(Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
Over the last 60 years, the Detroit Lions have had some great players, but they’ve been mired in the mediocrity around them. It turns out Matt Stafford really is a Super Bowl QB, but he had to get out of Detroit to prove it. Other great players such as Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson had great careers but saw limited success at a team level. This list has a lot of old guys on it. I expect in a few years some guys from the current team will be in the top ten.
For another trip down Memory Lane, here are some other guys who came close; include Billy Sims, Darius Slay, Jason Hansen, and Wayne Walker.
10. Bubba Baker
Bubba was a pass rusher extraordinaire. Baker hit the NFL with a bang in his rookie season in 1978 when he unofficially compiled 23 sacks. He was also named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams that season. While Baker never recorded that many sacks again, he did pile up 75.5 sacks in his five years as a Lion. Ultimately Bubba went to a total of three Pro Bowls. Baker got the nod over Robert Porcher because, while Porcher ultimately finished with 95.5 sacks as a Lion, Baker was truly spectacular, though for a much shorter period of time.
9. Chris Spielman
In eight seasons as the Lions’ middle linebacker, Spielman is Lions’ all-time leader in tackles and ranks 11th in NFL history. Chris made four Pro Bowl teams and was named All-Pro once. Spielman intercepted four passes, forced 12 fumbles, and recovered 17. He even managed to convert one fumble recovery into a TD. You can also add 10 sacks to Spielman’s resume. It’s enough to get him number eight on this list.
8. Lomas Brown
The Lions have had some great running backs (just not so much recently.). They’ve also had some pretty good offensive linemen. At the top of that list of good offensive linemen is Lomas Brown. Lomas helped Barry Sanders reach spectacular heights, though Barry did a lot of that on his own. Lomas spent 11 seasons as the Lions’ left tackle. He was named to the Pro Bowl team the last six of those seasons. In 1995, his last season in Detroit, he was also named to the All-Pro team. All in all, Lomas had a great run in Detroit.
7. Alex Karras
Alex was a long-time Lion. His Lions career ran from 1958–1970, with a one-year suspension in 1963 for gambling. While Karras’ peak was in the mid to early 60s, his effectiveness extended beyond 1965. In all, Alex was named to the Pro Bowl four times and All-Pro three times. Karras was named to the Pro Football Hall Fame and Pro Football Reference first-team All 60s team. Mongo and his running mate at the Lions’ other tackle position, Roger Brown, grabbed the spotlight when they and their Lions teammates sacked the Packers Bart Starr 10 times on Thanksgiving Day in 1962. That performance wasn’t a fluke.
6. Charlie Sanders
Sanders was an able pass receiver as a tight end at a time when that was a rarity. Sanders played for the Lions for 12 seasons and was named to the Pro Bowl seven times and All-Pro three times. He caught 336 passes for 4817 yards and 31 TDs. In addition to his pass-catching skills, Charlie was an excellent blocker. Sanders was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All 70s second team.
5. Lem Barney
The Lions have had some excellent corners over the years. Dick LeBeau is on this list and Darius Slay came close, but Lem Barney is the top corner on this list. Barney broke in with a bang. He intercepted the first pass thrown in his direction, by Bart Starr no less, and returned it for a TD. He went on to lead the NFL in interceptions with 10, returning them for 232 yards and three TDs. That was quite a rookie season. In his 11 seasons in Detroit, Barney picked off 56 passes, returned them for 1077 yards and seven TDs. He also did some punting for the Lions in 1967 and 1969 and in addition, he returned two punts for scores. Barney was ultimately named to the Pro Bowl seven times and All-Pro twice. Lem had a great, and varied career with the Lions.
4. Herman Moore
While the Lions haven’t had great QBs in the last 60 years, (with the possible exception of Matt Stafford) they have had some great receivers. Herman Moore is one of them. In 11 seasons, Herman twice led the NFL in receptions. Additionally, in 1995 Moore caught 123 passes for 1686 yards and 14 TDs. In 1997 Moore caught 104 passes for 1293 yards and eight TDs. For his career, Herman was good for 670 catches, 9174 yards, and 62 TDs. He was a Pro Bowler four times and All-Pro three times.
3. Matthew Stafford
Matt threw for all sorts of great numbers while with the Lions. He showed ability, toughness, and leadership, but it wasn’t enough to take the Lions to the Promised Land. Going through Matt’s stats just doesn’t give a true picture of his talent. Ironically, Stafford had to go to the Rams to show what a great Lion he was.
2. Calvin Johnson
Herman Moore was an excellent receiver, but Megatron was on another level. In nine seasons with the Lions Calvin caught 731 passes for 11,691 and 83 TDs. Johnson had his career-high in receptions with 122 in 2012. Those 122 catches went for 1964 yards and five TDs. Johnson twice led the NFL in receiving yards and led the NFL in TD receptions in 2008 with 12. He provided Lions QBs with a huge catching radius and excellent ability to run after the catch. Johnson was named to six Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams. Calvin was one of the best receivers the NFL has ever seen.
1. Barry Sanders:
I’m a huge fan of Walter Payton and Gale Sayers, but I think Barry Sanders is the best rusher since Jim Brown. Walter Payton may have had an edge in overall play, and Gayle Sayers may have been better in an open field, but Sanders was just amazing running with the ball from the line of scrimmage. In 10 seasons with the Lions, the fewest yards he rushed for was 1115 yards in 1993 in 11 games.
For his career, he ran for 15,269 yards and 85 TDs. He also caught 352 passes for 2921 yards and another 10 TDs. Barry led the NFL in rushing four times. His best season was 1997 when he led the league with 20 53 rushing yards. Sanders was selected to the Pro Bowl in every one of his 10 NFL seasons and All-Pro six times. He was also the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 1991, 1994, and 1997. Not surprisingly, he was also on the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Reference’s first team All 90s team. And oh yeah, he was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the year in 1989. That should be enough to establish him as number one on this list.
