FIRST TIME REACTING to BARRY SANDERS NFL Highlights

[@larob9160]

A lot of those guys falling over themselves are Hall of Fame Defenders. Especially in the last 3 runs.

[@JamesSmith-no2cm]

Singletary had a shot.... they're talking about Mike Singletary... One of the most feared Defenders of all time... Barry had them jumping on a pile he wasn't even in..

[@miracleboyd5352]

An jhon lynch, David Brooks, etc etc...

[@scottrackley4457]

Lynch, Sapp, Doleman, Reggie, Singletary, Dent, god help Brooks, I missed a few. Not scrubs, hall of famers.

[@leslieg.9213]

"That man" is John Lynch, a Hall of Fame safety. Mr. Sanders was not particular about whom he made to look foolish.🤣

[@Tunasauce]

If no one has told you yet, in a lot of those videos Barry is making Hall of famers look stupid. He was literally a man among boys against Hall of Fame defensive players. Amazing!

[@darylbernard2616]

Yeah that play where Tampa Bay Bucs John Lynch just gets frozen...Lynch was one of the very best.

[@HungNguyen-qj3vu]

​@@darylbernard2616 Derek brooks all pro linebacker also gave up on some of those plays as well.

[@scottrackley4457]

Dent, Singletary, Sapp, Doleman, Lynch, Atwater (twice, twice!), I know I missed a few and of course the entire Cowboys defense

[@mentalhealthaccelerator7111]

Great reaction. You knew at least once a game you were going to see something fantastic from Barry. Totally humble, gentle sould.

[@mod850]

My favorite thing about Barry Sanders was how he didn't try to avoid the scrum. Instead of looking for a way around it, he'd try to find a way through whenever possible. I also enjoy the trail of exhausted defender bodies he'd leave behind on a longer run 😂

[@jessemartinez9279]

As a Lion's fan, I grew up watching Barry in the 90s. He was incredible to watch especially against the Bucs (orange team) and Vikings (purple team). What makes Barry the GOAT of running backs is not only his out of this world skills and talent but he is so humble. Truly poetry in motion watching him play.

[@doobernow]

I think the reason he's so celebrated (besides being as awesome as he was) is the fact he quit playing at his peak only playing 10 seasons. Also he was so humble to how great he was. The Lions and Cowboys game were on most TVs his whole career.

[@Afontanez1962]

He was one season away from breaking Walter Payton's record for most rushing yards lifetime and rather than break Walter's record he decided to leave the game as the 2nd most rushing yards lifetime and let the (at the time) recently deceased Walter keep the record.

[@doobernow]

@@Afontanez1962 Yes!! And that's what makes him one of the best!

[@warpig4942]

Barry did not have elite top speed, he could be caught from behind on occasion. He did have incredible acceleration and change of direction ability, like greatest of all time levels. What makes Barry's career even more incredible is that the team he played for was bad almost every year. The opponents knew that Barry was their only real weapon, they focused all their efforts into stopping him and still could not.

[@sableghost]

He was clocked at 4.4 speed which is plenty fast and the story goes that as he got to college and later the NFL he became a workout fiend and got faster so who knows what is real top speed was. The thing you have to remember is this guy carried the team, literally, rushing for a thousand+ yard in every season. So if he's already run for 150 yards in a game and someone runs him down from behind on that last play, maybe Barry is a bit too tired to outrun him. =)

[@bradpirochta9293]

Herman Moore wasn't chopped liver. He had 62 career touchdowns. Michael Irvin had 65. Brett Perriman and Johnnie Morton filled out a pretty good receiving corp... it was the fucking QB that always sucked.

[@zachwatkins4201]

@@bradpirochta9293 the line really wasn't good either

[@bradpirochta9293]

@@zachwatkins4201 True. Aside from Kevin Glover, Lomas Brown, the guy that became a paraplegic, and the guy that got run over by a semi while gardening in his lawn... we didn't have much.

[@m.t.mclaughlin4117]

Imagine n e if the horse tackle rule was in play when he was playing. I counted 6 horse tackles in his 50 top plays. A poet with his feet indeed. Humble man too, never a showboater. When he scored, no spiking the ball or dance, just gave it to the official, when asked why, Barry says. " you act like you have been the before".

