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Who are the top Detroit Lions of all time? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Dick LeBeau: the franchise’s all-time leader with 62 career interceptions, LeBeau played all 14 of his NFL seasons with the Lions, garnering three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances in his prime.
9. Lem Barney: the 1967 Defensive Rookie of the Year with a league-leading and career-best 10 interceptions (3 for touchdowns), Barney was a 7x Pro Bowl and 2x All-Pro selection in 10 seasons with Detroit and finished with 56 career interceptions.
8. Alex Karras: a member of the 1960s All-Decade team, Karras was a 4x Pro Bowl and 3x All-Pro selection at defensive tackle for Detroit en route to the Hall of Fame, though was suspended for a season in his prime for gambling.
7. Matthew Stafford: the franchise’s all-time leading passer, Stafford was the top overall pick in 2009 and racked up eight 4,000-yard seasons with the Lions, including a career-best 5,038 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2011.
6. Billy Sims: the #1 overall pick and Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1980, Sims started off his career with three straight Pro Bowl selections and had three 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Lions before a serious knee injury prematurely ended his career.
5. Charlie Sanders: one of the first great pass catching tight ends, Sanders spent his entire decade-long NFL career with the Lions and made seven Pro Bowls with three All-Pro selections, yet is only the second-most famous Sanders in team history.
4. Bobby Layne: a 6x Pro Bowl and 2x All-Pro selection, Layne not only led the league in passing yards in consecutive seasons in 1950 and 1951, but also quarterbacked the Lions to three NFL titles (the most recent championships in the team’s history).
3. Calvin Johnson: though he retired early at 30, Johnson was a dominant force with seven 1,000-yard campaigns in his nine NFL seasons with the Lions, including a league record 1,964 receiving yards in 2012.
2. Joe Schmidt: perhaps the best defensive player in team history, Schmidt made 10 straight Pro Bowls with eight All-Pro selections at linebacker during his prime, helping lead the Lions to two NFL titles.
1. Barry Sanders: though he retired just shy of breaking Walter Payton’s then-career rushing record, Sanders led the NFL in rushing 4x in his decade-long career, including a 2,000-yard season in his 1997 MVP season (2,053 yards); overall, he had 1,000+ rushing yards every season of his career with Detroit and racked up totals of 15,269 rushing yards and 99 rushing touchdowns.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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