Barry Sanders

[PatsBoy12]

That guy was crazy to watch. I remember a thanksgiving day game where they almost had him wrapped up for a ten yard loss, he gets away, fumbles, recovers his own fumble gets away again and gained six yards positive. Doesn’t seem like much but if you turn two disasters into plus yardage??

And he did that kind of Houdini thing routinely. He didn't have the OL that Emmitt did.

 

[IcyPatriot]

First time I ever saw a RB run up to the line and run backwards before

he scampered to the side. Most RB's turn around to change direction ... not Barry.

 

[TommyD4207]

Being able to watch this guy in his prime was a privilege. In my mind, he's the best RB to play... and I know many will disagree (and I'm very okay with that). I just saw this guy do things that defy physics, he was durable and he had all the tools. Great player.

Seriously, who would you disagree with?

There's only one other guy I could make an argument for, and it's not even really a good argument.

Sanders' vision was the best I've ever seen. He was like a kick returner every time he got the ball. Elusiveness was near the top if not, right at the top, especially at the RB position. And his top-end speed had little peer in the league, even into his 30s.

Also, he was healthy. He missed more than one game ONCE in his entire career (he missed 5 in 1993), and still ran for over 1100 yards.

I've never seen another one like him. I've been told about Gayle Sayers, but he played for 5 minutes.

 

[Soliel]

And he did that kind of Houdini thing routinely. He didn't have the OL that Emmitt did.

The end of his career, I had hoped he could go somewhere else and win a ring. Felt like he had that coming to him just for being as good as he was. Imagine him with the 49ers back then.

 

[TommyD4207]

The end of his career, I had hoped he could go somewhere else and win a ring. Felt like he had that coming to him just for being as good as he was. Imagine him with the 49ers back then.

Lions wouldn't trade him. That's why he retired.

 

[Soliel]

Lions wouldn't trade him. That's why he retired.

I could understand that. Why run like that for years and never get anywhere?

 

[TommyD4207]

I could understand that. Why run like that for years and never get anywhere?

He put in a decade for that team, and the best QB he ever played with was Eric ****ing Kramer.

 

[PatsBoy12]

I have very very mixed feelings on the player.

On one hand he was a generational talent at RB. On the other I don't think most teams could have ever won a championship with him being a key part of their offense. That's a weird thing to say about a player that is so talented and had so many big plays.

I see Sanders like one of those outside WRs looking to hit big plays down the field. Only each incompletion doesn't only lose you a down, but yards as well. Overall you get a huge net gain and a lot of scores but what isn't on the stat sheet is how many drives were wasted because he tried to make a big play happen. In all honesty it's a bit of a selfish style. You get big yards and stats but at the cost of sustainability and consistency.

On the Lions it didn't matter as they were desperate for big plays anyway they could get them and probably couldn't sustain long drives in any case. On a championship team that could sustain drives you have to wonder how they would feel about such a style. Maybe that team would honestly be better off with a back willing to run behind a solid offensive line and get them into manageable downs as well as convert 3rd downs rather than go boom or bust in their running game.

Yes he'll give you a score a play he'll make all by himself but what about the other drives he sabotages (for lack of a better term)?

I just am not a fan of it as part of a winning formula, yet I'm in awe of the ability.

I hear you, Digital. However, that's only part of the story. For years Barry played with no QB, bad OL's and no real outside threats at WR until Herman Moore and Brett Perriman. This means opposing defenses were always free to key on him. He's all the Lions put out there for years. And I'll add that he did it mostly with no lead blocker. Barry was very frustrated by this at the time. I believe for a time even becoming slightly vocal about it, which was never his style.

So where it may seem his style was "selfish," one would only need to look a little closer at some of the other aspects surrounding him at the time. Many feel the early retirement had more to do with his disdain with them and wanting to be set free, but the Lions were reportedly refusing to do so. I think Barry could have played in any "system." The Lions forcefully made him their system, not the other way around, IMO. Hopefully I'm not misremembering too much.

 

[TommyD4207]

I have very very mixed feelings on the player.

