Anderson’s Welcome Was Anything but Warm

There were no swan dives over defenders for touchdowns. No waterbug cutbacks, no dancing through the secondary.

About all running back Gary Anderson saw in his return on Sunday to San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium was a bunch of his former teammates pounding him into the ground.

Anderson, traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by the Chargers for two draft choices before the season, rushed 10 times for 26 yards in Sunday’s 41-10 Charger victory.

Some welcome.

“You’re always disappointed when you lose,” Anderson said. “They played great on both sides of the ball.”

Anderson’s longest gain was seven yards. On most plays, he was left without an inch of room to run. The Chargers appeared to give a little extra effort every time he got his hands on the ball, though Anderson isn’t buying it.

“No,” he said. “I didn’t think they played extra hard for me. I don’t think they put in anything special for me. They have a good defensive scheme all around. They blitzed well and played hard.”

Anderson’s reception from the fans was mixed.

“I heard some boos, but I heard some cheers, too, and that made me feel pretty good,” he said.