Barry Sanders...

[ThePerfectBeard]

will anyone ever equal his elusiveness? I have yet to see a player come close. I mean those huge legs were ridiculous and he could turn on a dime. All i can remember is when he retired and there were rumors that he was gonna be a Packer... oh i mean imagine if we ever had a running back like Barry Sanders? We would have already had a dynasty and we'd be working on our second! What do you think will anyone ever match his quickness?

 

[Forget Favre]

It takes more than just him or a running game to win games.
If that was the case, then the Lions would have won a few Super Bowls, heck, even play off games with Barry carrying the ball.
I wasn't sure why he retired. It was a shocker that he quit so early in his career. But then I looked it up on Wiki.
From them it claims that he was tired of playing on a losing team year after year and that he felt the only way out of his contract was to quit. (I don't trust Wiki, but that's what they got.)
And dude, if your gonna post something about a great player, at least post some highlight clips. (You should give me a "like" for doing that for you.)
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtnhwaffAnU&feature=related]YouTube - Barry Sanders Highlight Clips[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G58UjBzhyco&feature=related]YouTube - Barry Sanders "The NFL Legend" Highlights[/ame]

 

[Forget Favre]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i61jrolHBY&feature=fvwrel]YouTube - Barry Sanders Highlights[/ame]

 

[PackersPete]

Here's why I don't understand why nobody takes Wikipedia seriously.

Fact:ANYONE can create an account and go there to post false information. Although I'm not sure if they have to wait a specific amount of time to be able to do so.

Fact:ANYONE can correct said "graffiti" as well.

For example, under the topic SKY, I could post, "It is blue". Forget Favre can come behind me and post, "It is red and had sex with my dog Rover". Cheesehead625 come behind Forget Favre and post, "It really IS blue, *******".

My point? 95% of what's on Wikipedia is true. Now if Justine Beaver were to die in a horrific sausage grinding accident tomorrow, you'd find plenty of "graffiti" on his Wiki page.

Who's Barry Sand-OH! You mean that guy that let the Lions become relevant again in the early 90's like the fat chick you saw at the bar 2 weeks after doin' the Tube Snake Boogie with her? That Barry Sanders? Last I heard, he was shovelin' horseshit at the county fair...

 

[Bogart]

When I was young and first got into football, my dad spent quite some money buying his cards every chance he had. While I was buying Favre, and Reggie White, and Warren Moon; his favorite player to spend high money on was Barry Sanders. Years later, he never got over the way he just retired out of no where.

From everything I've read over the last couple years after the Lions went winless, I started to finally see why Barry retired, and I'll tell you the way I see it.

The Lions were actually a good building team in Barry's prime. They had Pat Swilling, Herman Moore, Brett Perriman, and so on. But if you look at dates and stats, you see none of them were there longer than Barry because in the end William Ford (The owner) was tired of paying good players. Barry Sanders begged him to pay Kevin Glover more money, and he ignored him. Glover was an offensive lineman and Barry's best friend, made the pro bowl some times, and was a big help in blocking for him.

Sanders lost his passion for Football because in the end the Lions were just using him to break records. They were not building a team around him. If you ever read some of his book you'll see that. He was tired of losing and being told that it was OK cause he was going to be the all time NFL Rusher weather they were losers or not. He even says he was more worried about winning than breaking Walter Payton's records.

 

[Darth Garfunkel]

Barry was awesome. So fun to watch, unless of course he was embarrassing your team.

He also had the best end zone celebration, simply handing the ball to the ref.

 

[LAG]

I remember the playoff game the Packers held Sanders to -1 yards rushing in a 16-12 wild card win on December 31, 1994 at Lambeau Field.

This was the year Sanders rushed for 1,883 yards during the regular season.

Reggie White was playing with an injured left arm. DC Fritz Shurmur shuffled the D line and stopped Detroit and Sanders for the win.

Brilliant.

 

[FrankRizzo]

I remember when we bottled him up on the slow cold Lambeau Tundra in that playoff game.
I also remember him carving us up like a turkey on Thanksgiving.

The amazing thing is we passed on drafting this guy to select a blocker. And a blocker who was OBVIOUSLY on steroids... there were numerous tell-tale signs of it.

Taking Barry here the year after we took Sterling Sharpe? Wow, can you imagine that?

 

[LAG]

Yeah, we passed on Barry Sanders and Troy Aikman for Tony Sandwich.

FAIL

 

[ivo610]

I remember when we bottled him up on the slow cold Lambeau Tundra in that playoff game.
I also remember him carving us up like a turkey on Thanksgiving.

The amazing thing is we passed on drafting this guy to select a blocker. And a blocker who was OBVIOUSLY on steroids... there were numerous tell-tale signs of it.

Taking Barry here the year after we took Sterling Sharpe? Wow, can you imagine that?