[@rashonx]

im glad you enjoyed this. barry is the goat. he also has a bunch of 3 yard run that you wouldnt believe

[@justinfalzon6854]

No one hates Barry. He's a consummate professional whose loved by players and fans alike. Everyone is in awe and reverence over him. Greatest to do it.

[@montist1]

Small stature is an absolute weapon for running backs. Low center of gravity means it’s easier to change direction, harder to tackle, and they have to put their hands higher on you. It helps he had legs that would make a cheetah cry in envy. Great reaction!

[@blitzofchaosgaming6737]

That guy you said would be wondering if he is a professional was one of the best safeties ever to play the game.

[@ubilo]

Very genuine, humble guy. I used to see him at the local grocery store. His center of gravity, strength and vision were off the charts. Being shorter and very muscular worked well for him. He was the most elusive back ever. Too bad the Lions don't have him now on a much improved Lion's team.

[@ronjohnson6916]

That guy you had saying, "I'm a professional" is actually a hall of famer known for his tackling. Sanders could make even very good players look bad from time to time.

[@jahmekmanifestallah8121]

Barry injured players and they never even touched his jersey.

[@jankydisplay]

Strong legs, low center, and abnormally fast reflexes and acceleration, dude made the perfect running back.

[@robmitchell3039]

And his field vision was unparalleled.

[@Darmesis]

If your gonna react, this man is THE RECACTOID OF AWESOMNESS! Barry was an athlete among athletes! 👍

[@stevedevries2891]

One of my favorite Barry Sander's attributes was that after he scored a touchdown, he just handed the ball to the ref. He always acted as if "he'd been there before" - no ego, just great on-field play.

[@moregilberto]

that was my favorite thing about him too.

[@Fernandolunatoro1]

"If you're a fan of this purple team, you must really hate Barry Sanders." LMFAO!

[@scottrackley4457]

and any team that played on Thanksgiving

[@jakehart60]

It’s not always about distance it’s the moves that makes him so special. Also everyone on the field is incredibly fast so when someone breaks away like that it’s pretty impressive a lot of these guys grew up running track too

[@Avram42]

Note: he was only 5'8" but weighed 200lbs which is not obvious by his stature but I guarantee most of it were in his thighs (I seem to remember they were 36") If you cannot tell he is my favorite player of all time (not that I have a list)... fun to see someone discover his legacy.

[@kiern01]

Quick note: I noticed that some of purple jerseys you mentioned were different teams. The helmets show which team it is. As someone from Detroit, I used to watch Barry Sanders all the time, and his runs were the highlights of the game. Unfortunately, the rest of the team, especially the offense, sucked, which is why he never got to play in the Super Bowl . He was the entire offense, other than the kicker. That is why he retired early. It was disillusioning to play so hard and still lose so many games. He was also very humble, and sat out on plays that would have allowed him to set a new record, for the good of the team, even though the team wanted him to go for it. If he had been on a better team, that highlight reel would be a lot bigger, but then we, in Detroit, would not have had anything to be exited about.

[@codygregg6683]

Barry was my favorite player growing up. You should checkout Steve Smith Sr. He was a WR who was often the smallest guy on the field. But played like an absolute monster. Got in fights and was nothing but heart every play. Definitely an NFL legend.

[@pushpak]

3:44 RB catch passes too. Mostly short passes as opposed to WR who catch short, medium and long passes.

[@KELLZdaLOUTheProducer]

Berry was a treat to watch! Every Sunday I was glued to the tv 📺 and waiting to see what he was going to do next!!! I still remember all the Nike commercial that they did for him! One of the best!!!

[@larryg7126]

Barry could have negative yards at halftime and end the game over 100 yards, you could not contain him thru an entire game. Though not a fan of Detriot , I loved watching him run, he had that kind of respect around the league.

[@michaelmaas5544]

He lead the league in negative yards every year he played

[@jartstopsign]

That bio is right, he was the most shifty elusive back and probably just the greatest ever. I still laugh when I think about those guys on NFL network all agreeing that if you had to pick one running back to escape from a crowded phone booth it was hands down Barry lol

[@tommygunangel]

As a life long (and long suffering) Lions fan, I'm so glad you enjoyed this. He was amazing to watch and definitely the best runner the game has ever seen.

