I mean is just me or is Barry Sanders one of the greatest football players of all time?!
2007-04-25 08:38:41 · 12 answers · asked by ultimatechaos1993 1 in Sports ➔ Football (American)
First let get a few things clear. Barry is one of the greatest backs in NFL history. However, as for Barry not having teams around him and retiring due to that reason, he is as much to blame for that as anyone. First, he held out for more money more times than anyone cares to count. Second, every player he wanted on the team, the Lions went out and got that player( Scott Mitchell was the prime example). Finally, he had several successful teams including one that reached the conference finals and what did Barry do in that game..not much. He had a great game the week before but did nothing in the championship game. He also did the LIons and the fans very wrong. If he wanted to retire, fine, he has every right to do what is best for him. However, to cut and run at the time he did, giving the LIons no time to replace him with a free agent or in the draft, that was the move of a coward. Then he refusted to talk to anyone, that was just not right.
I am adie hard Lions fans and will always Love Barry for what he gave us, but as I said, I am a LIONS fan first and foremost.
2007-04-25 09:02:00 · answer #1 · answered by YouWishYouWereMe 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I loved watching Barry Sanders scamper around making big plays. I'll always treasure having watched Barry juke and jive making people miss and just making defensive players heads spin.
Watching football now, I know more and more each year that a talent like Barry Sanders is very very rare. For those of us who got to see him, we had it made.
No one else from the past and present can touch Barry. And I've yet to see anyone on the horizon who can run the way Barry did in the NFL.
2007-04-25 08:55:11 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
He was absolutely one of the greatest football players of all time. It's a shame that he retired a few years early, but on the other hand, he'll always be remembered at his best. Many players stay in leagues for too long (for example Emmitt Smith) to the point where they overstay their welcome, and that takes away from the true dominance they had at their peaks. Either way, I think Barry will always be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play the game, and arguably the best RB by many.
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2007-04-25 08:47:20 · answer #3 · answered by sportsta 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Barry Sanders had it in him to shatter pretty much every rushing record there was, but, due to the mediocrity of the Lions' front office, his heart wasn't in his Lions uniform & playing for anyone else apparently wasn't an option.
Considering the average-at-best talent he had around him for all those years & what he accomplished in spite of it, he is easily one of the top 10 football players of all time.
2007-04-25 08:52:10 · answer #4 · answered by Dave of the Hill People 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a long time Vikings fan I can tell you NO one was Scary like Barry. NO ONE!! What he could do with the ball in his hands was nothing short of amazing. Walter was Walter, Barry was Scary.
2007-04-25 10:24:11 · answer #5 · answered by BOBinDULUTH 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He walked away because he felt the Lions were not interested in winning and they angered him by releasing his best friend on the team....Kevin Glover (that happened after Barry signed his new deal). That was the final straw in his belief that the losing culture with the Lions was not going to change and he himself says he never asked for his release or a trade....he simply walked away and later stated in his biography that he lost his competitive fire because of the state of affairs with the Lions. He believed they werent interested in winning (correctly...the past 40+ years of futility bear this out) and wanted to play in one city his entire career (keep in mind his idol was the legendary Jim Brown who essentially did the same thing).
2016-05-18 21:25:02 · answer #6 · answered by gisele 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He is one of the greatest backs of all time and would have easily crushed Walter Payton's record had he not retired. He amassed all those yards with that average Detroit Lions offensive line.
2007-04-25 10:03:34 · answer #7 · answered by Quiet Storm 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, he's one of the best RBs of all times. I'm not sure out of all the players ever. But he's up there. Would have blown away the rushing record if he hadn't retired. It was a shame.
2007-04-25 10:30:19 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Obviously, one in the top three backs ever. Had absolutely no talent around him, and still managed the way he did. Give him Ladanian Tomlinson's o-line, and he would have broken every record you could ever think of.
2007-04-25 09:04:41 · answer #9 · answered by Herb C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think if he hadn't retired early, we would all call him the best RB of all time, no contest. The only RB that would be close is Walter Payton.
2007-04-25 10:12:12 · answer #10 · answered by 14bert14 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