ALAMEDA – C.J. Anderson acknowledged this wasn’t the first time he’d been inside the Raiders locker room. It wasn’t in the professional capacity it was Wednesday, less than 24 hours after he signed with the Silver and Black.
“Last time I was in here, Tim Brown and Bobby Brooks were holding (a football skills) camp,” Anderson said. “It feels good to have another opportunity to play football and do what I love to do.”
[RELATED: Raiders sign C.J. Anderson]
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SIGN UP HERE Anderson will enjoy where he gets to work over the next month at least. Anderson is Concord born and Vallejo-bred, a prep superstar who played some quality college football at Cal.
His mother is a huge Raiders fan, and Anderson was raised to love the Silver and Black.
“I grew up in the Coliseum,” Anderson said. “I came to a lot of games, screaming chants and all that. I know all about the history.”
He also quickly listed the players he followed closest as a kid.
NFL
“Charlie Garner was my favorite, when he moved from the 49ers over here,” Anderson said. “I like Napoleon Kauffman. I loved (Greg) Biekert. I love (Charles Woodson). I can go down the list.”
Anderson cut it short. He didn’t have all day. There’s significant acclimation going on right now, as he adjusts to Jon Gruden’s offseason with the possibility he’ll play some Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That’s a quick transition -- one Anderson wants to make with just four games remains and so little work done this season. Carolina cut him on Nov. 12, ending a short tenure that didn’t pan out. He was supposed to compliment Christian McCaffrey, but the Stanford alum was too good to take off the field.
He carried the ball 24 times for 104 yards and had a 24-yard touchdown catch.
Anderson had some options, but ended up back home in the Bay Area.
“I went to Detroit. I went to Kansas City,” Anderson said. “I had some teams who were going to wait until the end of this week to see what they were going to do with me, including some playoff teams. But, when I sat back and thought about this opportunity, I thought it was a good one.”
Anderson believes he can get going quickly despite learning a new scheme while trying to prep for a game. He was brought in to help in case Doug Martin’s knee injury prevented him from playing Sunday, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
How or whether Anderson fits here in the short and long term remains to be seen. Anderson’s going to push to earn a job here or somewhere else next season.
“I’ve got four weeks to put my best foot forward and help this team win some games,” the 26-year old said. “That’s the No. 1 goal, right? I want to win and play good football for the next month that I have.”