Detroit Lions: Nothing has changed, even since the days of Barry Sanders

EVEN BARRY KNEW

On the NFL 100 All-Time Team special, running back Emmitt Smith (also on the list) said that if Barry continued playing he would have been the first 20,000 yard back – a mark that would eclipse Emmitt’s all-time best of 18,355 yards rushing. Sanders was clearly flattered, and Barry responded with the following:

"“You know I was in my tenth season. I certainly had another season left. But in this game, who knows? Right? At the same time, I can’t complain about my career. And maybe had you shipped me off to New England or something like that, maybe I could have played another ten years.”"

The quote is playful in that Barry gestures towards New England head coach Bill Belichick when he speaks of playing with the Patriots. And had Barry somehow accomplished another ten years, he might have gained 25,000 yards on the ground.

Let’s focus on the “something like that” in the quote. The Patriot dynasty began a few years after Barry’s retirement. But the point is more than clear about the Detroit Lions. They have never really been a team that was on the cusp of winning it all.

To be fair, in 1991 with Barry leading the way, the Lions did make it to the NFC Championship game. And with Sanders on the team, there was always a chance that things could somehow fall in their favor. He was just that good.

But Sanders admits that he had at least one more season left in him. But he couldn’t bring himself to play again because the Detroit Lions didn’t have the feel of a championship team. They got close in 1991, there is no question. But in 1998, Barry could see those days were well behind this franchise.

This isn’t new ground. Barry has talked about these concerns many times. But two decades later and nothing has really changed. If anything, things are much worse because the franchise doesn’t even have an all-timer on the field to make the games enjoyable on some level.