TE Cedric Saunders (official thread)

[Buckskin86]

Cedric Saunders is in his third year with the Lions, his second as director of football operations. He came to Detroit after spending the previous five seasons with Tampa Bay.

Saunders works closely with Head Coach Rod Marinelli and oversees the team?s football operations, including the coordination the year-round football calendar. His duties involve the oversight of the daily in-season itineraries and logistics, coordination of the team?s training camp operations and organization of the off-season schedule as it pertains to the off-season conditioning program, organized team activities (OTAs), rookie mini-camp and mandatory mini-camp. Saunders is responsible for the team?s compliance of all off-season NFL rules.

Among his football operations duties, Saunders serves as the key liaison between the coaching staff and the players, and he is a liaison between the coaching staff and the various football and business departments in the organization. He oversees the Lions? player development department, video department and team travel, and he handles the annual budgets for coaching, coaching support staff, player development and dining services.

Saunders plays a role in the coordination of the team?s free agency and draft agenda, including free agent and draft eligible visits. He also assists with college scouting, including on-campus visits, and pro talent evaluation. Each season, Saunders is responsible for interviewing and hiring coaching interns as part of the NFL Minority Coaching Program.

In addition to his various football operations responsibilities, he also assists with contract negotiation.

While directing the player development department in Tampa Bay, Saunders helped get players involved in continuing education programs, off-season internships and jobs to prepare for possible post-NFL careers. He was also the main contact between the players and the club?s community relations department and encouraged player involvement in charities and community activities.

Prior to joining the Buccaneers, Saunders spent the previous two seasons as an area scout for the Kansas City Chiefs, evaluating college talent in the Midwest. A native of Sarasota, Fla., Saunders was in training camp for three seasons with Tampa Bay (1994-96), and saw action on both the practice squad and active roster in 1995 as a tight end and special teams player. He also played with the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe in 1997.

A four-year starter at Ohio State, Saunders posted 68 career receptions for 853 yards for the Buckeyes. He recorded 27 catches and earned second-team All-Big 10 honors as a senior in 1993 and was an honorable mention selection as a junior.

Saunders and his wife, Bashi, have two daughters, Reegan and Charlie Bleu, and two sons, Cayden and Kai.

Detroit Lions Site: Cedric Saunders

Sarasota's Saunders moving toward GM spot
By Tom Balog
Sunday, June 28, 2009

Cedric Saunders survived the purge in the Detroit Lions organization after the first 0-16 season in NFL history.

Better yet, the Lions gave him incentive not to leave.

"I want to be here to see this thing turn around," Saunders said in a recent interview from Detroit.

Otherwise, the Sarasota High graduate might have wound up back in Tampa, working again for the Buccaneers under his friend, newly hired general manager Mark Dominik.

Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris wanted Saunders to join his staff, but it was a lateral move Saunders declined, with what Detroit general manager Martin Mayhew put on the table for him.

"The three of us (Morris, Mayhew and Saunders) talked about it. It just wasn't the right time for me to do so," Saunders said. "It was a better situation for me here, in terms of where my career is going to go. It wasn't the right move for me."

"Cedric, I think, is the greatest," said Morris, who has known Saunders for seven years, since he joined Tampa Bay in 2002 as a defensive quality control coach. "His position is pretty high up there. We didn't have that position for him."

Saunders would not have had the authority in Tampa he's getting from Mayhew, his former Buccaneers' teammate.

Mayhew expanded Saunders' title to vice president of football operations, from director of football operations, which he held the past two years.

Being essentially an assistant general manager keeps Saunders, 36, on a path toward his goal of becoming an NFL general manager.

"It's a big step in that direction," Saunders said. "I've pretty much touched every area in this organization, in a couple of different organizations."

Sarasota's Saunders moving toward GM spot | HeraldTribune.com | Sarasota Florida | Southwest Florida's Information Leader

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Cedric was a tight end. :p