Broncos offensive tackle Calvin Anderson has a puzzling talent and title. He was recently hired as a brand ambassador for Rubik’s Cube. The 23-year-old will represent the company at international events in the NFL offseason.
“Its super cool, I’ve been doing Rubik’s Cubes since I was a little kid. And so now to be in a position when I can benefit the company in some way it's super exciting,” said Anderson.
Anderson began solving the Rubik’s Cube for fun, but now you can find him using the toy on game day. Believe it or not, the 6-foot-5, 300 pound tackle says the puzzle helps him get ready to play football.
“It's something I do that relaxes me. Before a game you’re trying to get mentally dialed in to what your assignments are. Being an offensive lineman there’s a lot of things that you’ve gotta be keen to. Gotta be ready to protect Joe (Flacco) in our offense,” added Anderson. “The Rubik’s Cube has always helped me dial in, get rid of distractions and stimulate my mind before the game so I can think at an elite level.”
But what does it take to solve the Rubik’s Cube? According to Anderson the key is patience.
“For me, especially when I was first trying to do it, you want to jump ahead a bunch of steps. You don’t want to take the time,” said Anderson.
It didn’t hurt that Anderson was a Mathematical Economics major at Rice University.
“Math and numbers have always come easy to me. Then you can think about it, at least conceptually, (that) you’re putting together a Sudoku puzzle in your head. And then the spatial awareness and all that, hand movements are just things you train over time,” said Anderson.
He can solve a Rubik’s cube in under 30 second -- he can do it behind his back and blindfolded. His teammates are still in awe of his talent, but Anderson takes it all in stride.
“I think if you can challenge your mind, as many ways as you can challenge your mind, to think different or comprehend different, I think it just expands your overall knowledge and your ability to comprehend and understand things,” said Anderson.
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