati player to be selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame after Anthony Munoz.

Notable Bengals that didn’t make the semifinals this year were all-time leading rusher Corey Dillon, all-time leading receiver Chad Johnson, linebacker Takeo Spikes and Justin Smith.

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Willie Anderson: Giants RT Evan Neal ‘has the it factor’

Former NFL All-Pro Willie Anderson believes New York Giants RT Evan Neal has “the it factor” and will turn a corner in 2023.

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New York Giants right tackle Evan Neal spent a portion of his offseason training with retired NFL All-Pro Willie Anderson. During that time, Neal adjusted his stance with sights set on improving in 2023.

Neal and Anderson remain in contact via social media and the four-time Pro Bowler has become a believer in the 22-year-old.

“He admitted that he had a rough rookie year in some spots: Name me the offensive lineman who didn’t,” Anderson told the New York Post. “He has the ‘it’ factor in that he wants to figure out how to get over the hump. Every good lineman I’ve known who’s struggled but has the will to want to be good, they figure it out. He has self-pride inside him.”

Although Neal won’t make any excuses, a shift from the left side to the right side stunted his growth a bit as a rookie. Injuries didn’t help, either.

“I’ve seen Hall of Famers go from left tackle to right tackle and get their [expletive] whooped,” Anderson said. “It’s not because they are terrible players. When you change from left to right, you change the part of your brain that commands you to be stronger on your dominant leg and your inside arm. It throws guys off because it doesn’t feel stable.

“He was so staggered. I said, ‘Let’s try to get you comfortable — not a low stance, but a loaded stance where we can get that big body exploding but being balanced on contact.’ A lot of big, tall guys get too wide. I think he spent his whole rookie year trying to figure out how to change his dominant leg to the right side.”

Anderson doesn’t expect Neal to leave the gate on fire this coming season but believes that by the middle of the year, he’ll be dominating defenders like he had at Alabama.

“I’m looking forward to the middle of the season and the end of the season for the light to really come on,” Anderson said. “Him being a big cat mauling people. We saw it at Alabama the last two years because he was playing confidently. When that switch turns on, it’s hard to turn off.”

The Giants desperately need that switch to turn on and Neal knows that. He’s well aware of his importance to the team and is working his tail off to get things corrected.

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Giants’ Evan Neal explains why he changed his stance

New York Giants RT Evan Neal opens up about working with Willie Anderson this offseason, his stance change and his desire to improve.

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New York Giants right tackle Evan Neal struggled as a rookie but he’s not interested in making any excuses. Despite being hampered by a knee injury that undoubtedly impacted him in a number of areas, Neal insists his poor play wasn’t a result of that.

“It wasn’t a factor. A lot of guys get dinged up, banged up. I wasn’t the only one out there dealing with stuff,” Neal told reporters on Wednesday.

Neal was allowed to heal this offseason and that afforded him the opportunity to train with retired All-Pro tackle Willie Anderson. The two initially linked up via Instagram and then got together to work on Neal’s stance.

“Working with Willie was cool,” Neal said. “Just gaining a lot of his knowledge, him being a Pro Bowl player, we were playing around with my stance, seeing what’s comfortable, seeing what’s not comfortable. The stance that I can be functional out of and explode out of and stuff like that.

“Whether I’m widening out my base or narrowing it or just seeing what’s comfortable. You’ve got to be able to be functional in your stance and be able to move efficiently out of your stance. That’s what we were trying to find, find a place that I’m quick out of, that’s comfortable for me, a stance that I can get in and repeat rep after rep after rep.”

Although Neal felt comfortable with his stance a season ago, he acknowledges that adaptation is required in the NFL. There’s constant development and evolution, so he’s aiming to find what works best.

“I’m open to change. In this league, you’ve got to be able to adapt. I’ve done a lot of things that work for me in the past. I’ve done things that haven’t worked so well. This is just another one of those things, me trying something new, just seeing how I can get better,” he said.

“Like with anything you want to refine it to the point where you get better results out of it. It wasn’t the fact that I was uncomfortable. I was analyzing my game and I was like, okay, maybe if I tweak this part of my stance maybe I’ll be able to get to my pass set quicker or maybe I’ll be more balanced whenever I take my pass sets. Really, it’s just a refining type of thing.”

