"If" doesn't matter in sports. That's what makes it glorious. It's the drama of the unexpected. It's the wild card Giants beating the 18-0 Patriots. Barry retired when he was ready, and Emmitt kept climbing the mountain. Don't worry about what could have been. Just appreciate what was... and it WAS spectacular!
Had the greatest career ever from start to finish he never fell off he started his career with a 1000 yard season ended his career with a 1000 yard season
Imagine what he could have achieved if he was on a better team and didn't retire early. Sanders is, in my opinion, the single greatest running back of all time. One of the biggest "What ifs" in NFL history too.
You can't have the 'greatest career ever' and not only no win a Super Bowl, but not even sniff one. I'ts not greater than Rice, Montana, Brady, Smith, LT, Payton, or Mahomes. among others.
I remember being on vacation at the beach when I heard Sportscenter announce Barry Sanders retired. I was in total shock. He will always be my favorite running back and Thanksgiving day just isn't the same without him. I wear one of his jerseys every single Thanksgiving as tribute
There is no such thing as early. That is the expectation we as fans need to keep in check. There is a lot to lose as an individual in professional football. Calvin Johnson, Patrick Willis, Andrew luck, Luke kuechly, rob gronkowski. Players who have gone through it and decided enough was enough deserve more respect and it's selfish otherwise
#1 reason is you never know the wear and tear of a player. Barry had a lot of carries. Maybe he wanted his family to see him walk normal when he's old. Think about the amount of hits an elite RB takes: 320 carries, even if you have a monster year with 20 TDs, you're still getting hit 300 times.
Imagine professional athletes who live and make massive decisions according to what they know to be right. Glad I got to grow up watching the remnants of a bygone era
Barry Sanders knew Cte was the only thing that was able to tackle him without any effort, he was a great running back, so happy that he had his sanity and his same state of mind
You should’ve seen those Bears teams before Sweetness I think Barry is the second best but I love me some sweetness. Based on what you want in a RB tho you can switch em tho
@@Fireyninjadog 😂😂😂 I’m a pats fan and when I saw Fields slipping at the time of the draft I wanted him so bad but even before the draft Mac Jones is such a Patriots style QB I’m glad we got who we got haha But Fields is that Dude man he’s gon be a star
How do you question a guy that gave you 10 years! I mean 10 years of amazing production, and keeping that Lions team in the dance. The lions haven’t seen a string of seasons like that since him.
Just like with Emmitt said, once you get a taste of the playoffs and the tem doesn't do anything to get better to win a championship, it's either time to retire or go to another team. Barry knew as he said that the team was going to be rebuilding and he didn't want any part of it. Just like Calvin Johnson, he knew the Lions weren't getting any better and the injuries were piling up. At least Matt Stafford was able to leave Detroit and finally win a Super Bowl with his year with the Rams.
Played the game with class. Went out with class. No retirement party just walked away with grace like he played the game. No one did it better. Smith might have the record but if Barry played that long he would've been closed to 25,000 Yards than 20,000..
Emmitt's right about letting it go. But it's hard to. It's one of the sports greatest icons leaving while he was still greatness on the football field personified. It's Jim Brown going to the movies. It's Don Huston saying, you won't pay me? You won't be a championship team anymore. We don't have film on the decline of these players and that's what will always cause the mental itch when you bring them up. So I feel for those fans too because telling them don't dream don't wonder let it go? It's kinda like asking a football fan to not be a football fan in a way. Every year 32 teams believe they can win the championship, even if objectively we know many of them aren't nearly talented enough to do it with all the right breaks. When you lose that hope, that belief one player one coach one play can turn a season around...its the same kinda thing to ask of a fan.
32 teams do not go into the season believing they can win a championship. Let's be real here. I'd say only about 12-18 actually think that. The rest are going for draft picks and trades.
If any Lions fan at that time or any media personality at the time or any teammate at the time insulted Barry for leaving or even now, you deserve nothing. The man gave 10 years of dominance and the Lions did NOTHING with it while he carried the team on his back. He deserved to walk away if he so desired, because he had done more than enough 100 times over.
