"A Football Life" (1 Viewer)

[Chazzhawk]

I enjoyed the show. Bit concerning that Barry didnt smile much nor look like he really enjoyed himself while playing. Saw him smile more with those kids than at any other time during the show. Guess that tells you all you need to know about the guy.

I caught the end of the Earl Campbell show last night and am anxious to see the entire thing tonight. Looked good.

Maybe because he was on a horrible team?

I think it is because he didn't love football and treated the way most of us treat our jobs. I go to work to make money, not because I love to do what I am doing, it is sad but it is the reality for most of us.

Football chose Barry, Barry didn't choose football. It wasn't class when he simply handed the ball to the ref, it was indifference.

No it wasnt. It was because Barry is an introvert. He didnt like attention, didnt want attention, and was never the type to wear his emotions on his sleeve.

I always felt that the theory that Barry didn't love football was foolish, and this episode of "A Football Life" confirms that. He doesn't come across as indifferent, lacking passion, or any cliche' you want to apply. He's always struck me as just a really humble guy, who kept his emotions to himself, and felt no need to draw attention to himself. It's become so rare in sports for a star to have no interest in self promotion that I guess it's made Barry seem odd, or aloof. That's too bad though, because nobody could play as well as Barry played without love, or passion, for the sport. The way he took playoff losses speaks to this as well... this guy who shows little to no emotion was very obviously hurt by each and every playoff loss.Barry handed the football quietly to the Ref because that's all that needed to be done. He didn't need to make a show of it, he just did that by getting to the end zone, especially in the fashion he typically got there.

I seen Barry Sanders play basketball in person and up close. He was really really good, and he was smiling the whole time while he played. This is why I think he didn't love football.

 

[Chazzhawk]

The best part about Barry is that there will almost certainly not be another one of him in our lifetime. Such a uniquely gifted runner. You always hear comparisons to other great RBs. When Adrian Peterson was coming out, there were comparisons to Jim Brown and Eric Dickerson. Doug Martin this year was described as an Emmitt Smith clone.

You never hear that someone is "the next Barry Sanders"...

If you got to watch him play, consider yourself lucky.

There are a few running backs I would consider as better all around backs than Barry, but as just a pure runner he is the best and I don't think it is close, he could turn nothing into something, he did have a couple of good o-lines but for the most part they were mediocre at best. You have to be extremely talented to be the best at your position for 10 years when most of the parts around you are mediocre while you are playing a professional sport. Barry Switzer said it best, Thurman doesn't get hurt today, and when someone asked him why he said because I don't want that freshman running back in the game.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

Anyone else notice how "bad" his OL looked?

 

[CalBear]

The sense of entitlement is staggering when you really think about it.

Especially when you consider that if he came back in 1999 on a crappy Detroit team (they were 5-11 in 1998) and had a poor season, he would have been run out of town by fans saying he was one of "those" athletes who hung on too long just to put up stats after they'd lost a step.

 

[Neo]

Anyone else notice how "bad" his OL looked?

I was lucky to watch him and this is very true. There were times he would have 10 carries for 8 yards and finish with a stat line of 20 for 100 and a td. He got hit in the backfield a lot. But it was always a matter of time before he would break one. The argument back in the day, especially in fantasy circles, was what Barry could do if he had emmitts line. The other thing I remember about Barry, and I may get beat up a bit on this, but he wasn't a great goal line back and this may be direct reflection on that line. In fantasy you either got a long td from Barry or you didn't get tds from him. This is strictly going by memory from a ff geek.

 

[candian fantasy guy]

I'm shocked at the direction of this thread ... I'm 35 years old and Barry is the best I've ever seen, and I'm a Bears fan!

 

[Mr Anonymous]

I'm shocked at the direction of this thread ... I'm 35 years old and Barry is the best I've ever seen, and I'm a Bears fan!

I'm 36, I wholeheartedly agree, and I'm a die hard Packers fan. Only Sterling Sharpe's injury-forced retirement hit me harder than Sanders'. I always rooted against the Lions but just loved watching that man play. It kills me that the Packers could have drafted him but got stuck with Tony Mandarich. I even named the dog my wife and I bought following his 2000 yard season after him. Happy to say that "Barry" is still alive and well.And that Curtis Martin quote from the show is right on.

