Raiders hire former Bills assistant Bob Sanders as LB coach

[NC_RaiderFan5]

Paul Gutierrez ‏@PGutierrezCSN
#Raiders hire former #Bills assistant Bob Sanders as linebackers coach. #RaidersTalk


Held same position in Buffalo last year. Former Green Bay and Buffalo defensive coordinator.

[SupaFly]

Paul Gutierrez ‏@PGutierrezCSN
#Raiders hire former #Bills assistant Bob Sanders as linebackers coach. #RaidersTalk


Held same position in Buffalo last year. Former Green Bay and Buffalo defensive coordinator.

Here is a little background INFO on Bob Sanders:

12th year in the NFL

4th year with the Bills



Sanders enters his fourth season with the Buffalo Bills in 2012 and will coach the linebackers, after two years as the outside linebackers coach.

In 2011, OLB Chris Kelsay had one of his best statistical seasons with 41 tackles and 5.0 sacks, including his first-ever 3.0 sack game. OLB Spencer Johnson also had one of his best seasons, at a new position for him. He finished with 47 tackles, 2.0 sacks and his first career touchdown.

In 2010 Sanders guided the transition of Kelsay from defensive end to OLB; Kelsay produced 72 tackles and ranked second on the team with 3.5 sacks

The emergence of rookie OLB Arthur Moats who led team rookies with 2.5 sacks

In 2010, Sanders was retained by Head Coach Chan Gailey. He originally joined the Bills’ coaching staff as the defensive line coach in late January of 2009, bringing 33 years of coaching experience with him.

Prior to arriving in Buffalo, Sanders served on the Green Bay Packers staff for four seasons (2005-08), the last three as the team’s defensive coordinator while coaching defensive ends in 2005.

In 2009, the Packers led the NFL with six interceptions returned for touchdowns and tied for the NFC lead with 22 picks

Green Bay finished third in the NFL in third-down defense in 2007

The Packers’ defense ranked first in the NFC with 46 sacks while earning a fifth-best overall defensive ranking in the NFC in 2006. Upon taking the coordinator position, Sanders brought continuity to a defense that ranked seventh overall and first against the pass in 2005, up from 25th in both categories the previous season.

In his first year in Green Bay in 2005, Packers DE Aaron Kampman recorded a then-career-best 6.5 sacks and at the time the second-most tackles (105) by a Green Bay defensive lineman ever recorded. On the other side, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila posted a career-high 81 tackles in 2005.



Sanders served as the Miami Dolphins’ linebackers coach for four seasons (2001-04).His individual tutoring helped Zach Thomas to three straight Pro Bowl selections (2001-2003) and, at the time, four of his top five single-season tackle totals.



Before joining the professional ranks, Sanders coached 22 years in the college game, including 15 seasons tutoring defensive linemen in some capacity. Seven of those campaigns were at the University of Florida, where three of his pupils, Jevon Kearse, Kevin Carter and Huey Richardson, became first-round selections in the NFL Draft.

The Gators led the SEC in sacks four straight seasons (1996-99) in Sanders’ 11 years with Florida (1990-2000). He coached multiple defensive positions as the Gators captured five conference titles and the 1995 National Championship.



Prior to his time at Florida, Sanders spent five years at Duke. In his last season with the Blue Devils, 1989, the squad went 8-4 and won the school’s first ACC Championship since 1965.



Previously, Sanders had served at Richmond (1983-84), East Carolina (1980-82) and Georgia Tech (part-time coach, 1978)…he also coached three years (1976-77, 1979) in the high school ranks.



PERSONAL

A former defensive player at Davidson College (1972-75), Sanders graduated from the school in 1976 with a B.S. degree in political science…born in Jacksonville, N.C., he and his wife, Kathie, have two daughters, Lindsay and Sarah, and a son, Robby…in his spare time he enjoys fishing and playing golf.



NFL

2012- Buffalo Bills Linebackers
2010-11 Buffalo Bills Outside LBs

2009 Buffalo Bills Defensive Line

2006-08 Green Bay Packers Def. Coordinator

2005 Green Bay Packers Defensive Ends

2001-04 Miami Dolphins Linebackers



COLLEGE

2000 Florida Asst. Def. Coord./Linebackers

1999 Florida Asst. Head Coach/Def. Ends/SLBs

1998 Florida Asst. Def. Coord./Def. Ends/SLBs

1994-97 Florida Asst. Def. Coord./Defensive Ends

1991-93 Florida Asst. Def. Coord./Banditbacks/ Gatorbacks

1990 Florida Defensive Ends

1989 Duke Co-Def. Coord./Outside LBs

1985-88 Duke Outside LBs/ DEs

1983-84 Richmond Linebackers

1980-82 East Carolina Def. Line/ LBs

1978 Georgia Tech Part-time coach

[SupaFly]

I like this hire.....What he did with OLB Kelsay and OLB Moats is really exciting.

[RaiderLakersA's]

That is an impressive CV. Let's hope our guys take to his coaching as well.

[xRaider4Lifex]

Good hire.