I think the fact he waited till training camp is what made it such a big deal. He should have retired after the 98 season and not waited till training camp.
I can't believe a company with billions of dollars can't put the initial release date of this episode in the description. New people on RUclips will think this is recently aired, like emmitt smith was 43 years ago, this will miss inform new fans and confuse old fans, or any newcomer who want learn the history of these players. History needs to be dated.
If someone is an older fan they would never be misinformed when it comes to barry sanders. He is the allen iverson of the nfl...their names are always gonna go along with greatness on a crappy team. But I do get what your saying about newer fans
Barry retired cause he got sick and tired of being the best RB in the NFL and losing every year its simple as that the owners did nothing to help the team get better.
What sucks is that players had no control back then, the organization was the boss and they just had to deal with it. If this was modern day he could have requested or even demanded a trade or he would have been a top free agent target for better places. If Barry had the same line as Emmitt and played for as long, he may just have went for a 20,000 yard career.
Barry Emitt 85 Longest Run 75 5.0 Yards Per Carry 4.2 99.8 Rushing Yards Per Game 81.2 41 Fumbles 61 Stats don't lie. Games played Barry 153, Emitt 226 Emitt sucked. Like Brett Farve he played way to long just for the records. Marino was a much better QB but his records were beat by longevity. Barry was GREAT, Top 3 all time
If he played today he would be the peyton manning of running backs...he never squabbled about a contract and i cant see him asking for more than the salary these rbs today get....he ran his mind off for way less than rbs get now and had more pride
To me its quite obvious Barry is the best back of all time, I never got to watch Emmitt or Barry or Jim Brown, but over 15,000 yards in 10 seasons... Lomas Brown was right, if he played a full career he would have 25,000+ guaranteed, also that OLine Emmitt had definitely helped his cause
You obviously never watched these guys play so you just buy into the false narrative and revisionist history that Barry never had a good O Line and that Emmitt was ONLY good because of his, even though NONE of the Cowboys O Line members ever sniffed a Pro Bowl until after Emmitt's 3rd season. Also, Barry "gaining 25,000 rushing yards" is just idiotic to even think about since he would have to have played 5 more years and averaged 2,000 yards a season well into his 30's. LOL!
@@thegorn68 Yeah you're right, I have never watched em play, which is why I said that in the first sentence. And yeah maybe he doesn't get 25,000, it's called an exaggeration pal. But put Barry on those Cowboys teams and put Emmitt in Detroit. Who's better? Exactly
@@nicktomasek8941 Plus guys like Step and Williams came into the team in 1989 and 1991 so it wasn't like they were bums for several years before Emmitt came in. The pieces were being put together during the time as well.
I hate emmit Smith hell of a player he can't help he played behind the greatest o line EVER he can't help Barry retired before he could break Walter Paytons record but damn I hate emmit Smith
The same oline that never made a Pro Bowl and had one Hall of Famer in Larry Allen who came in later? The same oline where Emmitt sat out, couldn't produce another 100 yard rusher? The same oline that allowed Aikman to get rocked and experience numerous concussions? Please. Emmitt is the GOAT. Emmitt made that oline.
@@hitek9too255 emmit Smith is average at best put him on the 90s lions he struggles to get 1000 every top rb from that era had much much much more physical talent than emmit Smith Smith wasn't fast wasn't even quick he was hitting holes you could drive a truck through
@@timmayes2863 Plus some of these guys came in from the late 1980s to the early 1990s so it's not like they were there for several years before Smith came in, the Cowboys were adding pieces to the line as well. Step came in a year before Smith and Williams came in 1991.
Barry, the gentleman of the game. As a Vikings fan, loved watching him play when we only had one game to watch on a Sunday.
How you misspell Barry Sanders name? Grew up in Wichita in the 80s. He's the man. Best RB all time.