 

[Koya]

I'm shocked at the direction of this thread ... I'm 35 years old and Barry is the best I've ever seen, and I'm a Bears fan!

I'm 36, I wholeheartedly agree, and I'm a die hard Packers fan. Only Sterling Sharpe's injury-forced retirement hit me harder than Sanders'. I always rooted against the Lions but just loved watching that man play. It kills me that the Packers could have drafted him but got stuck with Tony Mandarich. I even named the dog my wife and I bought following his 2000 yard season after him. Happy to say that "Barry" is still alive and well.And that Curtis Martin quote from the show is right on.

39 here, same era... we can argue about the LEVEL of greatness of Barry. Best Runner vs. All Around back. O' Line, the team around him, tackles behind the line.What I can't argue is the excitement, the pure FUN he brought to watching a game. Didn't matter the records, the score, who he was playing - the guy was the most fun player for me to watch, ever, and it's not close.He was, simply put, mesmerizing. That alone could have carried a decade of football almost on its own. Just pure ####### fun and joy to watch because he did things that no one else could possibly ever have done... and he did so repeatedly.

 

[Chazzhawk]

I was driving around this morning doing errands and they were talking about this special on Barry and having people call in, I could not believe the amount of people calling him a quitter, a loser and everything else. One guy actually called in and said he will never be a Lion great because he never won anything, and you can't be an all time Lion if you haven't won anything.

 

[netnalp]

As a lions fan, I have no love for Barry Sanders..Sorry but you get 2000yds and in the prime of your career, then you quit. As a Lions fan I was devastated when this happened, I will NEVER live it down.There is nothing that can be said to make me understand and be alright with it.

Browns fans don't seem to hold a grudge for Jim Brown and he basically did the same thing. With so little to be thankful for, Lions fans shouldn't hold a grudge over what could have been and just enjoy what once was.

 

[sn0mm1s]

Anyone else notice how "bad" his OL looked?

I was lucky to watch him and this is very true. There were times he would have 10 carries for 8 yards and finish with a stat line of 20 for 100 and a td. He got hit in the backfield a lot. But it was always a matter of time before he would break one. The argument back in the day, especially in fantasy circles, was what Barry could do if he had emmitts line. The other thing I remember about Barry, and I may get beat up a bit on this, but he wasn't a great goal line back and this may be direct reflection on that line. In fantasy you either got a long td from Barry or you didn't get tds from him. This is strictly going by memory from a ff geek.

He was fine from the goal line. It is a myth that he wasn't a good goal line back. In fact, Barry is the only RB in history to score all of his team's non-QB rushing TDs in 5 separate seasons. The only reason people think he isn't a good goal line back was because of Ross putting in Vardell in 1997 and 1998. It was the media and Barry critics bleating "Yeah, he got 2000 yards but he gets pulled all the time." Not really a true statement when looking at his career.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I'm shocked at the direction of this thread ... I'm 35 years old and Barry is the best I've ever seen, and I'm a Bears fan!

I'm 36, I wholeheartedly agree, and I'm a die hard Packers fan. Only Sterling Sharpe's injury-forced retirement hit me harder than Sanders'. I always rooted against the Lions but just loved watching that man play. It kills me that the Packers could have drafted him but got stuck with Tony Mandarich. I even named the dog my wife and I bought following his 2000 yard season after him. Happy to say that "Barry" is still alive and well.And that Curtis Martin quote from the show is right on.

39 here, same era... we can argue about the LEVEL of greatness of Barry. Best Runner vs. All Around back. O' Line, the team around him, tackles behind the line.What I can't argue is the excitement, the pure FUN he brought to watching a game. Didn't matter the records, the score, who he was playing - the guy was the most fun player for me to watch, ever, and it's not close.

He was, simply put, mesmerizing. That alone could have carried a decade of football almost on its own. Just pure ####### fun and joy to watch because he did things that no one else could possibly ever have done... and he did so repeatedly.

Agree with everything but the bolded pretty much nails it.

 

[wildbill]

Saw a preview for season three, it kicks off in September. Looks like they'll include Strahan, Tomlinson, Schottenheimer, Pat Summerall, Cunningham and the late 80's Oilers.