Best Football Talk

I may ruffle a few feathers on this, but Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions is without a doubt, the best running back I ever got the pleasure of watching on television. The way he broke defenders ankles on jukes and cut backs was jaw-dropping. It was my satisfaction and a true thrill to watch this awesome running back out of Oklahoma State.

Sanders was a true warrior and a definite threat, to score six points every time he touched the football in his Hall of Fame career. He retired in 1999 needing 1,458 rushing yards to overtake the late and great Walter Payton, who had 16,726 yards in his NFL career. Payton is currently in 3rd place right now. Many NFL fans including myself, think Sanders retired way before his time.

I think he could of set records that no back could ever break. Another thing I admire about Sanders is that he had no end zone celebration, he just simply found the official and handed him the ball. He was also quick to give credit first to his offensive linemen and to his team in general, rather than himself.

Look at today`s players and it seems like every receiver or running back has an end zone dance or celebration. Even penalties on the kickoff don`t stop them from celebrating. There is nothing wrong with getting excited about scoring, but show a little respect for the game like the old-school players that built the NFL did. That is again why I admire Sanders, he played the game the way it should be played.

He also set 9 all-time NFL records, and sits at the head of literally every Lions’ offensive rushing record that is possible. His 25 career games of more than 150 yards rushing is an all-time NFL standard, as are his fifteen career touchdown runs of more than 50 yards. Another amazing stat is that he was the 1rst player in league history to run for 1,000 yards in ten straight seasons and the only player to do it in the first 10 seasons of his career.

He is tied for 2nd with Payton for the all-time lead with 10-1,000-yard seasons overall, behind the Dallas Cowboys Emmitt Smith who has eleven in his career. He finished with 76 career 100 yard rushing games, second behind Payton`s 77. Trust me, the list of records goes on and on. This is and always will be my favorite running back of all-time, not because of the records he amassed, but because of the way he played the game.