LAKE FOREST, Ill. – After freefalling into the fifth round of the NFL Draft, a motivated Mark Anderson set a Bears rookie record with 12 sacks in 2006. A year later, the athletic defensive end is just as determined to prove himself following a disappointing second season.

“Once again the chip is right back on the shoulder,” Anderson said. “That’s how I’m looking at it. Last year the chip was on the shoulder for where I got drafted, and this year it’s just me not having a good season like I wanted to. I’m ready to come back and show what I can do.”

Defensive end Mark Anderson has registered 17 sacks in his first 30 games with the Bears.

A stellar situational pass rusher as a rookie, Anderson was anointed the starting right end prior to the 2007 season. He registered four sacks in the first four games, but mustered just one sack in his next 10 contests before missing the last two weeks of the season with a knee injury.

Anderson also struggled at times against the run, particularly in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings Oct. 14 at Soldier Field. But the former Alabama star developed into a more complete player as the season progressed. 

He recorded 14 tackles in successive December games against the Broncos, Giants and Redskins, matching the most productive three-game stretch of his career.

“I didn’t reach all my goals this year,” Anderson said. “But I felt I turned it on and did OK towards the end, playing the run a little better and getting pressure on the quarterback like I was supposed to. I feel I made an improvement from the beginning of the season to the end.”

Anderson’s sacks declined in part because opponents weren’t in as many predictable passing situations as they were in 2006 when the Bears were routinely protecting big leads. He also wasn’t able to sneak up on anyone after finishing second in voting for the NFL defensive rookie of the year.

“It was a little different,” Anderson said. “I wasn’t a secret anymore. Teams had time to scheme me and throw a couple chip blocks with a tight end. That was really the only difference.

“So now I know what to do and I’m ready to get going. I’m going to go back and watch film, see what I did, see what to do and what not to do, and how to handle different situations and work extra hard so I can become a dominant defensive end.”