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Saquon Barkley: Barry Sanders Is My 'Favorite' Running Back

Saquon Barkley is very fond of Barry Sanders.
Former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley talks to Lions legend Barry Sanders after joint practices
Former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley talks to Lions legend Barry Sanders after joint practices | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has developed a close relationship with Detroit Lions great Barry Sanders.

Appearing for an interview on the latest 'Hot Ones' episode, the league's best running back praised Sanders, and called the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back his favorite to have played the position.

“Man, Barry’s my guy. He’s my favorite running back of all time," Barkley said. "When I was a little kid, I used to wear number 20, and I used to run around and reverse the field and they used to call me, ‘Little Barry.’ At this time, I went to my dad and I’m like, ‘Who are they talking about?’ He made me sit down and go on YouTube, and that’s when I kind of fell in love with Barry Sanders as a running back."

Barkley continued, "And then being able to meet him in person and have conversations with him and have a great relationship with him, him sending that out to me, I’m lucky. Sometimes I look back and I just smile and think how blessed I am.”

In a recent interview, Sanders expressed Barkley, who recently signed a two-year extension worth north of $41 million, has restored his faith in the running back position, which had been devalued across the league the past couple of years.

"What Saquon did, I think he really restored a lot of faith in what the running back position can do," Sanders told rg.org, via Pro Football Network. "He’s a unique individual in that his skill set, the way he plays the game, the situation he’s in, the great team that he’s surrounded by, all those things matter and help with what he’s doing. But, he’s certainly a generational type of talent.”

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John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!