BEREA — The last time Derek Anderson played in a game this important, it was Week 16 of last season and the Browns needed a win to make the postseason. He threw four interceptions, the Browns lost at Cincinnati and they missed out on the playoffs.
This week, it’s the Steelers, their confusing zone blitzes, a national-television audience and the prospect of starting the season with a pair of home losses.
Has Anderson matured to a point where he’ll play better in games of this magnitude?
“The jury’s still out, as far as big games go,” coach Romeo Crennel said this week. “As we go through the season, we’ll be better able to answer that question.”
Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski thinks he knows what that answer will be.
“Derek has a lot of pride about himself and how he plays and his performance,” Chudzinski said Friday. “He has prepared very well, he is eager to play well and I’m expecting him to play well.”
Anderson started 15 games last year on his way to the Pro Bowl, but this is the first time he’s opened an NFL season as the starter. It didn’t begin well.
He was sacked and suffered a concussion Aug. 18 and didn’t return to practice until the opening week of the season. His timing was off in the loss to Dallas, as he went 11-for-24 for 114 yards, a touchdown and a 74.0 rating.
“Obviously there’s a lot of things we left out there, a lot of opportunities that we had,” Anderson said. “Just small things here and there that make a big difference.”
Anderson said he and the rest of the offense are committed to fixing the mistakes.
“Whatever it takes this week to make sure every little thing is covered,” he said. “It was a little bit of an eye-opener for some guys that maybe we’ve got to do a little bit more.”
Crennel knows his quarterback and team have a lot to prove, but he remains confident in Anderson’s ability to bounce back from a shaky outing.
“I think he will take the challenge and step up to the plate and do a good job,” he said.
Anderson has played in three Steelers games and is 0-2 as the starter. (Tim Couch remains the only quarterback to beat Pittsburgh since the Browns returned in 1999.) Anderson’s first NFL start came in Pittsburgh, and he went 21-for-37 for 276 yards, a touchdown, an interception and a 95.5 rating.
He replaced Charlie Frye in the opener last year, then went to Heinz Field with the division lead on the line. Anderson went 16-for-35 for 123 yards, three touchdowns and an 83.4 rating. He couldn’t do anything in the second half as the Browns blew a 21-9 halftime lead and lost 31-28.
“We just didn’t throw it and catch it and we didn’t execute in the second half,” he said. “We had opportunities. If you go back and look at it, I missed a few throws, we dropped a few balls. Just stupid little things.
“You’ve just got to keep playing and keep executing and when you get the ball late you’ve got to make sure you’re scoring and continue to do the things you did early on.”
The Steelers defense made an adjustment in the second half and took away the deep pass. Instead, it dared Anderson to beat it underneath, which isn’t his strength. The short throws became a focus of Anderson in the offseason.
“Derek’s done a nice job in improving that,” Chudzinski said. “Hopefully that’s something when those things come up we’re able to execute.”
The Steelers present a unique challenge with their zone blitzes and unrelenting pressure. They overload a side of the line and force the offense to make a series of snap decisions.
“I’ve just got to get the ball out,” Anderson said. “It’s just seeing it, ID’ing it and making sure we’re all on the same page.
“They make you think and they communicate on the field and they make us communicate. But we can also do some things to pop some guys open.”
Anderson is as laid-back as a professional athlete can be, so he insists he’s not about to become overwhelmed with the thought of playing on NBC’s Football Night in America with John Madden announcing.
“Coach says sometimes the big lights are on and you’ve got to get ready to go, but I think if you think of it like that, you’re asking for some issues,” Anderson said. “Obviously it’s exciting. Obviously it’s a big game, but I’m trying not to get too carried away with it.”
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

NEXT UP

WHO: Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh
WHEN: Sunday, 8:15 p.m.
WHERE: Cleveland Browns Stadium
TV/RADIO: Channel 3; WMMS 100.7-FM

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