Neal is one of the most important players on the Giants headed into the 2023 season. The team needs him to make Andrew Thomas-like strides and he’s certainly working towards that.

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Bengals great Willie Anderson mentored NFL draft prospect Paris Johnson Jr.

A fun connection between a draft prospect and a Bengals great.

Cincinnati Bengals great Willie Anderson has his fingerprints all over the 2023 NFL draft class in a big way.

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. revealed this week that Anderson actually took him under his wing when he was just 15 years old.

Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager wrote the following: “Paris Johnson, Jr. just told a good story on @GMFB. Before his sophomore HS season, he was introduced to @Bengals legend Willie Anderson. Anderson, then, had a 15-year-old young buck come down to Atlanta, took him under his wing, and trained him to play O line all summer long.”

It’s an awesome story and one sure to pop up time and again as we get closer to the draft.

Anderson, a Bengals Ring of Honor inductee and a two-time finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, clearly helped in a big way. His Bengals won’t have a shot at Johnson, the borderline consensus No. 1 lineman in the class who could come off the board as early as the top five.

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Giants’ Evan Neal training with former All-Pro Willie Anderson

New York Giants RT Evan Neal is training with four-time All-Pro Willie Anderson this offseason and has debuted a new stance.

The New York Giants have addressed most of their pressing issues this offseason with one lone exception: the offensive line.

There have been a plethora of signings, returns and trades but almost no attention has been paid to the O-line, it seems. In fact, the unit has only grown weaker with the losses of Nick Gates (Washington Commanders) and Jon Feliciano (San Francisco 49ers), leaving the Giants without a true center.

Expectations are that general manager Joe Schoen will address that position in the 2023 NFL draft but even then, the current offensive line inspires little confidence outside of left tackle Andrew Thomas.

The Giants could benefit greatly from a Thomas-like turnaround from right tackle Evan Neal, whose rookie season was marred by injury and inconsistency.

Some have already (and unjustly) written Neal off as a bust but that’s quite premature. Neal still has all of the attributes necessary to become a solid tackle in the NFL and he’s taking nothing for granted this offseason.

Finally feeling a bit more healthy, Neal has begun training with retired NFL offensive lineman and four-time All-Pro, Willie Anderson.

As part of that training, Neal has debuted a new stance.

Anderson also praised Neal and expressed faith that he will not only turn things around but that he will become a dominant tackle in the NFL.

“Been around Evan Neal,” Anderson wrote. “(I) know he has it. We’re playing around with his stance. He’ll eventually get into a stance he feels comfortable with. Long, big guys like him and (Andrew Whitworth) are not human and have a significant advantage because of their feet. He’s going to get (it).”

Anderson also gave a shout-out to Giants offensive line coach Bobby Johnson for encouraging Neal to reach out and train with retired players who previously dominated at the NFL level.

“Shout-out to his O-line coach, Bobby Johnson, of the Giants for encouraging him to (work with) his people in the offseason,” Anderson wrote. “Can’t thank him enough for wanting his guys to get better and not having the ego usually associated with O-line coaches about ‘their guys.’ Salute, Bobby.”

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Willie Anderson sheds Hall of Fame snub to celebrate Ken Riley

Some awesome thoughts from Willie Anderson about Ken Riley and the Hall of Fame.

Cincinnati Bengals great Willie Anderson isn’t sweating missing on the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the second year in a row as a finalist.

After all, fellow Bengals great Ken Riley finally just got enshrined after a massive wait, becoming the second player in team history to enter the hall.

Asked about the situation, Anderson said the moment is a fantastic one even if he didn’t get his just yet.

“I’m in a good mood because Kenny Riley is in,” Anderson said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Because I know what it meant for him. He mentioned it to me before he passed away. The only sad part about it is he’s not here to see it, but I talk to his son. We text. They’re excited. They’ve been pushing for me, pulling for me and we’ve all been pulling for them. Tonight’s a great feeling. I know what that man meant. I love when the greats who came before me get honored.”

It’s an awesome note from Anderson, one of the best right tackles of his era. And even if it’s not a focus at this very moment, he’s got a very good chance to enter the hall next year now that the logjam at offensive line has cleared.

Odds are good Anderson will be a finalist for a third straight year, especially now that it feels like a logjam of Bengals has actually broken in this modernized era for the franchise, too.

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