[@Kashmir.820]

@tommygunangel …Same, THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!!!!

[@adamedwards2261]

Greatest of all time. Very honorable guy. No trash talking. My idol growing up.

[@donculotta1551]

Barry is a true class act on and off the field. He NEVER let fame go to his head.

[@williameaton3552]

I have been a lions fan for over 50 yrs and more importantly a fan of Barry Sanders. It was a pleasure to watch this man in his craft all the while his professionalism. I feel honored to watch Barry over the yrs. There are great players but Barry was the best player. And on a lessor note he gave me bragging rights to my buddies every weekend. He was poetry in motion and a class act. It was sad to see him leave the game. There will never be another.

[@scotty4323]

Do Troy Polamalu. Barry Sanders played for 10 years, all for the Detroit Lions. He is 4th all time in career rushing yards in NFL history

[@actmyage2149]

Another vote for Polamalu

[@RaysHobbies]

If anyone ever deserves an asterisk by their all time numbers it's Barry Sanders, because they should've been much, much higher.

[@christophertabone1681]

You can’t stop Barry, you can only contain him.

[@jvaccaro2261]

Absolute Class Act, pride of Oklahoma State. Barry Sanders was a great player to watch. I like how you noticed the "Purple Team", lol... They are the Minnesota Vikings and since the NFL is broken down into Divisions, they are in the same one, called the NFC Central. My team, the Chicago Bears, was also and we played Barry twice a year as most of the teams in Division do. That is why he played them so much. NFC Central is Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions. We used to have Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the realignment with addition to 32 Teams put 4 teams in each Division. There are 16 Teams in each Conference. The NFC or National Football Conference and AFC or American Football conference. Glad you are appreciating the sport!

[@williamcapp448]

I am so blessed to have been a Lions fan for theb10 yrs he played. Sometimes he would make half a dozen people miss and only get 1 yard, but it was so great to watch. He got chased down often, but not before getting lots of yards. The speed he displayed was more concerning acceleration. He could stop and be running full speed in a micro second. And I often saw him change direction when someone approached him from behind, when he couldn't possibly have seen the opponent coming.

[@christco120]

Your observations were all spot-on. When he was a rookie, the purple team (Minnesota Vikings) complained to the officials at half time that he had silicon or something slippery sprayed on his uniform. They checked him, and he was totally clean, he was just so elusive that they couldn't keep a hold of him

[@helgar791]

Aside from his shiftiness and vision, Barry greatest assets were his incredibly large thighs and his ability to make cuts without losing speed. Also his small stature made it difficult for defensive linemen to see him. By the time they did, he was gone.

[@larob9160]

31 inches around each thigh at 5'8" both thighs were almost as thick as he was tall.

[@tonyaustin2485]

Yea Barry was a nightmare of a running back to stop because of his elusiveness. He was amazing. And the best thing he was a very nice respectful guy and very humble.

[@ianburton5053]

Hit*

[@jayy2245]

Can’t wait till he do LT or Ray Lewis

[@MrDavePed]

The "purple team" are the Minnesota Vikings, in the same division as the Detroit Lions, Sanders' team, so they had a lot of games scheduled against each other. Barry's 5 foot 8 inches, 200 pounds. ..

[@josephsoto9933]

The Lions play the Vikings at least 2 games a season.

[@josephsoto9933]

He retired too soon...he had maybe 3 or 4 more years in him but he was playing for a crappie team.

[@mattcampbell334]

@@josephsoto9933 It's a damn shame the Lions front office didn't try to put a build a contending team around him.

[@StryderK]

@@mattcampbell334 They could care less! They only cared about the $$$$ that Sanders bring to the table. In fact, when Sanders threatened to retire, they tried to offer him a huge pay raise. He flat out rejected them! That’s when, if I remembered correctly, they franchised him. Barry promptly “discovered God” and retired. Me thinks he wanted a certain ring and knew he had only 3-4 years left and wanted to go to a championship contender team. When the Lions owners said no no no. You belong to us, he just flat out quit. Ironically, some dozen years later, a guy with the nickname Megatron done the same thing when the Lions will not trade him to a championship contender team…..

