FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Lewis Sanders appreciates a good fit when he sees one.
And the Falcons are a good fit.
The eight-year veteran has – at one time or another – called himself a Brown, a Jaguar and a Texan. As of March 7, however, he could exclusively call himself a member of the Atlanta Falcons.
Sanders came on board to bolster a secondary that ranked 29th in the NFL against the pass last season. He’s worked out opposite Pro Bowler DeAngelo Hall at cornerback through training camp. But, like most defensive backs, has taken his share of snaps at other positions in the defensive backfield.
That versatility could pay dividends for the Falcons. After all, Sanders has seen just about every defensive scheme through his time with Cleveland, Jacksonville and Houston. He’s played in both 3-4 and 4-3 defenses and been counted on as both a starter and a reserve.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder started 10 games in Houston over the past two seasons, including seven of the first nine games in 2006 before he was forced to miss the rest of the year with an injury to his right hand. He still managed to tally a career-high 37 tackles and six passes defensed last season.
For his career, Sanders has appeared in 73 games (19 starts) and notched 140 tackles, one sack, five interceptions and 29 passes defensed.
“As far as scheme, it doesn’t really vary from team to team so I’m going out there and basically do what I’ve been doing for the last eight years,” Sanders said. “I love playing football so wherever the Lord takes me I’m going to go out there and play the game that I love.”
The veteran said the Falcons run their share of both man-to-man and zone-based systems in the secondary and he’s ready to contribute wherever he can.
In fact, his exuberance may have caused some confusion on his age early in camp.
“We have a young guy here in Chris Houston,” Hall said when asked about depth at cornerback. “Lewis Sanders is another guy who I thought was a young guy, but it turns out he’s going on year seven or eight. He’s a veteran."
“I’m just a competitive person,” added Sanders. “I like to go out there and just compete. That’s what drives me – the competition.”
But the soft-spoken veteran isn’t shy about diverting attention to other leaders on the team, even when the feel of training camp is very much young and energetic.
Sanders is excited to wear Falcons red and black, especially since he has a home in Birmingham, Ala., but he’s also excited about the possibilities that exist in the secondary.
“We got a lot of veterans but I’ll tell you one thing, we’re all working hard.”
