Source: Packers trade safety Anderson to Oakland

Friday, Sept. 3, 2004 | 9:01 a.m.

Green Bay traded strong safety Marques Anderson to the Oakland Raiders for two 2005 draft picks, a source close to the Packers said Friday.

The Packers will get a fifth- and a sixth-round pick for Anderson, said the source, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Anderson told the AP from his hotel in Nashville, where the Packers were to play Tennessee in their exhibition finale on Friday night, that Raiders senior personnel executive Michael Lombardi told him he'd get a chance to start because of an injury to strong safety Derrick Gibson.

"If I can pick up the system quickly, they want to see if I can start at Pittsburgh Sept. 12," Anderson said.

Gibson dislocated his right shoulder in Oakland's 28-24 exhibition victory over the St. Louis Rams on Friday night. The Raiders scheduled a conference call Friday to discuss Gibson's status.

Anderson was going to be a backup again in Green Bay, where he lost out to free agent Mark Roman during a training camp competition for the starting safety job opposite Darren Sharper.

Anderson said that Packers coach and general manager Mike Sherman told him the Raiders had their eye on him for a while and "the injury to Gibson accelerated the process."

"I've enjoyed my time with the Packers, but I look at Oakland as an opportunity to show what I can do," Anderson said. "I'm exited. I'll be in California, close to home and I'm ready to roll."

Anderson was a third-round draft pick out of UCLA and started 11 games in 2002 and seven last year, plus both of the Packers' playoff games. He spent the latter part of last season as the starting strong safety after a pair of injuries sidelined Antuan Edwards, who had beaten him out for the job in training camp.

Anderson has career totals of 139 tackles, 96 of them solo, five interceptions and four fumble recoveries in 30 career games. In three playoff games, he's tallied 18 tackles and one sack.

Anderson returned two interceptions for touchdowns his rookie year, when he was named the team's defensive rookie of the year and three times won the NFL's weekly defensive rookie of the week honors.

"I always looked at myself as a starter," he said. "I always prepared as a starter and I think with Green Bay giving me (18 starts) it really matured me fast in the league. Now, I have the opportunity in Oakland to solidify myself as the starting safety."

Anderson said he leaves with no hard feelings.

"It's professional. Sooner or later, everything will work itself out," he said. "This might not have been my time in Green Bay, but I'm a football player and I play football. I love the players, the coaching staff, the organization in Green Bay. But I'm going from one heavy traditional team to another. No hard feelings at all."