[@kekkomartin5848]

There were more plays against the Vikings than the reactor perhaps realizes. Quite a few vs Vikings highlights had the Vikings in their away unis

[@danreed5171]

Barry's center of gravity is unlike any other RBack

[@stocktonpigwatch2284]

Barry Sanders has a small center of gravity, and a wild way of running, hes the goat

[@ajdembroski7529]

On the cutback you mentioned, Barry kind of popularized this. An entire branch offensive football (which we generally refer to as the Shanahan Tree, but technical known as outside zone) is built on baiting the defense one way to allow the back to find a hold to cut back against and be moving against the flow of the defense. The zone running scheme (as opposed to Power and Gap) existed before Barry, but Barry showed how effective it could be and a few years later, the Broncos (coached by Mike Shanahan, hense the name) won two Superbowls by combining it with the West Coast passing scheme. Today about a quarter of the NFL head coaches come from this school of offensive thought, though they are going back to more power schemes (which is predicated on having more men at the point of attack than the defense) because defenses are catching up. The NFL is very cyclical tactically.

[@paulmartin2348]

IMHO what I like best about Barry Sanders is just him. Watch some of his interviews. He is just about the genuinely nicest guy out there. No matter how hard he tore up your team you can't hate this guy.

[@maggiecockatiel7177]

his vision change of direction and anticipation are unmatched

[@antonyb3980]

Check out his Oklahoma State highlights when he was in college, He been recognized as best running back in college football history

[@frederickmoore467]

Barry Sanders was a superb athlete first and foremost. He had cat-like reaction times and quickness, low-center-of-gravity making him difficult to tackle, his field-vision and anticipation of defenders moves was second-to-none. His acceleration into, through, and out of the smallest gaps created in the defense is legendary. Of average height, which is small by NFL standards, he had one of the strongest core muscle groups in the NFL. When he glided into his squat running form in traffic, Sanders became like a bowling ball, bouncing off defenders but not going down. Incredible balance and agility--combined with that low center-of-gravity and above-average speed--made for a winning combination that was Barry Sanders. I have often wondered if Sanders had played for a stronger team, just how much could he have achieved?

[@tnolddawg]

You're absolutely correct , Barry Sanders had the best vision for finding open space than any player I have ever seen play Easily in the top 5 of all running backs in NFL history and by far the best cut-back runner who's played to date Also, his low center of gravity gave him extraordinary balance...it was rare for him to be brought down on 1st contact by the defense It often took 2 or 3 different players to bring him down

[@warrenhughes911]

Gayle Sayers..unreal also,,,running back..kick returner.. 6 TD'S IN ONE GAME!!!

[@lurking0death]

The men who played defense against Barry Sanders were elite athletes, big, strong and VERY fast. Sanders left them flailing at the air.

[@jackdoe552]

You are spot on, sir, when you recognize his vision.

[@winfordmdrumstoo]

Hands down the best RB to ever play the game. Growing up in Michigan and watching him play was such a joy. He was definitely the only reason people went to see or watch the Lions. These highlights are cool and all, but there were quite a few guys who tore their ACLs from the jukes he did.

[@byronsanders8562]

Dion Sanders is another great one you need to watch

[@MrPloppy1]

Best part about Sanders was that in the dawning age of elaborate touchdown celebrations and dancing, he would simply run into the end zone, score, toss the ball to a referee, turn around and trot back to his sideline. When asked why he never danced after a TD, he said that those who do it act like they've never been in the endzone before and will never return to it. His attitude was that being in the endzone for him was his natural setting. It would be like an accountant dancing and spiking his calculator every time he sat down at his desk in the morning.

[@kentgrady9226]

Barry was quite short. I believe his team gave his height at 5'8". I once attended a dinner event at which he was the principal speaker and saw him up close. He didn't appear to be nearly that tall. His agility, vision, balance, and ability to shed contact were jaw-dropping. I watched him play a college game once. He tallied up well over 300 yards as a running back and I don't know how many additional yards as a receiver and kick returner. He also scored six touchdowns. Insultingly enough, his team still managed to lose by 21 points. Sanders is one of the game's great gentlemen. He disliked calling attention to himself. He didn't taunt opponents. He was soft spoken, thoughtful, and gracious with the media. I truly miss players with those qualities personal. There aren't many of them these days.

