Hall of Fame RB Barry Sanders Visits Raiders Headquarters
The Las Vegas Raiders received a special visit from Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders.
Sanders, who never played for the Silver and Black, took a visit to the Raiders Headquarters in Henderson, Nev., on Wednesday.
He envisioned how his NFL career would be with the Raiders' training facilities during his visit.
"I just think about how much better would I have been with something like this?" Sanders said as he surveyed the indoor training field.
The Hall of Fame running back received a tour of the Silver and Black's state-of-the-art facilities and spoke of the influence the Raiders running backs had on him.
Sanders cemented himself as one, or if not, the best running back to ever play the position in the NFL.
In his 10-year career as a Detroit Lion, Sanders recorded 15,269 rushing yards, the fourth-most in NFL history.
Sanders led the league in rushing yards in a single season four times, was named a Pro Bowler in every single season of his career and was also named First-Team All-Pro six times.
He earned AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1989, was named AP Offensive Player of the Year in 1994, and earned league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year once again in 1997.
Sanders also was part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s First Team All-1990s Team.
As he walked around the training facilities, he reminisced on the franchise's running backs which impacted his view of the game.
"I just like running backs and I like the Raiders. You don't forget about guys like Mark van Eeghen and Pete Banaszak," Sanders noted. "Clarence Davis, Kenny King, fast forward to Marcus Allen, you know we can't forget about Bo [Jackson]. All those great Raider players."
Although Sanders had a remarkable career in the NFL, he still praised highly the great running backs who influenced him in his formative years by the rich history of the Raiders and their running back room.
“I love the Raiders, those were my formative years. Just a cast of characters, there was something about Coach [John] Madden, something about just the players they had with the Silver and Black,” Sanders added.
What would have become of Sanders if the Lions had the training facilities the Raiders have today, what would have become of Sanders if he played for the Los Angeles Raiders?
Sanders' visit to the Raiders HQ might not answer that question, but it sure gives us an opportunity to imagine what Sanders would have been if he was with the Raiders.
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