Getty Herman Moore celebrates with Barry Sanders in 1997.
Barry Sanders was an elite talent for the Detroit Lions for years at running back, but how would the runner stack up in this day in age? Could he still deliver the goods at the position?
According to his former teammate and running mate at wide receiver Herman Moore, the answer is yes. Moore was recently making the media rounds and spoke to Damon Amendolara of CBS Sports. Naturally, the topic of Sanders came up quickly, and Moore made what many might seem as a bold statement about an aging former athlete, no matter how talented he might have been.
As Moore said, Sanders could still get it done in 2019 as he remains in excellent shape.
“Barry’s in decent shape. He’s a good guy. When guys come out and fans go ‘wow you look like you could still play,’ some of us really have to take that seriously and look at it. Barry, in any day in age, could still rush for 1,100 yards,” Moore said. “Right now. Just a single back set, maybe we’d need to put a fullback in the backfield to get it done. He’s got the cape, he probably has theme music, he’s Barry Sanders.”
According to Moore, the most impressive thing about Sanders was always what everyone else noticed. His class and the way he carried himself both on and off the field.
“He was very professional. He was a quiet leader. Those are I think your most impactful because they do it through how they play, they do it through their actions,” he said. “They don’t get out and have to be the loudest person on the field, they gotta be the loudest suits, the guy that’s all flashy. That’s what you respected about him, and that’s why a person of his character and stature will live so long in terms of the eyes and minds of the fans in terms of being the consummate professional.”
Indeed, that’s what the folks of Detroit remember most, in addition to all the exciting plays. Lions fans only wish they could bring Sanders back for just a few more yards.
Barry Sanders Stats
To see Sanders run he ball for Lions fans through the years was to believe given what he was able to do with the team on the field. Sanders routinely had the quickness and deft ability to break plenty of ankles on the football field and remains one of the greatest highlights in the game fans love watching even years after his retirement. Athleticism is something that came naturally to Sanders, no matter whether he was on the grass or the hardwood, something that was revealed recently.
With the Lions, Sanders rushed for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns. He was routinely thought of as the best running back in the league, and would have shattered plenty of NFL rushing records had he decided to keep playing. Sanders, however, walked away from the game in 1999 on the eve of training camp, which stunned the Lions and all of their fans. The parties then went through a frustrating split for multiple years, based mostly upon the fact that the franchise made him pay back part of his contract amid retirement. It is a situation not unlike what is happening with Calvin Johnson currently.
Sanders a Lions Legend Forever
Since, time has healed all wounds and Sanders has patched things up with the Lions and has become engaged in their alumni group. He also makes several visits a year to games the team is playing in, and was recently named to Detroit’s All-Century team, which is a major feather in his cap given what he was able to do as a team leader and a dominating force in the franchise.
As a result of his early retirement, Sanders maintains his health and vitality and looks phenomenal. It’s not a stretch to say that he could possibly still grind out some tough yards in the league at this point in time.
Leave it to one of his former teammates to understand that the most.
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