Word!!!👊🏼 Undisputed GOAT RB 🙏🏼👍🏼🙏🏼👌🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
He is for sure. I‘m from Switzerland and I know that he‘s the GOAT RB 😊 No debate…
Most talented not the best
Walter Payton, was the goat, in my opinion.
"If" doesn't matter in sports. That's what makes it glorious. It's the drama of the unexpected. It's the wild card Giants beating the 18-0 Patriots. Barry retired when he was ready, and Emmitt kept climbing the mountain. Don't worry about what could have been. Just appreciate what was... and it WAS spectacular!
Once your head is out of the game, its hard to come back from that.
Matt Stafford was able to escape the Lions curse and win a Super Bowl before injuries took Stafford out this season.
Lifelong Lions fan here, it was a privilege to watch his career in a Lions’ uniform.
Barry Sanders, probably one of the most humble & classy top tier NFL Players ever!!
The ending with his dad did it for me 😢
Had the greatest career ever from start to finish he never fell off he started his career with a 1000 yard season ended his career with a 1000 yard season
A true stud. Cleveland has had its share of awesome running backs, but there will only be one Barry Sanders.
Imagine what he could have achieved if he was on a better team and didn't retire early. Sanders is, in my opinion, the single greatest running back of all time. One of the biggest "What ifs" in NFL history too.
You can't have the 'greatest career ever' and not only no win a Super Bowl, but not even sniff one. I'ts not greater than Rice, Montana, Brady, Smith, LT, Payton, or Mahomes. among others.
I remember being on vacation at the beach when I heard Sportscenter announce Barry Sanders retired. I was in total shock. He will always be my favorite running back and Thanksgiving day just isn't the same without him. I wear one of his jerseys every single Thanksgiving as tribute
Bobby Ross and that front office can kick rocks! They pushed Barry away and into retirement.
Same with megatron smh
Different owners would make a huge difference with the Lions.
There is no such thing as early. That is the expectation we as fans need to keep in check. There is a lot to lose as an individual in professional football. Calvin Johnson, Patrick Willis, Andrew luck, Luke kuechly, rob gronkowski. Players who have gone through it and decided enough was enough deserve more respect and it's selfish otherwise
Out of all those guys Gronk was the only one to come back. The others retire with no desire to return.
@@supratrd900 yeah but honestly gronk kind of got guilted back into it, if Tom had never called he would've stayed retired.
This is all a publicity stunt so he can get traded or signed to a different team. Just wait, he'll be back
@@supratrd900 wrong . Sam Huff came out of retirement. Do the research- youngster
#1 reason is you never know the wear and tear of a player. Barry had a lot of carries. Maybe he wanted his family to see him walk normal when he's old. Think about the amount of hits an elite RB takes: 320 carries, even if you have a monster year with 20 TDs, you're still getting hit 300 times.
Imagine professional athletes who live and make massive decisions according to what they know to be right. Glad I got to grow up watching the remnants of a bygone era
Barry Sanders knew Cte was the only thing that was able to tackle him without any effort, he was a great running back, so happy that he had his sanity and his same state of mind
Ironically his draft yr he could’ve been with Green Bay . Imagine him paired with favre
The best running back ever, simply because he was great, IN DETROIT
Lmao
You should’ve seen those Bears teams before Sweetness I think Barry is the second best but I love me some sweetness. Based on what you want in a RB tho you can switch em tho
@@lvxtu3472 he's the bears best quarterback since luckman
@@Fireyninjadog 😂😂😂 I’m a pats fan and when I saw Fields slipping at the time of the draft I wanted him so bad but even before the draft Mac Jones is such a Patriots style QB I’m glad we got who we got haha
But Fields is that Dude man he’s gon be a star
@@lvxtu3472 hopefully. But the bears keep ruining their quarterbacks like they've done for so many decades. Plus the ohio state qb curse is a factor
How do you question a guy that gave you 10 years! I mean 10 years of amazing production, and keeping that Lions team in the dance. The lions haven’t seen a string of seasons like that since him.
31 is the perfect age to retire as a RB. It made sense to me after all those carries.
