NFL legend Barry Sanders backs Detroit Lions to ‘do something special’ and end Super Bowl curse
Barry Sanders believes in the Detroit Lions.
That says it all when it comes to the repaired relationship between one of the greatest running backs in NFL history and a franchise that was so inept there was no way that Sanders was even reaching a Super Bowl when he spent 10 thrilling but frustrating seasons starring for Detroit.
"We're sitting right now exactly where we wanted to be this time of the year," Sanders exclusively told talkSPORT. "You've got the Thanksgiving game -- that's always a big game.
"Lions fans are excited. We've been waiting for this sort of a team for many, many years now. We've seen it building the last few seasons but this is exactly what we hoped for."
Times have definitely changed for the 55-year-old Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who ranks fourth in league history with 15,269 career rushing yards, and a Dan Campbell-coached Lions team that has a serious shot at representing the NFC in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
Campbell's tough Detroit crew is 8-2 and coming off a gutsy come-from-behind victory over the Chicago Bears.
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When the Lions play their annual Thanksgiving game this evening against the Green Bay Packers, Sanders will already be believing in a remade team and franchise whose next Super Bowl appearance will be its first.
"They absolutely have a chance to go and do something special," Sanders said. "You see the way they pulled that game out (Sunday against Chicago). To be able to overcome those turnovers and come back and get a win, I just think the team of the past in recent years, I don't know if they win that game."
Sanders is a 10-time Pro Bowler who won the 1997 NFL MVP and was twice named Offensive Player of the Year.
His highlight reels are the stuff of internet legend.
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Sanders rushed for a stunning 1,470 yards as a rookie, broke the 2,000-yard mark in 1997, then stunned NFL fans worldwide by suddenly retiring in 1999.
A new documentary on Amazon Prime looks back at Sanders' storied career and a decision that still confuses football devotees.
Almost 25 years after stepping away from the sport, Sanders is watching his Lions with pride.
"To be where they are now, sitting at the top of the division with a nice little little cushion between them and the second place team, you can almost guarantee that they're gonna have a playoff game, just matter whether it's a home or away or whatnot," said Sanders, who was the No. 3 overall pick of the 1989 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State.
"I think they've really just met with all the Lions fans' expectations about what this team could be. Coach Campbell does deserves a ton of credit."
The fiery Campbell has made a huge impression on Sanders.
Detroit has changed its football culture and enters a Thanksgiving game against the Green Bay Packers holding the second-best win percentage in the NFL, only trailing the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Lions' organization has undergone significant change in the decades that have passed since Sanders' retirement.
With Jared Goff at quarterback, Amon-Ra St. Brown at wide receiver and Aidan Hutchinson at defensive end, Detroit in 2023 is a loaded team still realizing how good it can be.
It's easy to imagine how much better one of the NFL's greatest running backs would have been if he had played for this 8-2 Lions team.
"I think it comes from coach Campbell," Sanders said. "I think that he's very serious about the business of football and about his team, come hell or high water, coming out and and giving their best effort.
"Now you got you got a a great roster with great chemistry, a lot of talent all over the field. Guys contributing just great complementary football and so that absolutely comes from coach Campbell and he deserves all the credit."
Listen to coverage of all three Thanksgiving games exclusively live on talkSPORT2 off from 5pm.
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NFL Thanksgiving Day schedule on talkSPORT
12:30pm (5pm GMT) Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
4:30pm (4:30pm GMT) Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys
8:20pm (1:30am Friday GMT)San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
Bye Bye Barry is available to stream now with Prime.