AROUND THE NFL : Studwell Leaves Cherishing the Experience, Not Details

Scott Studwell, the oldest starting middle linebacker in the NFL and Minnesota’s all-time leading tackler, said he has no regrets as his final game for the Vikings approaches.

Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers will be the 201st and last for Studwell.

“It’s the people you meet, the personalities, the friendships, the relationships you establish throughout the organization and the league,” the 36-year-old Studwell said. “I think that’s more important than anything else. That’s what I’ll remember the most.”

Studwell will go out as the Vikings’ all-time tackle leader, outdoing such former Minnesota greats as Alan Page, Jim Marshall and Carl Eller.

In his 14 seasons--only five Vikings have had longer tenures with the team--Studwell has collected 1,972 tackles, 1,301 solo and 671 assists, all club records. He also holds Vikings records for most tackles in a season--230 in 1981--and most tackles in a game--24, on Nov. 17, 1985, against Detroit.

His decision not to return next year is final, he says, “because it’s not based on (what coach) is going to be here. It’s not a reflection of the team’s record. It’s not based on anything other than myself. There’s absolutely no way that I’m going to come back.”

The Chicago Bears said Neal Anderson will return for the regular season finale despite a cracked rib, and announced they have re-signed Brent Snyder as a third-string quarterback for the playoffs.

Anderson, the team’s leading rusher and No. 2 pass receiver, gave the coaches the go-ahead to play him in Saturday’s home game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He missed Sunday’s 27-14 victory over Tampa Bay because of a cracked rib he suffered a week earlier.

“I feel fine. I’m rested. I didn’t do anything last week,” said Anderson, whose absence Sunday was his first since 1987. “It was the first time that I was hurt on the sidelines and that was tough being on the sidelines.”

Because Saturday’s contest doesn’t mean much to the Bears -- who already know they begin the playoffs at home Jan. 5 or 6 against either Dallas or New Orleans -- Anderson could have decided to rest another week and avoid the risk of injury.

But he wants to add to the 1,010 yards on the ground and 485 yards in pass receptions he’s compiled this year.