Having coached against many of the greatest players in NFL history, Bill Belichick knows football and on Thursday he declared that Barry Sanders was the toughest player he ever had to prepare for as a coach.
“All of the players that I’ve defended as a coach nobody was harder than you…” Belichick told Sanders on the Pat McAfee Show.
Taking to X on Friday, Sanders said he was humbled by what the nine-time Super Bowl champion had to say about him. Sanders said that it “felt good” to hear what Belichick said and that it was a huge accomplishment from one of the all-time greats.
“I heard coach say that last night, & it really hit me. Here’s a guy who coached the greatest @NFL dynasties, & I was his biggest problem? That felt good to hear Coach. A huge compliment. Made my night,” Sanders wrote .
Sanders played from 1989 to 1998, becoming one of the greatest players in NFL history with his historically elusive running style. Had he not retired early, he likely would have broken or even shattered the NFL’s all-time rushing record.
Naturally, his decade of dominance allowed him to cross paths with Belichick during the coach’s stints with the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets.
While postseason success was hard to come by, he is widely considered one of the greatest players in NFL history and many argue that he is the greatest running back of all-time.
Bill Belichick certainly seems to believe he is.