Anderson Seeks to Recapture Glory Days : Rams: Wide receiver, whose best seasons were 1989-90, wants to become bigger part of game plan.

Wide receiver Flipper Anderson cruises around the Rams’ training camp at UC Irvine on one of those radical, state-of-the-art bikes, complete with 21 gears that will take you from zero to 20 m.p.h. in a matter of seconds.

So how fast have you got that thing going, Flipper?

“Oh, about 70 m.p.h.,” he said.

Anderson’s estimate is more than just a little exaggerated, but his outlook on his career is perfectly clear--he’s changing gears.

A seventh-year pro, Anderson vanished from the Ram game plan last season, no longer the deep threat he was in 1989, when he set an NFL record for receiving yards in a game with 336 against New Orleans.

He surpassed that total last season by little more than 200 yards, catching only 37 passes for 552 yards and four touchdowns. He caught only one touchdown pass in the final 10 games, leaving fans to wonder if he would ever return to the level he played in 1989, when he caught 44 passes for 1,146 and helped the Rams reach the NFC championship game.

“It was very frustrating last season,” Anderson said. “It was like I was just floating around out there. I was going to practice every week and I felt like I was part of the game plan, but the ball wasn’t coming my way.”

A year later, it could be. Henry Ellard, the Rams’ leading receiver, has departed to Washington via free agency. Quarterback Jim Everett has been traded to New Orleans.

They left behind Anderson, who has vowed to become the Rams’ top receiver this season in an offense built around tailback Jerome Bettis and the high-percentage passing of Chris Miller.

“It’s kind of a put-up or shut-up year for me,” Anderson said. “I really haven’t put up any kind of numbers the past three years because of a combination of a lot of things.”

Last season, everybody had their theory on Anderson’s disappearance in the offense:

Theory No. 1--Everett lost it, became shaky in the pocket and could no longer throw the ball deep like he once did. Was it a case where Anderson just wasn’t making a connection with Everett, or had the receiver actually lost faith in his quarterback?

“It was a combination of both,” Anderson said. “Jim and Henry had a special rapport, so whenever Jim got into trouble, he would just throw it to Henry.”

Theory No. 2--Anderson played flanker in assistant coach Ernie Zampese’s offense and didn’t always run the type of routes that worked to his strengths. But this season, Anderson lines up at split end, Ellard’s old position, in offensive coordinator Chick Harris’ system.

“I think that position gets a few more balls than the flanker,” Anderson said. “It’s a role I look forward to handling. It puts a little more responsibility on me and I’m up to the task. I’m old enough and mature enough to handle it.”

Theory No. 3--With Bettis challenging Dallas’ Emmitt Smith for the league rushing title, the Rams were looking to run through the second half of the season. As a result, fewer deep pass routes.

“Jerome had a great season and we started emphasizing the running game,” Anderson said, “and I just kind of got lost out there. I was always ready to go if my number was called. But I wasn’t getting anything.”

Theory No. 4--Anderson lost the speed he once had. No true, he said.

“My speed is still good,” he said. “You still have to respect me.”

Ram wide receiver coach Steve Moore, who coached Steve Largent in Seattle, said has been impressed with Anderson’s work ethic so far in practice. Anderson, who’s in the final year of his contract, participated in informal off-season workouts this year for the first time that many on the Ram staff could remember.

“I think Willie will have an incredible year so long as these three things come together,” Moore said. “First of all, he has to play up to his ability level, which he has been practicing at.

“Secondly, he has to have rapport with the quarterback, not just on a personal level but on coordination on the field. And finally, the team has to win. We’ve had great players go unrecognized on teams that didn’t win. Once we started winning, suddenly, those same players were in the Pro Bowl.”

If he and Miller make a connection, Anderson is confident he can improve upon his statistics from 1990, when he caught a career-high 51 passes for 1,097 yards.

“I want my numbers way up,” he said. “I want to surpass those 51 catches that by 20 or 30, get about 1,200 to 1,500 yards, 15 touchdowns and get the team to the playoffs.

“With the kind of ball Miller throws, I think it would be easy to get a lot of touchdowns. Miller’s coming from Atlanta, where Andre Rison was always leading the league in touchdown catches.”

Rise and Fall

Flipper Anderson, once a deep threat in the Rams’ passing offense, all but vanished last season, catching only one touchdown pass in his final 10 games. Anderson hopes to make a comeback this season with help from a new quarterback, Chris Miller, and tailback Jerome Bettis, whose running could open up some one-on-one coverages. A look at Anderson’s yearly statistics:

Year G-S Rec. Yds. Avg. TDs 1988 16-1 11 319 29.0 0 1989 16-13 44 1,146 26.0 5 1990 16-10 51 1,097 21.5 4 1991 12-9 32 530 16.6 1 1992 15-9 38 657 17.3 7 1993 15-15 37 552 14.9 4 Career 90-57 213 4,301 20.2 21

Source: NFL statistics