Barry Sanders Had A Horrible Offensive Line Blocking For Him! Fake News!

Over and over and over again, I hear people repeatedly talk of how amazing Barry Sanders was. You can’t argue his greatness. He was arguably the most exciting running back to ever play in the National Football League (NFL). What I also hear, though, is how Barry’s offensive line was horrible! People often wonder how much more amazing Barry Sanders would have been if he had a strong offensive line. They wonder if Barry Sanders and the rest of the Detroit Lions might have had some Super Bowl rings in the 90’s with a better line. And some will even wonder if Barry Sanders would have more rushing yards than Emmitt Smith (NFL’s all-time leading rusher) if he had a decent offensive line.

What I wonder, though, is how many people even know who was on the Lion’s team during those years? Are people claiming that Barry Sanders had a weak offensive line simply because they heard other people already make that claim? Have people blindly gone along with this statement without even doing the research? Many of the younger NFL fans have never even seen Barry Sanders play in a game, so it is very odd to hear young people complain about the offensive line that Barry had in front of him.

Being near the age of 50, I can proudly say I was able to watch Barry Sanders play in MANY games on live TV during the 90’s. He was amazing, no doubt. Do I think his offensive line was amazing, too? No, I do not. However, I certainly don’t think they were miserable, either!

I am a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, so I can easily agree with all of the people that claim Emmitt Smith had a better offensive line than Barry Sanders. I can agree with that because it is 100% true! Even some of the Cowboy’s biggest haters will admit Dallas had an amazing offensive line during the 90’s.

But were the Lions’ offensive linemen really as bad as people say they were? Well, they had some rough seasons, but they also had some very remarkable seasons, too!

1991
Take a look at the 1991 season. That year, the Lions only gave up 25 SACKS. To put that in perspective, the team that gave up the most sacks that year allowed a whopping 63 SACKS. There were only a small handful of teams that gave up fewer sacks than the Lions that season. The Lions finished that season with a 12-4 record. Seriously, does a team with a horrible offensive line only give up 25 sacks and end up with a 12-4 record?

1994
Was 1991 a fluke, you ask? I don’t think so. Take a look at the 1994 season. That season, they once again were among the best teams in fewest sacks allowed, as they only gave up 26 sacks in that season. Keep in mind, too, that the Lions had quarterbacks such as Scott Mitchell, Erik Kramer, and Rodney Peete during the 90’s. Other than a few decent scampers by Peete, these quarterbacks were not known for being elusive on the run such as guys like Michael Vick and Justin Fields, so their running ability rarely saved the team from any sacks.

1995
Oh, and let’s not forget the 1995 season! During the 1995 season, the Lions gave up 32 sacks, which ranked them in the top half of the league for fewest sacks allowed. They went on to finish with a 10-6 record all the while putting up HUGE offensive numbers. Here are some of the numbers that their stars racked up in 1995:

HERMAN MOORE (Wide Receiver): 123 receptions, 1,686 yards, and 14 touchdowns
BRETT PERRIMAN (Wide Receiver): 108 receptions, 1,488 yards, and 9 touchdowns
BARRY SANDERS (Running Back): 1,500 rushing yards, 398 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns

Again, I ask you . . . does a team with a weak offensive line put up these kinds of numbers and end up with winning seasons? That answer to that question is RARELY a “No.”

OFFENSIVE LINE NO-NAMES:
Who were the guys blocking for the Lions during the 90’s, you ask? Who was “letting down” Barry Sanders over and over again? A bunch of miserable no-names? Not exactly. Below is a list of some of the offensive linemen that Barry Sanders had in front of him.

KEVIN GLOVER
15 NFL Seasons, 3 Pro Bowl Selections

MIKE COMPTON
12 NFL Seasons (Left the Lions in 2001 to eventually help Tom Brady win his first Super Bowl for the Patriots)

LOMAS BROWN
18 NFL Seasons, 7 Pro Bowls

DAVE LUTZ
13 NFL Seasons

BILL FRALIC
9 NFL Seasons, 4 Pro Bowl Selections

JEFF HARTINGS
11 NFL Seasons, 2 Pro Bowl Selections

All of the above-mentioned offensive linemen lasted for a good 10 years or more in the NFL. You can’t be a slouch in the NFL and expect to survive for over a decade. You must be doing something right if you are playing for such a long time. Right? I mean, come on. If they were that bad and embarrassing, the Lions could have cut them all and acquired a whole new set of linemen through the draft and free agency. 

DEFENSES PLAYED THE RUN?
Some people may read this and say that the only reason that teams didn’t get more sacks against the Lions was because they were set up to play the run, not the pass. That would be a silly argument, but even if I considered it a legit argument, I would point something out. Barry Sanders was well known for dancing around in the backfield before choosing a place to run. Sometimes, this worked out, but sometimes this plan did not work out. 

MANY times, Barry Sanders was tackled in the backfield because he took too long to search for a place to run instead of putting his shoulder down and running straight ahead to fight for a tough yard (and live to play another down). A large tackle for loss is called a DRIVE KILLER! If you only look at the times Barry Sanders got tackled behind the line of scrimmage, he accounted for NEGATIVE 1,114 YARDS during his career!!

These tackles for losses put the offense in obvious passing situations, which always has the defensive guys licking their chops. Sanders had some amazing runs, but he also had many moments that he put his team in obvious passing downs like 3rd & 15. That almost always means BLITZES from the defense, which often leads to sacks! Despite these numerous passing situations caused by Sander’s habits in the backfield, the offensive line was still able to allow their quarterback to be sacked less than 30 times in two separate seasons. Very impressive, I say!

CONCLUSION
Regardless of what you hear, Barry Sanders did NOT have a horrible offensive line in front of him. They were not the best, but they were FAR from being the worst! To say that the Lions had a horrible offensive line is nothing but FAKE NEWS!