Earlier in the week, rookie fourth-round running back Devontae Booker had some brash words for his new teammates:

“My message to Broncos fans is, I want to be on of the best running backs to come out of Denver. I’m not there to carry pads; I’m there to take someone’s job.”

Now, while that’s a respectable, even exciting, mentality for Broncos fans, it’s not exactly the best way to introduce yourself to the rest of the running back corps, specifically C.J. Anderson, who just signed a 4-year, $18 million contact with the Broncos this offseason.

Anderson, though, wasn’t fazed.

“What do people want him to say?’’ Anderson said, via Mike Klis of 9News. “It doesn’t matter what he says. I know what I can do. I know what I can do in this league. He’s coming in with confidence and he’s supposed to. I don’t have a problem with what he said. I said the same thing when I came in undrafted.”

And in fact, Anderson continues to do so.

The Broncos’ starting running back seemingly takes every supposed slight to heart, and he’s not afraid to talk about it; it motivates him, and you can expect Booker’s comments to do the same.

And he said this the day prior:

And this a few days before that:

And it goes on and on and on.

C.J. Anderson is motivated. He’s motivated by himself, his teammates, the critics, the media and quite possibly you — Have you ever questioned C.J? Well then, yes, he’s motivated by you. And that’s what great athletes do: They find motivation in the smallest, most-benign statement or action and turn it into growth.

Heck, this weekend he’s competing in his first PBA event. Why? Probably because somebody said he couldn’t.

In four years, Anderson has gone from an undrafted free agent to the 10th highest-paid running back in the NFL. He’s averaged 4.7 yards per carry in each of his last two seasons and was arguably the best back in the AFC in the second half of both years.

John Elway and the Denver Broncos invested a lot of money into him this offseason — more than many would have hoped — but don’t expect Anderson to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor. He’s hungrier than ever before.