[bigjunior559]

[fishedz]

Hate this hire, he's an Ex Packer so Reggie is obviously only hiring him because of his association with the Packers. i cannot believe we keep going after former Packers, it's not like this guy had success elsewhere.... Terrible hire

[SupaFly]

Hate this hire, he's an Ex Packer so Reggie is obviously only hiring him because of his association with the Packers. i cannot believe we keep going after former Packers, it's not like this guy had success elsewhere.... Terrible hire

Seems like you judge without even doing much of a reading. Sure, he was with the Packers, but raiders didn't hire him as a DC, he is a position coach. If you quit whining and do a little more reading, you will realize that he is actually a good position coach. He did well with the Linebackers.

[Wolfe-Raider]

I like these hirings this season so far. Experience cannot be underrated. Time to go old school on our young guys and whip em into fighting shape!

[themadstork]

Seems like you judge without even doing much of a reading. Sure, he was with the Packers, but raiders didn't hire him as a DC, he is a position coach. If you quit whining and do a little more reading, you will realize that he is actually a good position coach. He did well with the Linebackers.

I may be wrong, but I read that as sarcasm. Tough to tell though.

Sounds like a pretty good hire. We've had a good start to the offseason.

-Stork

[SupaFly]

I may be wrong, but I read that as sarcasm. Tough to tell though.

Sounds like a pretty good hire. We've had a good start to the offseason.

-Stork

I wasn't being sarcastic with him. From what I read about Bob Sanders, I am pleased with this hiring. He may have not done well as a DC, but he sure is a good LB coach. Same thing can be said about Sparano....he wasn't a great Coach or OC, but he is one of the best OL coaches in the NFL.

[BigGuy951]

I like it.

[Raiders420]

Oakland completed its coaching staff Friday, naming former NFL defensive coordinator Bob Sanders linebackers coach. Head Coach Dennis Allen made the announcement.

A 33-year veteran, Sanders’ addition gives the Raiders a staff with 438 combined overall coaching experience, 198 in the NFL. Sanders joins Jason Tarver and Allen as one of three individuals on staff with NFL defensive-coordinator experience. Meanwhile, three coaches on the offensive side (Greg Olson, Tony Sparano and Al Saunders) have been an NFL offensive coordinator. And, not counting Allen, two former NFL head coaches are now on Oakland’s staff: Saunders and Sparano.

Sanders has a strong reputation as a linebackers coach, in addition to his time coaching defensive line. He spent the last four seasons with Buffalo, having joined the Bills as defensive line coach (2009), then spent the next two seasons (2010-11) as outside linebackers coach, before taking over the entire linebacking unit in 2012.

In Green Bay for four seasons (2005-08), Sanders began as defensive ends coach (2005), then was promoted by Mike McCarthy to the new head coach’s first defensive coordinator, a role he held from 2006-08.

During his final Packers season in 2008, Green Bay paced the NFL with six touchdowns on interceptions, and tied for first in the NFC with 22 total INTs. In 2007, when Green Bay ranked sixth in scoring defense, 11th in total defense and third in opponent third-down-conversion percentage, Sanders helped the 13-3 team to the NFC Championship game. And in 2006, Green Bay led the NFC with 46 sacks.

In his first NFL coaching position, Sanders coached Zach Thomas among others during four years (2001-04) as Miami’s linebackers coach, helping the star to three straight Pro Bowl selections.

A college assistant for 22 years, his final collegiate stop was the University of Florida, where his tutelage helped three Gators (Jevon Kearse, Kevin Carter and Huey Richardson) earn first-round selections in the NFL Draft.

In Gainesville for 11 years (1990-2000), he held six titles, with responsibilities ranging from defensive line to linebackers. He also spent one season as assistant head coach and nine as assistant defensive coordinator. With Sanders’ pupils leading the way, in four straight years (1996-99), Florida led the Southeastern Conference in sacks. A pillar on the Gators’ staff, he helped the program to five conference crowns and the 1996 national championship.

Before Florida, Sanders coached five seasons (1985-89) at Duke, the first four as outside linebackers/defensive ends coach, and the final campaign as co-defensive coordinator/outside linebackers. In sharing the reins of the defense, he helped the Blue Devils to an 8-4 season and their first Atlantic Coast Conference title since 1965.

Sanders got to Duke after two years at Richmond (1983-84) and three seasons at East Carolina (1980-82). His first college position was as a part-time coach for Pepper Rodgers in 1978, sandwiched between a three total years (1976-77, 1979) coaching at the high-school level.

A defensive player at Davidson College (1972-75), he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the school in 1976. A Jacksonville, N.C., native, Sanders and his wife, Kathie, have three children, Lindsay, Sarah and Robby.

[Shred003]

I may be wrong, but I read that as sarcasm. Tough to tell though.

Sounds like a pretty good hire. We've had a good start to the offseason.

-Stork

Greg Olsen (OC) was underwhelming, but DA has done very well with his other hires.

I'm hoping this is a sign of what's to come. Maybe Oakland won't be viewed as the coaching graveyard it used to be? Qualified coaches might not hesitate to take Mark Davis' money in the future.

[slvr&blck760]

Hate this hire, he's an Ex Packer so Reggie is obviously only hiring him because of his association with the Packers. i cannot believe we keep going after former Packers, it's not like this guy had success elsewhere.... Terrible hire

Another antagonistic comment. Shocking... What's wrong with having a successful former defensive coordinator being converted to a position coach? Curious who you would've preferred as the LB coach?