[@angelm5936]

Love the line at the begining "I could of made that run". That till you find out he being chased by 250+ lb guys that can run better then 4.6 second 40s

[@robmitchell3039]

I was mostly thinking that he completely overlooked the guy who had hands on him 5 yards behind the line but couldn't tackle him.

[@LJohnson3117]

In video number 8 the guy wearing 47 is a hall of fame defensive player and Barry posterized him. Barry was the best who ever carried a football. Not to mention one of the most humble people you would ever want to meet.

[@therealmciver3761]

I'm 52 and being from the Pittsburgh area grew up a Steeler fan so football is in my blood. In my opinion based on only players I got to see Barry Sanders is the best RB I ever saw. The Steelers did have the best BIG RB in history though....5'11 and 255 lbs. Check out his story n highlights. Next big back would be Earl Campbell

[@Titus-as-the-Roman]

Went to a Cincinnati Bengals/Detroit Lions game in the early 80's where Barry Sanders absolutely chewed up Cincinnati's Defense.

[@stobe187]

it's not just the straight line speed, it's the quickness of his change of direction. sanders was a beast

[@yoinkhaha]

Besides the speed and the vision, look at the footwork!!

[@mds525700]

Another thing about Barry is that he did not care about accolades or being in the spotlight. He never celebrated a touchdown. He scored and handed the ball to the refs and returned high 5s to his teammates raised hands. He never danced or spiked the ball. I think it was his rookie year and if not early in his career when his teammates told him he only needed so many yards to be the league leader in rushing and since they were winning big he went to the coach and told him to put the back up running back in. By the way the purple team in the Vikings and they are in the Lions division so they play twice a year, one game in each teams stadium. Also running backs can run out of the backfield and catch passes. They can also throw but it's a trick play and it's rare. They actually tried this with Barry before and it failed miserably lol. If you look up A Football Life Barry Sanders it shows the play and it's absolutely hilarious. Herman Moore the intended receiver hilariously trolled him for his lack of qaurterback skill, and Barry responding by being silly and said the ball was given to him with the laces out or something like that.

[@johnhenrysmithiii]

By the way, one thing people don't appreciate about the 20th ranked Barry run is that on the 3rd tackle attempt he eluded (at about his own 17 yard line), he lost his right shoe. So he ran most of that 70+ yard distance with only one shoe on, which--combined with a bad block attempt by #84 Herman Moore--is why he couldn't cut back and beat that last guy.

[@joanwarner5102]

Grew up in Michigan, long time Barry fan. Remember them checking his jersey because they couldn't hold on to him😂

[@PhilCherry3]

Many of his most amazing runs were not the ones where he went the distance for a touchdown; but the ones where he turned a 5 yard loss into a five yard gain. These happened because so often his offensive linemen missed their blocking assignments and left defenders with clean runs at Sanders while he was still in the backfield getting the handoff from the quarterback. In the game of football that 10 yard swing in yardage was a killer to the defenses Sanders faced.

[@buckmontana245]

You said it best. He's like a ghost. To the other teams he was just that.

[@buscoones9316]

the goat rite there... the purple(vikings) team was a division rival, so they always played each other a lot.

[@PRODUCEDBYKEV]

I like watching full Barry games on KZbin. It's more fun than the highlights.

[@kidchrist35]

In the NFL, you play your division opponents twice a year and the Lions were in a division with the Vikings (the purple team), the Packers (green and gold), the Buccaneers (Orange and brownish?) and the Bears (Dark blue and orange) so they had to face him more often than the other teams in the league but everyone knew you had to prepare special when you're playing the Lions for Barry. He was threat every time he touched the ball, in his era, passing to the HB wasn't as prevalent as it is now, what a way to get him in space and watch him work though.

[@earlharman2040]

Sanders was amazing. I saw him play in college. He was amazing. Running backs can catch passes, it’s not unusual. Running backs, wide receivers, tight ends can all catch passes.

