What if?: Barry Sanders

When Barry Sanders retired after the 1998 season, at the age of 30, it was shocking to fans of the Detroit Lions and NFL fans in general. After 10 seasons in the league, Sanders was putting up unheard of numbers at running back, and was almost guaranteed to become the league’s all-time leading rusher. His 15,269 yards is still the third most ever, despite the shortened career, and his 99.8 yards per game average is second only to the great Jim Brown.

The Detroit Lions didn’t win the Super Bowl, but they were consistent playoff contenders during Sanders’ tenure. In 1997, the team went 9-7 and made the playoffs, but the following offseason likely led to Sanders’ decision. Center, and good friend, Kevin Glover was released from the team, which led to hard feelings from the star running back. Also, Charlie Batch took over for Scott Mitchell, signaling a rebuild, something Sanders decided he didn’t want to wind down his career in the middle of. After asking for a trade, which was refused, Sanders called it a career.

Ten years into his career, Sanders was showing no signs of declining. In 1997 he set a career high for yards and yards per carry. So, what would have happened if he had continued to play? What kinds of numbers might he have put up? What if Barry Sanders hadn’t retired when he did?

The Numbers

There’s no reason to think Sanders was done physically. At 30 years old, playing behind an inferior line with a rookie quarterback, he racked up almost 1,500 yards on 4.3 yards per carry, and played in all 16 games. He also didn’t have the wear on his body that some backs would have after 10 years due to a running style that made it nearly impossible to get a clean hit on him. Injuries were rare for him as a rule, and he probably had time left.

Taking a look at the running backs who sit atop the all-time rushing yards list, Sanders was the youngest retiree on the list. Of the other players who rushed for over 10,000 yards in a career the average at which they retired was 32 years, meaning at the very least, Sanders probably had two more good seasons ahead of him.

Walter Payton played until the age of 33. At the age of 32, he recorded 1,333 yards and had a 4.2 yard average. All-time yardage leader Emmitt Smith had over 1,000 yards at 32. Tony Dorsett was still averaging over four yards per carry at that same age. In an extreme case, Marcus Allen was 37 years of age when he averaged 4.1 yards per carry. Fourth on the all-time yardage list is Curtis Martin, who had a career year at 31, with nearly 1,700 yards and 4.6 per carry. Among the players who were considered the best ever, and especially the shifty runners like Payton and Tony Dorsett, careers extended close to the mid-30s.

What If?

Instead of announcing his retirement, Sanders decides to keep playing. In 1999, Sanders puts up similar numbers to 1998, with 1,400 yards rushing and five touchdowns. The team, which made the playoffs without him, doesn’t go 0-4 down the stretch and wins a playoff game, before losing in the Divisional round. Sanders makes his 11^th Pro Bowl.

As the new century begins, Sanders is solid again. He rushes for 1,300 yards and another five scores. The team again makes the playoffs, but Batch is proving not to be the franchise quarterback the Lions envisioned and they lose in round one. In 2001, at 33, Sanders plays one last season, totaling a 13^th and final 1,000 yard season, though the team struggles mightily. After 13 seasons, Sanders finally calls it quits.

Sanders retires with a total of approximately 19,000 yards rushing, a total that Emmitt Smith would chase for a few more seasons, but ultimately not reach. He also moves into the top five all-time in rushing touchdowns, He also adds just enough receiving yards to move past Jerry Rice for the most total yards in NFL history. The individual accolades continue to add up, but he still never gets the Super Bowl ring he was longing for.

Barry Sanders is undoubtedly one of the single greatest players ever to grace the NFL. He electrified the league in a way reserved for very few others, and his early departure from the league left many fans’s Sundays a little less exciting. A few final seasons, in which he set the records many still feel he deserves, would have been cathartic for many, provided closure for some, and made Sundays just a little bit more fun for everybody.