Might not of picked up favre. Favre might not have ever been traded and flopped out as an NFL player. Taking Sanders would have changed everything. Maybe we would have become the lions of the 90s.

 

[Skarecrow]

Ron Wolfe join in 1991.. do you really think if Ron was there that he would have taken Tony Mandarich over Barry Frinckin' Sanders? No offense to the Running backs we had, but picture the 96' team with Barry on it.

(you can tell it is the off-season by how much "what if" forums play)

 

[fettpett]

Might not of picked up favre. Favre might not have ever been traded and flopped out as an NFL player. Taking Sanders would have changed everything. Maybe we would have become the lions of the 90s.

depends, Mandarich was drafted in 89, Wolf was hired in 91, who traded for Favre in 92, having Sanders the Packers win maybe a couple more games under Infante, but doubt that means Braatz doesn't get fired and Wolf hired or Infante keep his jobs. With Sanders in Green Bay I don't see a whole lot changing other than the line is better and Dorsey Leven or Edgar Bennett don't become Packers

 

[ivo610]

depends, Mandarich was drafted in 89, Wolf was hired in 91, who traded for Favre in 92, having Sanders the Packers win maybe a couple more games under Infante, but doubt that means Braatz doesn't get fired and Wolf hired or Infante keep his jobs. With Sanders in Green Bay I don't see a whole lot changing other than the line is better and Dorsey Leven or Edgar Bennett don't become Packers

Holmgren came to the packers in 92. Lions went 12-4 in 91. Packers went 4-12. I highly doubt Infante gets fired if he was coaching Sanders.

 

[fettpett]

Holmgren came to the packers in 92. Lions went 12-4 in 91. Packers went 4-12. I highly doubt Infante gets fired if he was coaching Sanders.

I know, but do you really see Wolf keeping Infante if they go 6-10, 7-9? I don't, and I'm pretty sure Wolf wanted Holmgren, Infante had 1 winning season in his 4 years there. I just don't see the team doing that much better with Sanders that they don't dump him.

The Lions went 7-9 and 6-10 their first two years with Sanders before going 12-4 in his third year. he had an impact, but not that much of one.

 

[Jess]

Here's why I don't understand why nobody takes Wikipedia seriously.

Fact:ANYONE can create an account and go there to post false information. Although I'm not sure if they have to wait a specific amount of time to be able to do so.

Fact:ANYONE can correct said "graffiti" as well.

For example, under the topic SKY, I could post, "It is blue". Forget Favre can come behind me and post, "It is red and had sex with my dog Rover". Cheesehead625 come behind Forget Favre and post, "It really IS blue, *******".

My point? 95% of what's on Wikipedia is true. Now if Justine Beaver were to die in a horrific sausage grinding accident tomorrow, you'd find plenty of "graffiti" on his Wiki page.

Who's Barry Sand-OH! You mean that guy that let the Lions become relevant again in the early 90's like the fat chick you saw at the bar 2 weeks after doin' the Tube Snake Boogie with her? That Barry Sanders? Last I heard, he was shovelin' horseshit at the county fair...

Normally, I believe, you need a source when adding info to an article or your contribution will be deleted when it's reviewed.

 

[TheGiftedApe]

Barry sanders is still hand's down, for me, The Best RB the NFL has ever seen, ever, and probably forever. He didn't have the best career but who could blame him for retiring early after having to run into the packers D 2 times a year for 10 years . The Guy wasn't the fastest or the strongest, but the best vision and agility ever seen in an NFL player, you just can't catch him. You don't see running backs carry a team for 10 years anymore, even the best RB's in the NFL now only really have 3-4 spectacular years in a row.

 

[mradtke66]

TMQ always has some interesting stats at seaons end, and one of them is always seems to be a riff on, "This team lead NFL in rushing attempts/yards/yards per carry/TDs and did not even qualify for the playoffs."

I have a hypothesis to explain why and some conclusions that I've drawn from it.

Getting a great running back too early in rebuilding is actually worse for your franchise. Follow me here....

With the 12th pick in the 2011 NFL draft (ie, you finished in the bottom half of the NFL last year, but not in the basement) you select Stud Ballcarrier, Junion Running Back from Somestate Tech.

Now, S. Ballcarrier is an awesome back, 4.4 40 yard dash, just under 220 pounds, shifty, doesn't fumble, etc. And he'll help cover up that your QB is a 32 year old journyman and your o-line is a bit leaky.

And look at that! He does! Your team is much better now, a nice consistent 9-10 wins each season for the next 6 years. You haven't made the playoffs yet (or you were 1 and done) but your team is better!

But of course, you haven't gotten that really high draft pick to draft a top flight QB, so you sign a different 32 year old journeyman QB or two.

