Who is Terdell Sands?

[Lexwhat]

Terdell Sands UFA Oakland Raiders:
The defensive tackle entered his fifth NFL season without much fanfare. He was stuck behind other players, and hadn’t been thought of as an impact player by most. However, the former Chattanooga player has shined when given the opportunity. One reason that Sands has been effective is his size. Standing 6’7” and weighing 335 pounds, Sands is enormous, and difficult to take out of a play. His height allows him to bat down passes if he cannot get penetration, and he has developed a decent awareness of where the ball is. In non-starter minutes, he’s still just two tackles away from his career season high, and he is earning more and more time each week. The Raider will be well-served to sign him to an extension, but Sands might look elsewhere if Oakland won’t guarantee him more playing time.


http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/football/nfl/players/5691.jpg

http://www.raiders.com/uploads/photos/perm/main/PFKGKBCHCABH/050506gallery-sp10.jpg

[Lexwhat]

I don't know how updated this site is, but has some info on other players:

http://www.footballsfuture.com/2007/nfl/freeagentsDL.html

[Devin]

Good lord.

[justasportsfan]

He's 6'7" and so is Denney. Might just want to stand and raise their arms on passing downs :D.

[Gunzlingr]

Terd Sands, gotta love that name.

[Lexwhat]

Some info, in case anyone was interested:

Combine Results
40 Dash: 5.08 SS: DNP 3-Cone: DNP Vertical: DNP Long Jump: DNP
In 2001, Terdell Sands was a 7th round pick by Kansas City Chiefs because he got academically disqualified.

Positives: Space-eater. High-effort guy. Getting better as a run stuffer.

Negatives: Not an every down player. Not considered an up-field pass rusher. Fast but not quick. Wears down too easily.

Does he fit our team/system?: Terdell Sands is not a starting caliber player. He can be in the game for every defensive snaps but he will not be effective. Back in 2003, when Joe Johnson of Green Bay went down, there was some shuffling in the defensive line and Terdell Sands got his first start. He ended the game with only one tackle. But on the contrary, when put in right situations (i.e. 2006 Raiders 4 man rotation), he can be very effective in "directing" the play toward the defense and chase down players.
Though he's a space-eater, he's not a 3-4 NT, necessarily. His height and frame makes it easy for offensive linemen to "lock on." Since he's not very good with his hands, its really hard for him to get off the block. In 4-3 NT, he can be effective by taking on multiple blockers and freeing up the pass rushers. So whether we run a 3-4 or 4-3, he could help our team but not on regular basis and that's not necessarily an upgrade over what we already have.

Latest news: Considering the limited snaps he plays in Raiders' 4-3 unit, he's having a good year. He's on pace to match his stats from all his previous years combined, which isn't saying much. But since he's a situational player, he would not command a big pay raise. Currently his salary with the Raiders is $712,000 a year.


http://www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1557531

[mysticsoto]

The better question might be...is he better than Tim Anderson???

[gr8slayer]

We just need somebody for third or forth and short. That is where we get torn apart.

[Goobylal]

The better question might be...is he better than Tim Anderson???
And an ever better question is, "who isn't?"

[justasportsfan]

Looks interesting but , he would be another project. We have the cap for a proven DT. Let's use it.Maybe we can take him, get rid of Powell and Anderson and bring in PAt WIlliams. Problem is, he'll be competing for playing time .

[TigerJ]

Can he play a one gap technique?

[Tatonka]

looks promising.. but honestly.. just give me pat williams back.

[Bmax]

I put him down a couple weeks ago as a guy we could possibly pick up...

Scott from the bears might also be in the mix...not that big ,,but better than anderson then again who isn't....


Bmax

[LifetimeBillsFan]

I'm not sure about this guy basically because I think that they are looking not only for guys with speed, but, in their DTs, for guys who are quick and able to penetrate and still react to the ball. He's got good size and speed for a man his size, but his liabilities might make him more of a project/hit or miss kind of guy. (Can you hear people moaning about signing an unknown guy like him for cheap if it were to turn out that he was a bust or needed time to become a contributor?)

Based on what I've seen and read, I think Tim Anderson is likely to be gone next year: I've seen mention of the Bills not being happy with their run D and about wanting K.Williams to put on some more weight for next season, etc., but nothing about Anderson. That leads me to believe that they have concluded that Anderson is not going to get the job done and will be doing something in the off-season to improve that position.

Interesting mention of Ian Scott. He was mentioned in Brown's blog on BB.com. I would expect that he will be a major target of the Bills in the off-season. If they don't sign him, they might use a draft pick on a DT--don't be surprised if they do, especially if Glenn Dorsey of LSU comes out as a junior.

Watching Rutgers against K-State tonite, I was struck, yet again, at how effective their defense, which is the same as the system the Bills run, was against the run. I know there is a big difference between the college and pro game, etc. and that this was not a quality match-up, but, watching the Rutgers LBs and safeties after seeing the Bills-Titans game last night, I couldn't help noticing the difference in how the LBs played against the run. I am more convinced than ever now that, while the Bills do need to get a DT who can hold up against the double teams in the middle, the biggest thing that they need to do to improve their run D is to improve their LB play. TKO simply doesn't have the speed/agility anymore to beat the blockers to the spot and, as dominant as Fletcher-Baker can be at times, he seems to wear down at times and seems to lose that little bit of speed that he needs to the ball-carrier where he needs to instead of a couple of yards downfield. Adding a big DT in the middle will help some, but it won't solve the problem of the LBs not getting to the spots where they are supposed to be (their "fits") in order to stop the ball-carrier.

