Colt Anderson

Colt Anderson (born October 25, 1985) is an American football free safety for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Montana.

Early years
Anderson was born on October 25, 1985 in Butte, Montana to parents Mike and Michele Anderson. Two of his uncles played college football at the University of Montana during the 1970s. He attended Butte High School where he lettered in football and basketball for three years, and track twice. He played football as a running back and safety. As a junior, he was named honorable mention all-state, and as a senior in 2003, was an all-state first-team safety and honorable mention running back. Over the course of his career, Anderson recorded 310 tackles, nine interceptions, 850 rushing yards, and 12 touchdowns. He was not recruited out of high school and chose to attend the University of Montana.

College career
Anderson attended the University of Montana where he studied business administration. He walked onto the team, and sat out the 2004 season on redshirt status. In 2005, he saw action in five games on special teams, but suffered a broken thumb after making a tackle against Oregon. His injury curtailed his playing time, and he finished the season having recorded seven tackles. During the offseason, he worked to improve his conditioning and impressed the coaching staff enough to garner a scholarship. In 2006, Anderson started all 14 games and recorded 92 tackles. The conference named him to the All-Big Sky first-team as both a safety and on special teams. When asked if he looks for "big-hit opportunit[ies]" in 2006, he said, "I just like to fly around and make plays and every now and then you’ll come across a guy that you can hit." In 2007, he started in all 14 games. Anderson tallied 85 tackles including 58 solo and seven for loss, three forced fumbles, four interceptions, and nine pass deflections. The conference again named Anderson to the All-Big Sky first team, while The Sports Network named him an honorable mention All-American, and College Sporting News named him to its "Fabulous Fifty" team.

In 2008, Anderson served as the team captain and saw action in all 16 games. He recorded 129 tackles including 63 solo and 6.5 for loss, one quarterback sack, three interceptions returned for 80 yards, six passes broken-up, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. That season, Montana advanced to the national championship game before falling to Richmond, 24–7. Anderson was selected as a Buck Buchanan Award candidate. The conference named him an All-Big Sky player for the third year and he also received the team's most valuable player honors. Virtually every FCS All-America team selector named him to its first team. The American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press, College Sporting News, and the Walter Camp Foundation named Anderson to their first teams, while the Sports Network named him an honorable mention All-American. After the season, he participated in the Texas vs. the Nation all-star game.

Pre-draft
The CBS Sports-affiliated NFL Draft Scout assessed Anderson as the 13th-ranked of the 106 free safeties available for the 2009 NFL Draft, and considered him as a potential seventh round selection or free agent. A Scout.com assessment commended his instincts and tackling, but described his size as "marginal for the NFL" and said he was more suited for zone coverage than man-to-man. Anderson said, "Shoot, I'm like any other person. I'll watch the first 10 picks, or maybe the first round, and then just check on it from time to time. Any NFL fan will watch that first round. Once the second round starts, I’ll be laying around, taking a nap."

Minnesota Vikings
Anderson was not selected in the draft, but he reported that ten teams pursued him shortly afterward. The Minnesota Vikings signed him as an undrafted free agent, which included a $20,000 signing bonus, a comparatively large sum. Anderson said, "I just felt Minnesota was the best opportunity for me. They thought I could have an impact for them."

On September 5, 2010, Anderson was signed to the practice squad by the Vikings.

Philadelphia Eagles
Anderson was signed to a three-year contract off of the Vikings' practice squad on November 9, 2010 by the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite playing at a Pro Bowl level in 2011 as a special teams player, Anderson suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a game against the Seattle Seahawks on December 1, 2011, leading to his placement on injured reserve on December 5. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) for the start of training camp on July 22, 2012.