[@johnmilligan2964]

One of the great things about Barry is that he's very reserved and humble. He never celebrated after he scored. Most of the time he gave the ball to the referee and jogged off of the field. His college coach called it acting like you have been there before.

[@jerrycottec2518]

he's listed at 5'8 204 but after meeting him numerous times I would but him closer to 5'7. very gracious individual, a real class act.

[@pushpak]

"The GOAT of Every Position In The NFL" from Non Stop Sports

[@michaelmiller44820]

On top of all the talent, Barry Sanders was classy. Never a scandal. Never an unkind word from anybody. And he never spiked the ball after scoring a touchdown. Barry played his entire career with one team, the Detroit Lions. Oh, and the reason there were so many highlights against "that purple team" (the Minnesota Vikings) is that the Lions and the Vikings are in the same division, so they play each other twice a year. That's 20 games against "the purple team" for Barry. He was the absolute greatest in my book. Only Jim Brown even comes close.

[@edwardrogers7469]

You get it! Barry was so hard to tackle. He consistently made the best tacklers in the NFL miss him.

[@robertdedrick7937]

RB are the "Swiss Army Knife" of the offense. They have to be able to Run, catch passes and block especially pass block to help protect the QB . But predominantly they are runners

[@aaronspiegel8997]

Literally the only person to compliment the Lions blue ever. As. a Lions fan, Thank you. It's calle Honolulu Blue.

[@garyco766]

Barry was built like a fire hydrant and was exceptionally quick. His top end speed wasn't exceptional, but as you saw, he could hit that speed in a matter of a few steps. With his low center of gravity, thick powerful legs, and insane quickness he was just a nightmare to try to tackle, especially 1 on 1.

[@Lew_7567]

Sadly he retired a few years before I was born. My dad always told me stories growing up. Thankfully got to watch Calvin Johnson and Miguel Cabrera growing up.

[@zachpennock8839]

Detroit Lions fan here and loved watching Barry in the 90s. To me he is the best RB of all time and I will tell you why real quick. At the same time there was a RB on the Dallas Cowboys named Emmitt Smith who was just as impressive but here is why Barry is superior to Smith. Dallas Cowboys were a very good team in the 90s and had a great Offensive line that did a great job opening up running lanes for Smith. The Lions have always been an average team at best and consistently have below average Offensive lines which is why the Lions have only had 2 RB with 100 yard rushing games sense the 90s. So you can see Sanders had running lanes but you also notice a lot of times he didn't and had to get the yards on his own. The purple team is the Minnesota Vikings and they are in the same division so they played the Lions twice and yes all of the division hated playing against Barry. One of the reasons he has such great balance is because he grew up taking Ballet and attributes that to his elusiveness and great balance. Also you notice in the videos he does what a lot of RB don't do and that is burst through the hole. A lot of RB will hesitate and stutter step and then when they decide they don't have the momentum to push through tackles but Barry burst through in a blaze of glory. Sorry if this was long but I just wanted to comment on some questions you had and some knowledge you didn't have. Also no offense to Emmitt Smith fans. Like I said he was just as amazing to watch I just think Barry had to put in more work to get the yards he got. Pro Bowl is a joke so no need to pay any attention to that or at least its a joke now.

[@recifebra3]

Barry was the best RB to ever play the game. His moves, acceleration and vision were unmatched -- as well the strength in his legs to power through tackles. Low center of gravity didn't hurt.

[@zhollamychalis4252]

Sight is what you see with your eyes. The other running backs have great sight. Vision is what you see with your mind. That's Barry Sanders. And he left the game while he was on top. hence...his whole history on the field is one big highlight reel.

[@bill2953]

Barry came into the league in 1989 in the midst of a great era. And because you asked, catching passes out of the backfield as well as blocking in pass protection comes with the job for a running back. But very few have ever had his acceleration. Zip, through the gap and off to the races.

[@christopherborum6551]

As a fan of the purple team, I loved to watch Barry Sanders. It sucked when he did it to us, but you have to respect his talent. You should know, though, that they were in the same division and played each other twice every year. So it's not so much that he was particularly abusive to the purple, just that he got more opportunities to abuse them. Also, seeing you get excited about how shifty he is at #41, knowing what's still to come...was amusing.