[Watching this defensive system being played the way it is supposed to be played in the second half of the game tonite, you saw the penetration of the D-linemen (or the spots where they were stopped along the line by the O-line) with the LBs and a safety cutting in behind the D-linemen and going past the blockers to the ball-carrier, leaving no creases or gaps so that, when the ball-carrier cut-back, there was no place to go. With the Bills, though, you can see the holes and creases because the second wave of defenders behind the D-line aren't getting into the gaps in the blocking or are getting there late and trying to make arm-tackles that the RB is able to run through. That's not a problem that starts so much with the D-line, but with the LBs and the safety that is supposed to be moving up into run support if it isn't a pass. A DT who can hold his ground in the middle, at or near the point of attack, will help to insure that the holes are consistently in the same places, but you still have to have LBs who can get to those holes and creases and make solid tackles when they get there.]

After seeing Cato June getting bowled over consistently by Jones-Drew a couple of weeks ago, I kind of doubt that the Bills will make a really big run at him as a free agent. What I can see happening is that the Bills will make a big run at Lance Briggs--who plays OLB, but who also started some games at MLB for the Bears a couple of years ago when B.Urlacher was hurt--with Ian Scott as their fall-back if they cannot get Briggs. If they get a top LB like Briggs, they can draft a DT and don't have to sign Scott; if they don't get Briggs, though, they pay whatever they need to in order to get Scott (or some other DT who they think will fit) and can draft a LB. If that's what they decide to do, let's hope that Jauron and Fewell can use their connections to the Bears to convince one of those two guys to sign with the Bills early on in free agency.

[Bmax]

I'm not sure about this guy basically because I think that they are looking not only for guys with speed, but, in their DTs, for guys who are quick and able to penetrate and still react to the ball. He's got good size and speed for a man his size, but his liabilities might make him more of a project/hit or miss kind of guy. (Can you hear people moaning about signing an unknown guy like him for cheap if it were to turn out that he was a bust or needed time to become a contributor?)

Based on what I've seen and read, I think Tim Anderson is likely to be gone next year: I've seen mention of the Bills not being happy with their run D and about wanting K.Williams to put on some more weight for next season, etc., but nothing about Anderson. That leads me to believe that they have concluded that Anderson is not going to get the job done and will be doing something in the off-season to improve that position.

Interesting mention of Ian Scott. He was mentioned in Brown's blog on BB.com. I would expect that he will be a major target of the Bills in the off-season. If they don't sign him, they might use a draft pick on a DT--don't be surprised if they do, especially if Glenn Dorsey of LSU comes out as a junior.

Watching Rutgers against K-State tonite, I was struck, yet again, at how effective their defense, which is the same as the system the Bills run, was against the run. I know there is a big difference between the college and pro game, etc. and that this was not a quality match-up, but, watching the Rutgers LBs and safeties after seeing the Bills-Titans game last night, I couldn't help noticing the difference in how the LBs played against the run. I am more convinced than ever now that, while the Bills do need to get a DT who can hold up against the double teams in the middle, the biggest thing that they need to do to improve their run D is to improve their LB play. TKO simply doesn't have the speed/agility anymore to beat the blockers to the spot and, as dominant as Fletcher-Baker can be at times, he seems to wear down at times and seems to lose that little bit of speed that he needs to the ball-carrier where he needs to instead of a couple of yards downfield. Adding a big DT in the middle will help some, but it won't solve the problem of the LBs not getting to the spots where they are supposed to be (their "fits") in order to stop the ball-carrier.

[Watching this defensive system being played the way it is supposed to be played in the second half of the game tonite, you saw the penetration of the D-linemen (or the spots where they were stopped along the line by the O-line) with the LBs and a safety cutting in behind the D-linemen and going past the blockers to the ball-carrier, leaving no creases or gaps so that, when the ball-carrier cut-back, there was no place to go. With the Bills, though, you can see the holes and creases because the second wave of defenders behind the D-line aren't getting into the gaps in the blocking or are getting there late and trying to make arm-tackles that the RB is able to run through. That's not a problem that starts so much with the D-line, but with the LBs and the safety that is supposed to be moving up into run support if it isn't a pass. A DT who can hold his ground in the middle, at or near the point of attack, will help to insure that the holes are consistently in the same places, but you still have to have LBs who can get to those holes and creases and make solid tackles when they get there.]

After seeing Cato June getting bowled over consistently by Jones-Drew a couple of weeks ago, I kind of doubt that the Bills will make a really big run at him as a free agent. What I can see happening is that the Bills will make a big run at Lance Briggs--who plays OLB, but who also started some games at MLB for the Bears a couple of years ago when B.Urlacher was hurt--with Ian Scott as their fall-back if they cannot get Briggs. If they get a top LB like Briggs, they can draft a DT and don't have to sign Scott; if they don't get Briggs, though, they pay whatever they need to in order to get Scott (or some other DT who they think will fit) and can draft a LB. If that's what they decide to do, let's hope that Jauron and Fewell can use their connections to the Bears to convince one of those two guys to sign with the Bills early on in free agency.



Good Post

I agree but the problem may be the franchise tag they put on Briggs...The difference with this bills front office ...well they know what they want .. what type of player they are looking for...The covet speed and athletic ability on defense...

I'm high on the Bishop kid from Cal .. may not be as fast as others but he does have the size and playmaking ability that we may seek....Robert Thomas a back up from the raiders who played under Fewell and Kollar with the rams . May be a good back up or stop gap player at Mlb .....Would not be a costly addition ....

Let's hope Briggs is available .....



Bmax

[madness]

And an ever better question is, "who isn't?"

Obviously Tim Anderson.

[Saratoga Slim]

looks promising.. but honestly.. just give me pat williams back.

Is Big Pat even a FA? If so I bet he'd be an easy sign.