May4Written by:Michael
5/4/2010 2:48 AM 
Barry Sanders is arguably the most exciting running back ever to play the game of football. He was short, stocky, and very hard to tackle.
In 1989 the Detroit Lions drafted Sanders as the No. 3 pick overall. They were a struggling franchise trying to rebuild. Sanders was the man that would bring them out of the hole.
Sanders’ first game was against the Arizona Cardinals. Although he didn’t play until the fourth quarter, Sanders made a good impression.
The very first carry of his career was a slant to the right. With no open hole, Sanders cut back to the left, broke two tackles, and was finally brought down by three Cardinals defenders, only after a 19-yard gain. Three plays later he scored his first touchdown.
After declining to go back into the regular season finale just 10 yards shy of the rushing title, he finished the season second in the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns and won the Rookie of the Year Award. This was the start of a humble 10-year career.
After a touchdown, Sanders never spiked the ball or celebrated in the end zone. Instead he just flipped the ball to the referee.
When asked which was quicker, his thoughts or his actions, Sanders said “his actions, because he is just reacting to the situation.” He used his instincts when running the ball. He could turn a two-yard loss into a 10-yard gain. He fought for every inch he ran.
Michael Strahan, Giants DE, once said:
“He would run 50 yards to lose one yard, but it was the prettiest yard you ever seen lost.”
Sanders was known for his elusiveness and his play making, but something that everyone overlooks is the 1,114 yards he lost. If you look at this number, you will see how much these yards meant. He averaged 111 lost yards per season. His five yards a carry would jump to 6.3 if you remove his negative yardage.
Sanders ran for 1,500 yards in every season but one. In 1997 he started the first two games with 25 carries for 53 yards, then set an NFL record with 14 consecutive 100-yard games and two 200-yard games for a grand total of 2,053 yards and 6.1 yards per carry.
He was only the third player in history to do this, behind O.J. Simpson and Eric Dickerson. In that year he shared the Associated Press’s Most Valuable Player Award with Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre.
Sanders’ 1997 rushing yards by game:
| Week |
Team |
Carries |
Yards |
Average |
| 1 |
ATL |
15 |
33 |
2.2 |
| 2 |
TAM |
10 |
20 |
2.0 |
| 3 |
at CHI |
19 |
161 |
8.5 |
| 4 |
at NOR |
18 |
113 |
6.3 |
| 5 |
GNB |
28 |
139 |
5.0 |
| 6 |
at BUF |
25 |
107 |
4.3 |
| 7 |
at TAM |
24 |
215 |
9.0 |
| 8 |
NYG |
24 |
105 |
4.4 |
| 9 |
at GNB |
23 |
105 |
4.6 |
| 10 |
at WAS |
15 |
105 |
7.0 |
| 11 |
MIN |
19 |
108 |
5.7 |
| 12 |
IND |
24 |
216 |
9.0 |
| 13 |
CHI |
19 |
167 |
8.8 |
| 14 |
at MIA |
30 |
137 |
4.6 |
| 15 |
at MIN |
19 |
138 |
7.3 |
| 16 |
NYJ |
23 |
184 |
8.0 |
| 1997 |
TOTAL |
335 |
2053 |
6.1 |
(See more here.)
The most surprising thing about Sanders, though, is how he left the game. At the peak of his career, 31 years old and 1457 yards shy of Walter Payton’s rushing record, Barry retired.
How could he quit when he was so close?
When asked why he quit so unexpectedly, he said, “The thrill and pure joy of playing the game is more important that any record, and I lost that joy.”
Many believe that Sanders diminished the game of football by his surprise retirement, but in my eyes, he was diminished because he never played in a Super Bowl. His short career was exciting to everyone except him. When your job becomes a burden on you, you start looking for another one.
Sanders was humble, explosive, exciting, and much more. Nothing gets the blood pumping more than watching Barry almost getting tackled.
Every time you watch a great running back, compare him to Barry Sanders. You never saw anyone like him before, and you will never see one like him again.