Pittsburgh Steelers legendary linebacker, Greg Lloyd spent 11 seasons in black and gold during the 1990s. During that time, he went up against some of the greatest players of his generation including Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Brett Farve and John Elway. Lloyd was known throughout the NFL for his incredible ability to attack the quarterback. Now, he has spoken about going up against one of the most iconic running backs in history: Barry Sanders.
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Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders terrorized opposing teams in the 1990s.
Sanders is one of the few players who transcends team boundaries and has captured the hearts and imaginations of fans of every team. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1989, third overall, after winning the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma State. He was an immediate impact player earning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year that season.
During his 10 seasons in Detroit, Sanders racked up awards and recognition. He was nominated as the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1997, was a two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, a six-time First Team All-Pro, and a remarkable 10-time Pro Bowler. He led the NFL in rushing four times and was the touchdown leader in 1991.
Despite playing on a team that has historically struggled, Sanders always found a way to shine. Defenses struggled to come up with a solution to stop him. He played in 153 games, starting 151, he rushed 3,062 times for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns. He had another 352 receptions for 2,921 yards and an additional 10 touchdowns through the air.
Sanders suddenly retired from football in 1999, when he was just 31 years old. He was 1,457 yards short of breaking Walter Payton's all-time rushing record. He said that his desire to exit the game was greater than his desire to remain in it when asked why he was retiring. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004, the same year the Lions retired his number.
(AP Photo/Betty Kumpf)
Steelers Franco Harris talks with Walter Payton following Seattle's 38-9 victory over the Chicago Bear on Sunday, Sept. 23, 1984 in Seattle.
He was such an exceptional talent, one of the few players who displayed true greatness both in college and the pros. Regardless of whether you were a Lions fan or not, it felt like everyone was a Sanders fan. Lloyd was just one of the many defenders who went up against Sanders and witnessed his incredible talent.
Steelers Greg Lloyd On Barry Sanders
Lloyd recently appeared on Eddie Mata's podcast, The Eddie Mata Show. Mata asked him about getting to play against Sanders, wondering if he was the toughest running back he ever faced. Lloyd said he only had the privilege of playing him twice, once in a regular season game and once in the Pro Bowl. Lloyd shared that they definitely prepped for the unique challenge that Sanders presented.
"All week long we've been working on it, we got Kordell Stewart being Barry Sanders, because Stewart was fast. Coach [Dick] LeBeau ain't said nothing all week long and now we're getting ready to come out of the tunnel and LeBeau comes up to me, touches me on my shoulder, and said, 'All right 95, just try to keep number 20 in wraps, you know he's gonna get his.' I'm thinking, 'Well God d**n he ain't got no confidence in me.'"
He went on to say that what Defensive Coordinator, Dick LeBeau did was actually genius. It took all of the things that were on his mind already and made them come up to the forefront, motivating him. Lloyd said it was like seeing two dogs fight and one of them doesn't know what they are doing, you better bet on the inexperienced one because he is scared and has nothing to lose. He said that was how he felt that day.
"That was me against Barry Sanders. It was like everywhere he went, that's where I was. I told Carnell Lake over and over, and I know he was like, 'Man shut the f*** up.' I said, 'I'm taking my shot at him, I'm not dancing with Barry Sanders today.' If Barry Sanders goes outside, he better stay outside, cause I'm coming from the inside and I'm gonna take my shot."
Lloyd, who often acted as a de facto leader on the defense, said he worked to hype up the other members of the defense including Carnell Lake, telling him that they needed to watch Sanders and ensure they don't let him get free. If he went to the inside then Lake would go up and meet him and if he went to the outside then Lloyd would be there.
It worked according to Lloyd. The Steelers managed to hold Sanders to only 21 carries for 108 yards and no touchdowns on the way to their 20-23 victory. Lloyd said that they reconciled with him getting some yardage as they knew it would be impossible totally shut him down. But the defense's goal was to hold him to around 100 yards.
Lloyd said that it is important to remember that Sanders didn't even have anyone blocking for him because the Lions offense was so bad. He pointed out that if Sanders had a strong offensive line then he would have really been a force to be reckoned with.
Super Bowl XXX Book / Erich Schlegel
Troy Aikman fires a pass before Pittsburgh's Greg Lloyd can react.
Sanders left the NFL so unexpectedly that many fans were left feeling the reality of his talent was never fully actualized. While fans might have grieved the loss of his talent, NFL defenders did not.
Do you remember when Sanders played in the NFL? Do you have a favorite Sanders moment? A favorite Lloyd moment? What did you think when Sanders up and retired so young? What did you think of Lloyd and his aggressive style of play? Click to comment below.
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