So it's been 6 years of solid running from S. Ballcarrier and he's about 28, or where most RBs start to wear down, especially ones with lots of carries on a run-first team. So your team slips a little, and you end up at 8-8. Thats okay, you can still get better! 7 years in....and still not drafting higher than 16....

It's now year 10 of S. Ballcarriers career. He's 32 and ancient as far as running backs are concerned. And he's done. He still starts, carries and runs, but he finishes the season with 700-ish years, 3.2ypc, and less than 5 TDs. Team finishes 4-12, he retires, and now with a top 5 pick can select a top-flight QB next year.

Thoughts:

-A good running game can cover passing weaknesses, until the playoffs, giving you an average-ish offense.

-Without a high draft pick, it's harder to get top-flight talent at certain positions, LT and QB.

-Thus, you need to get worse (lose) to get better (high draft picks). This is the very idea of the draft pick ordering.

Evidence:

Look at AP, Tomlinson, Chris Johnson, and any other super-elete running backs still active: They haven't done anything in the post season without a top-flight QB. And then look at the Lions with Barry Sanders.

 

[JBlood]

Yeah, we passed on Barry Sanders and Troy Aikman for Tony Sandwich.

FAIL

Well, we weren't the only ones fooled by Mandarich. There's nothing like the retro-spectroscope.

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[ivo610]

I know, but do you really see Wolf keeping Infante if they go 6-10, 7-9? I don't, and I'm pretty sure Wolf wanted Holmgren, Infante had 1 winning season in his 4 years there. I just don't see the team doing that much better with Sanders that they don't dump him.

The Lions went 7-9 and 6-10 their first two years with Sanders before going 12-4 in his third year. he had an impact, but not that much of one.

I dont see them going 7-9. Thats what I am trying to show.

You dont think Sanders would have helped the packers much unless everything else fell into place is that what your saying?

I would have much rather of had Ray Lewis in the 96 draft than Sanders in 89.

 

[fettpett]

I dont see them going 7-9. Thats what I am trying to show.

You dont think Sanders would have helped the packers much unless everything else fell into place is that what your saying?

I would have much rather of had Ray Lewis in the 96 draft than Sanders in 89.

no, what I was saying is that he wouldn't have had an immediate impact on the Packers, at lest not the kind that would have saved Infante's job. I don't see anything to change how events played out in GB leading up to Favre being traded for.

 

[ivo610]

no, what I was saying is that he wouldn't have had an immediate impact on the Packers, at lest not the kind that would have saved Infante's job. I don't see anything to change how events played out in GB leading up to Favre being traded for.

I think we are going to have to disagree as I dont see how someone can think Sanders wouldnt cause the packers to win more pre favre but would result in more championships with favre.

 

[fettpett]

I think we are going to have to disagree as I dont see how someone can think Sanders wouldnt cause the packers to win more pre favre but would result in more championships with favre.

probably, However Wolf would have someone besides just Sharpe to build the team around. remember, he traded for Favre as a project, they didn't expect him to start for a couple years. hell, maybe with Sanders the Packers make it to SB 30 instead of the Cowboys.

Sander's would have been on a team that was on the path to win, he easily would have surpassed Walter Payton before Smith did (which he probably would have done anyway if he hadn't retired). Hell with the way he played and how he kept his body, he could have just retired 4-5 years ago with a couple rings.

 

[PackersPete]

Normally, I believe, you need a source when adding info to an article or your contribution will be deleted when it's reviewed.

Thanks, Jess. I did not know that. I use Wikipedia here and there when I'm too lazy but I'd never become a contributing member. Then again, I said the same thing about IMDb and two of my observations are on that site now so who knows...

 

[Bogart]

Barry sanders is still hand's down, for me, The Best RB the NFL has ever seen, ever, and probably forever. He didn't have the best career but who could blame him for retiring early after having to run into the packers D 2 times a year for 10 years . The Guy wasn't the fastest or the strongest, but the best vision and agility ever seen in an NFL player, you just can't catch him. You don't see running backs carry a team for 10 years anymore, even the best RB's in the NFL now only really have 3-4 spectacular years in a row.

Agree with you all the way, but what I liked the most was how the fellow was not someone to love the spot light. There's a story about a coach telling him they were going to run the ball one more time so he could break someone's record in a game, and all he said was "Let's just win the game and go home"....Emmitt Smith would have broke the record as fast as he could.

Barry is in a league of rare men. But on the negative side he's also an example of one playing not bringing you to the Super Bowl. Everytime Detroit started to build a team around him, they would stop since Mr. William Clay Ford isn't a fan of paying the money for good players. Just like Houston with Earl Campbell, he was a total one man show and got them to the AFC Title game back to back only to get blown out by Pittsburgh.

 

[PackersPete]

As much as I enjoyed watching Sanders and as much as he brought something to the game like no other had before him, I have a hard time having any sympthay for him. He could've easily been traded to a team that would've gladly paid to build a team around him.