Analytics and sports performance science have shaped MLB, NFL. Is college football next? Just look at Najee Harris

By Bruce Feldman Mar 1, 2021 26
Even when he played in the NFL, Dave Anderson, at 5-foot-11-ish and 190 pounds, didn’t look like he played in the NFL. He was a freaky athlete who could dunk a basketball since he was in the eighth grade. But in the NFL, being a freak is all relative — especially when you’re in the same receiver room with Andre Johnson, a 230-pound wideout who could run in the 4.3s and broad jump 11 feet; Trindon Holliday, who was only 5-5 but went to the Olympic trials as a sprinter; and Jacoby Jones, who, at 6-3, had once run the 100 in 10.28 and could 360-degree dunk a basketball with ease.

Anderson played six seasons in the NFL, most of them with the Houston Texans. He has always been a curious guy and relishes thinking outside the box. He did some stand-up comedy in Houston and once was featured on the Conan O’Brien show after doing Conan’s “string” dance to celebrate scoring a touchdown.