By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Three times this season, Willie Anderson has faced Pro Bowl defensive ends and not given up a sack.

The seventh-season right tackle is having one of his finest seasons. He shut down San Diego's Marcellus Wiley, Tennessee's Kevin Carter and Houston's Gary Walker.

And Anderson has played a big part in the emergence of a Bengals' offense that has scored more than half of its 113 points in the past two games.

"I like it better the better my opponent is," Anderson said Monday.

"I want my guy every week to lead the league in sacks, because I know if I shut him down, I'm playing my best.

"The only stats linemen have is giving up no sacks or getting the running back 100 yards rushing."

Anderson, 27, has been a near-miss selection for the Pro Bowl for at least three seasons.

He has blocked for all 25 of Corey Dillon's 100-yard rushing games. Dillon has made the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons, but Anderson - as an offensive lineman - is overlooked for the NFL all-star game because the Bengals are perennial losers.

"I want to be the best," Anderson said. "I always wanted to be the best. When (linebacker) Takeo Spikes came in, I told him, at the time he was a rookie, `You're going to see a lot of guys here who are going to settle for being average guys.' I said, `Don't do that.' That's not my thing. I still shoot every day to be the best."