[@52156drj]

Barry Sanders, in his playing days, was 5 foot 8 inches, 205 lbs. He was overall pretty strong but strongest in his legs. His thighs measured around 34 inches, and he regularly squatted for reps at over 600 lbs. He loved basketball and could dunk it. He was never the fastest guy on the field but could stop and accelerate faster than anyone and he had great vision. He was very hard to tackle because he had a low center of gravity. On a personal note, I don't think these are his best runs. Some of the highlights in this video give an inkling of his ability but there are many more shorter runs that more amazing still.

[@denzelelysium]

Barry Sanders had 100 level field vision. He was supremely agile and quick as well, but I believe his vision is undervalued.

[@williameaton3552]

Another fact for ya. He had the most negative yards in the league. And some of the most impressive runs that only netted a few yards. He was a magician.

[@KevinHeather-nc6tk]

Your reaction are so real bro!!! I love to recommend a small player(definitely not as great as Mr. Sanders) named Danny Whitehead who played around 2010 in the NFL

[@KevinHeather-nc6tk]

Danny Woodhead…..my voice to text changed it….

[@facewongames5703]

The purple team is the Minnesota Vikings. They play against the Detroit Lions (Barry's team) twice a year due to them being in the same division (the divisions are more of a geological location designation, not a quality designation). So Barry had more chances to play against them than most teams. The Lions play in the NFC North. Also, there was a play where you thought Barry changed direction because he didn't have anywhere to go. I could be wrong, but I think this was designed. "Counter runs" are designed to get the defense moving one direction by your entire offense blocking that direction and having your running back step in that direction. A perfectly executed counter run can be impossible to detect as a designed play after the fact. So it's hard to say when he was making it up in the moment or when it was actually designed to start one direction and move back the other. My favorite player is an alltime great named Frank Gore. He's a running back too. But Barry Sanders is, in my opinion, the greatest running back of all time. Check out Steve Young and Michael Vick highlights. They are quarterbacks who were as athletic as most running backs.

[@crosbonit]

The running back position has been devalued in the NFL now. Sanders was a magician at times. However, he was tackled for loss more than anyone. But, if he was in the game, you were on the edge of your seat wanting to see what he might do.

[@Darmesis]

Don’t know how he’d relate to Rugger (he was short at 1.73 m), but that man was BORN to run a Gridiron ball! 🏈

[@victorfranca85]

The best player ever in football history. PERIOD.

[@matterman2003]

Running backs do catch passes, the best ones are able to do so as well as WR's can and can be a major weapon in the passing game. Thurman Thomas(Buffalo Bills), Ronnie Harmon(Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers) and Roger Craig(San Francisco 49ers) were widely considered the best pass catching backs around the time Barry Sanders was playing. For the most part, Running Backs are used as "outlet" or "checkdown" receivers which means they are kind of the last resort for a QB if everyone else is covered or they are under pressure and have to get rid of the ball. When you have really good pass catching RB's that can be used almost as WR's, you can have them run patterns farther downfield against players who are not very good in coverage(usually they will scheme it up to force a LB on them) and cause major headaches for defenses to account for. It is much more common now in the modern passing game than it was back in the late 80' and early 90's. The RB typically stays very close to the line of scrimmage(the imaginary line drawn across the field where the ball is snapped from) to give the QB an easy throw and completion that can pick up 5 or 6 yards and turn a potentially bad play into a good one. Defenses will often times allow these completions on 3rd down and long with the hope of tackling the player well before the first down to force a punt. Running backs also are very important in pass protection and are asked to pick up blitzes or help out on defensive players rushing(aka double team or chip the defender). They are also used extensively when teams "force" you to throw short passes by playing what is known as 2 High Safeties or a 2 High Shell, meaning they are keeping their 2 safeties farther back to take away deep throws and force you to throw the ball shorter or to run it. This is being used a lot now against teams like the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs who have explosive deep passing games and they want to prevent quick strike scores. It's effectiveness varies from ineffective at slowing down the offense to very effective, often times depending on how patient the QB wants to be and how much he is willing to continuously hit short throws that will move the chains and pick up first downs to draw the other team away from that coverage and force them to come up closer to the Line of Scrimmage to prevent constant first downs. Many times being a cat and mouse game between the defensive coordinators and the offensive coordinators/quarterbacks. Sometimes they will stay in to block the entire play, other times they will get a chip block meaning they hit the defender with their shoulder to try and knock them off balance or slow them down and then go out to be a receiver and other times they will release to the flat so the QB can toss the ball over the blitzing player. Screen plays are a big weapon used by teams to try and catch defenses that attack aggressively with extra players rushing the QB as well. Effectively the RB(sometimes can be to a WR or TE also) will set up a few yards behind the line of scrimmage, usually to the right or left but sometimes in the middle as well(not surprisingly this is called a middle screen), the offensive lineman will allow the oncoming defenders to get by them with little resistance, the QB will trail backwards inviting the defenders to run towards him as he drifts backwards and then he will toss it over their heads to the RB who now has 3 or 4 linemen in front of him as well as the other WR's blocking which can lead to a big gain. Often times used on a 3rd and long play when they expect a heavy rush to try and force the ball out fast. The success of the play typically depends on how well the offensive line "sells" the blocking. They want it to be easy for the defenders to get by them, but not too easy compared to normal or else the defenders will figure it out and will stop their rush and turn around to find the RB and effectively blow up he play and force the QB to throw the ball into the ground at the RB's feet. Good screen teams make the blocks similar enough to a normal block that it is hard for the defenders to recognize the difference.