He was still in his prime though. WhIch is crazy
What a player
Just like with Emmitt said, once you get a taste of the playoffs and the tem doesn't do anything to get better to win a championship, it's either time to retire or go to another team. Barry knew as he said that the team was going to be rebuilding and he didn't want any part of it. Just like Calvin Johnson, he knew the Lions weren't getting any better and the injuries were piling up. At least Matt Stafford was able to leave Detroit and finally win a Super Bowl with his year with the Rams.
Played the game with class. Went out with class. No retirement party just walked away with grace like he played the game. No one did it better. Smith might have the record but if Barry played that long he would've been closed to 25,000 Yards than 20,000..
Emmitt's right about letting it go. But it's hard to. It's one of the sports greatest icons leaving while he was still greatness on the football field personified. It's Jim Brown going to the movies. It's Don Huston saying, you won't pay me? You won't be a championship team anymore. We don't have film on the decline of these players and that's what will always cause the mental itch when you bring them up. So I feel for those fans too because telling them don't dream don't wonder let it go? It's kinda like asking a football fan to not be a football fan in a way. Every year 32 teams believe they can win the championship, even if objectively we know many of them aren't nearly talented enough to do it with all the right breaks. When you lose that hope, that belief one player one coach one play can turn a season around...its the same kinda thing to ask of a fan.
This is all a publicity stunt so he can get traded or signed to a different team. Just wait, he'll be back
32 teams do not go into the season believing they can win a championship. Let's be real here. I'd say only about 12-18 actually think that. The rest are going for draft picks and trades.
Emmitt's the GOAT!
*Berry, spelling in title
If any Lions fan at that time or any media personality at the time or any teammate at the time insulted Barry for leaving or even now, you deserve nothing. The man gave 10 years of dominance and the Lions did NOTHING with it while he carried the team on his back. He deserved to walk away if he so desired, because he had done more than enough 100 times over.
How can you consider it early retirement when you've been playing for 10 seasons as a running back?
I think the fact he waited till training camp is what made it such a big deal. He should have retired after the 98 season and not waited till training camp.
I can't believe a company with billions of dollars can't put the initial release date of this episode in the description. New people on RUclips will think this is recently aired, like emmitt smith was 43 years ago, this will miss inform new fans and confuse old fans, or any newcomer who want learn the history of these players. History needs to be dated.
If someone is an older fan they would never be misinformed when it comes to barry sanders. He is the allen iverson of the nfl...their names are always gonna go along with greatness on a crappy team. But I do get what your saying about newer fans
Barry is the GOAT rb
Barry retired cause he got sick and tired of being the best RB in the NFL and losing every year its simple as that the owners did nothing to help the team get better.
who is berry?
What sucks is that players had no control back then, the organization was the boss and they just had to deal with it. If this was modern day he could have requested or even demanded a trade or he would have been a top free agent target for better places. If Barry had the same line as Emmitt and played for as long, he may just have went for a 20,000 yard career.
4:28 that OJ line was heartless 😂
Rip the juice
8 minutes of gold
It was his choice. Every man must met their Moment of truth....
Detroit ruined sanders and Johnson’s career. I can only imagine what the rest of their careers could’ve been like on a different team
Proverbs 17:8
A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.
Who is Berry?
Barry, not Berry.
@@KadeemG61 look at the title
Disrespectful. Who is editing these things?!
Barry Emitt
85 Longest Run 75
5.0 Yards Per Carry 4.2
99.8 Rushing Yards Per Game 81.2
41 Fumbles 61
Stats don't lie. Games played Barry 153, Emitt 226
Emitt sucked. Like Brett Farve he played way to long just for the records. Marino was a much better QB but his records were beat by longevity. Barry was GREAT, Top 3 all time
NFL FILMS misspelling Barry's name????? WTF. I would expect that from some random youtuber... NFL FILMS?? C'MON, MAN!
The Lions have wasted so many careers its sad.
