In the 2005 remake of Robert Aldrich's 1974 "The Longest Yard" Sandler plays the character that Burt Raynolds played in the original movie, Paul "Wrecking" Crewe

Crewe was once a revered football superstar back in his day, but that time has since faded. When a messy drunk driving incident lands him in jail, Paul finds he was specifically requested by Warden Hazen (played by James Cromwell), a duplicitous prison official well aware of Paul's athletic skills. Paul has been assigned the task of assembling a team of convicts, to square off in a big football game against the sadistic guards. With the help of fellow convict Caretaker (Chris Rock), and an old legend named Nate Scarborough (played by Burt Reynolds) to coach, Crewe is ready for what promises to be a very interesting game. It's only the warden and the guards who have no idea who or what they're up against, with Paul the driving force behind the new team.