[@jakeand9020]

#8 "you know he's looking back like 'I'm a professional?'" That's John Lynch, several time probowler and hall of famer.

[@matterman2003]

The purple team, the green and yellow team and the dark blue and orange team were all in the same division with Barry Sanders his whole career, so they played him twice every year, which means there were a lot more highlights against those teams than the other ones they didn't play that often(in the NFL not every team plays other ones every year...sometimes it is as infrequent as once every 4 years)

[@supersop]

I've made these points countless times, but here goes. Barry always ALWAYS had a horrible offensive line. The reason he cut back so much is because he knew the hole was closing before he even touched the ball. He didn't have a massive top speed, but he could reach HIS top speed in 1 step. Barry would often run 80 yards just to pick up 12 yards. Meaning he would run sideline to sideline or even backward until he found an opening..... often his best and most entertaining runs. He was very close to the all time leading rusher yardage, but retired in his prime and could have buried the record forever. I often think he was just fed up with the Lions but was a 1 team man. His career took place during an era when a Running Back was still just a running back. This position barely exists today. A pure rusher is not part of the game today unless your name is Adrian Peterson. The modern game doesn't require gaining 100 yards rushing in order to control the pace of the game and win. 400+ yards passing is all that's needed (the rules have changed to make it much easier on receivers and quarterbacks). Anyway, Barry was a humble God in Detroit. He never spiked the ball when he scored and never celebrated... just handing the ball to the ref and jogged back to the sideline. A perfect sportsman in every way.

[@rodneygriffin7666]

Certainly in the top 3 running backs of all time. Certainly one the most exciting players of all time.

[@Aries-jw3eq]

The Era of the 90's had some of the best running backs from Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk , Emmit Smith who are all NFL hall of famers one before this era is Walter Payton . I grew up a fan of the Dallas Cowboys and my person the team was Emmit Smith

[@lyleschull6516]

He never spiked the ball he had real class 👏

[@markharrold6876]

There have been some amazing athletes in the game. I'm going to suggest one who is still regarded as someone who actually changed the game when he played and the game is still played that way today: Bob Hayes #2 Bob Hayes | Top 10: Fastest Players | NFL Films - KZbin .

[@knarf_on_a_bike]

You really know your stuff. Barry's forté was his vision, he had a knack for finding the hole, knowing just when to cut to burst through the line or get between defenders. He was very fast, but not the fastest; you could see him being caught from behind a few times, but his acceleration was outstanding. Add incredible balance and strength and you end up with one of the top two or three running backs of all time. He quite surprisingly (and controversially) retired at the peak of his game, just short of the all-time rushing record.