If he played today he would be the peyton manning of running backs...he never squabbled about a contract and i cant see him asking for more than the salary these rbs today get....he ran his mind off for way less than rbs get now and had more pride
He in the explain of why you dont stay in a deadend team.
Lol, the curse of bobby lane still going , same old Lions
To me its quite obvious Barry is the best back of all time, I never got to watch Emmitt or Barry or Jim Brown, but over 15,000 yards in 10 seasons... Lomas Brown was right, if he played a full career he would have 25,000+ guaranteed, also that OLine Emmitt had definitely helped his cause
You obviously never watched these guys play so you just buy into the false narrative and revisionist history that Barry never had a good O Line and that Emmitt was ONLY good because of his, even though NONE of the Cowboys O Line members ever sniffed a Pro Bowl until after Emmitt's 3rd season. Also, Barry "gaining 25,000 rushing yards" is just idiotic to even think about since he would have to have played 5 more years and averaged 2,000 yards a season well into his 30's. LOL!
@@thegorn68 Yeah you're right, I have never watched em play, which is why I said that in the first sentence. And yeah maybe he doesn't get 25,000, it's called an exaggeration pal. But put Barry on those Cowboys teams and put Emmitt in Detroit. Who's better? Exactly
@@nicktomasek8941 Plus guys like Step and Williams came into the team in 1989 and 1991 so it wasn't like they were bums for several years before Emmitt came in. The pieces were being put together during the time as well.
Emmett Smift is 43 years old.
If the Lions Ever make a Super Bowl, it'll be a crime to root against them.
Detroit wasted this mans talent smh
Barry not Berry.
I think if he was on a better team that matched his effort he would have played longer.
Guess he didn't wanna take a chance at another -1 yard playoff game.
Black Berry
How bad was the organization to make Barry just leave so abruptly? Smh
Only guy who is close to Barry in terms of electric athlete was Bo Jackson. Never seen two guys clown pro competition like the two of them.
i blame the detroit lions..!
they had the golden goose and ate it
I hate emmit Smith hell of a player he can't help he played behind the greatest o line EVER he can't help Barry retired before he could break Walter Paytons record but damn I hate emmit Smith
The same oline that never made a Pro Bowl and had one Hall of Famer in Larry Allen who came in later? The same oline where Emmitt sat out, couldn't produce another 100 yard rusher? The same oline that allowed Aikman to get rocked and experience numerous concussions? Please. Emmitt is the GOAT. Emmitt made that oline.
@@hitek9too255 emmit Smith is average at best put him on the 90s lions he struggles to get 1000 every top rb from that era had much much much more physical talent than emmit Smith Smith wasn't fast wasn't even quick he was hitting holes you could drive a truck through
@@timmayes2863 Plus weren't that line featured some All Pros? Newton, Step, and Williams weren't exactly slouches.
@@iamhungey12345 exactly
@@timmayes2863 Plus some of these guys came in from the late 1980s to the early 1990s so it's not like they were there for several years before Smith came in, the Cowboys were adding pieces to the line as well. Step came in a year before Smith and Williams came in 1991.
The lions are still in the same spot.
Lions ruined Barry and Calvin’s career it’s just sad any other team they would’ve gon to crazy
Today we expect RBs to be out of the league after 10 seasons.
THE MOST UNAPPRECIATED PLAYER OF ALL TIME ❌💯
You would think NFL Films would know how to spell "Barry." Embarrassing.
You’re 53 not 43
This episode was made in 2012, when Emmitt was 43
Delete and Re upload with the correct name spelling NFL films SMH
John 16:27
For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
It over let it go 🚶♂️ 🤣
Incredibly intelligent decision to stop playing when he did. He would have destroyed what was left of his brain.
This is all a publicity stunt so he can get traded or signed to a different team. Just wait, he'll be back
Seek help loll
Emmitt was much better. 💍 💍 💍
🤣🤣🤣 Emmit had a much much better O-line than Sanders ever had but only managed 3 1500yd seasons. Barry has 5.
Emmitt had a far better team.