On one hand he was a generational talent at RB. On the other I don't think most teams could have ever won a championship with him being a key part of their offense. That's a weird thing to say about a player that is so talented and had so many big plays.

I see Sanders like one of those outside WRs looking to hit big plays down the field. Only each incompletion doesn't only lose you a down, but yards as well. Overall you get a huge net gain and a lot of scores but what isn't on the stat sheet is how many drives were wasted because he tried to make a big play happen. In all honesty it's a bit of a selfish style. You get big yards and stats but at the cost of sustainability and consistency.

On the Lions it didn't matter as they were desperate for big plays anyway they could get them and probably couldn't sustain long drives in any case. On a championship team that could sustain drives you have to wonder how they would feel about such a style. Maybe that team would honestly be better off with a back willing to run behind a solid offensive line and get them into manageable downs as well as convert 3rd downs rather than go boom or bust in their running game.

Yes he'll give you a score a play he'll make all by himself but what about the other drives he sabotages (for lack of a better term)?

I just am not a fan of it as part of a winning formula, yet I'm in awe of the ability.

I mean, they didn't have a QB, and they didn't have WRs or an OL. What did you expect them to do differently?

 

[1960Pats]

Sanders was a human highlight reel and worthy of the accolades, but it will always be Walter Payton for me. He was my first football hero and will always be my favourite.

I started out watching Jim Brown. I also enjoyed watching Gale Sayers during his brief career. Sanders was also a treat to watch.

 

[1960Pats]

I mean, yes. He's at the top of the list. He was generational (still haven't really seen anyone like him - Dion Lewis had a bit of it in him). He did it for a decade.

But us 'olds' that saw him play (and in college as well, returning kicks even), also know...

There is...another....

He can't make the list, obviously, but...there is...another...

It's very odd that as I was thinking back to great RB's for my post upstream I never even thought of him.

 

[TommyD4207]

It's very odd that as I was thinking back to great RB's for my post upstream I never even thought of him.

Well why would you? By any metric other than 'eye test', he wouldn't qualify for any sort of all-time lists.

 

[1960Pats]

I've never seen another one like him. I've been told about Gayle Sayers, but he played for 5 minutes.

Gale Sayers played in the NYFL twice as long as Bo Jackson but it definitely wasn't long enough.

 

[TommyD4207]

Gale Sayers played in the NYFL twice as long as Bo Jackson but it definitely wasn't long enough.

And 6 TDs in a game > 2 bills and ending Brian Bosworth's career. You know, in terms of lists and numbers and rationality.

 

[Pats Fanatic]

I started out watching Jim Brown. I also enjoyed watching Gale Sayers during his brief career. Sanders was also a treat to watch.

Gale Sayers if they had the medical technology at that time his career it would have been cut so short.

 

[1960Pats]

Well why would you? By any metric other than 'eye test', he wouldn't qualify for any sort of all-time lists.

I just thought that it was odd that he didn't even come to mind.

 

[turkeyneck]

I see Sanders like one of those outside WRs looking to hit big plays down the field. Only each incompletion doesn't only lose you a down, but yards as well. Overall you get a huge net gain and a lot of scores but what isn't on the stat sheet is how many drives were wasted because he tried to make a big play happen. In all honesty it's a bit of a selfish style. You get big yards and stats but at the cost of sustainability and consistency.

So you're saying if he was a QB he'd be Aaron Rodgers?

 

[turkeyneck]

I started out watching Jim Brown. I also enjoyed watching Gale Sayers during his brief career. Sanders was also a treat to watch.

Gale Sayers was like Bobbie Orr, so good that players on both sides of the ball/puck would be drawn into just spectating their displays of brilliance.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Yeah, that guy was waterbug-like quick!

< Cough cough cough...> Umm ok...

Look closely! He clearly implemented the methods of my forefathers.

He was coached by me before I started coaching,

 

[Wozzy]

Best pure runningback to ever play the game. The only reason he had any negative yards was his offensive line and surrounding weapons were a joke.

If Barry ran behind Emmitt's offensive line he would have rushed for 3000 yards in a season.