A new Amazon documentary titled “Bye Bye Barry,” was just released to great interest and intrigue.
The documentary dives into the illustrious career of Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, chronicling his 10 seasons with the team leading up to his retirement.
While Lions fans are expected to revel in the film, one former player, quarterback Scott Mitchell, is less than pleased with his portrayal.
Expressing his discontent on Facebook, Mitchell voiced his frustration with being singled out for the franchise’s failure to reach the Super Bowl during Sanders’ tenure.
“I am so tired of hearing how I was the reason that Barry Sanders never won a Super Bowl,” Mitchell wrote on Facebook.
“I’m so tired of hearing how I was not a good QB. My only response is F*CK YOU ALL!!!!! That includes Eminem [and] Jeff Daniels.”
Scott Mitchell Is Not Taking the Blame Anymore for Barry Sanders Not Winning a Super Bowl. Classic Rant on Facebook pic.twitter.com/bnd4zivL1x
— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) November 21, 2023
Mitchell, who played for the Lions from 1994 to 1998, didn’t hold back while defending himself from the seemingly never-ending criticism.
During his time in Detroit, Mitchell had a 27-30 win-loss record, threw for 12,647 yards, 79 touchdowns and 57 interceptions.
In the documentary, former Lions head coach Wayne Fontes suggested that Sanders could have brought a championship to the team if it weren’t for the quarterbacks holding him back.
Needless to say, Mitchell vehemently disagreed with Fontes’ assessment.
“I can’t even begin to tell you what a disappointment it is to [hear] my own coach, Wayne Fontes, say that he wanted Joe Montana or Warren Moon and that the only thing that was missing from the team winning the Super Bowl was a quarterback,” Mitchell added.
“A little support from the coach might have gone a long way. Wayne never had my back!”
Going further, Mitchell suggested that Sanders should share the blame for the Lions failure to win a Super Bowl,
“Bottom line, Barry Sanders had everything in Detroit,” Mitchell argued. “Everyone loved him. Everything was built for Barry to succeed. In his 10-year career, he won one playoff game, and the only reason he didn’t win more was everyone else was the problem?”
“How many yards did Barry have in the playoffs in ’94, ’95, ’97? … I’ll give you a hint, not very many. We all are to blame for not winning a [Super Bowl] in Detroit even Barry Sanders.”
To his credit, Mitchell also highlighted his own playoff struggles, going 0-2 with a 42.6% completion percentage, one touchdown, and five interceptions in two playoff games with the Lions.
Sanders, a Hall of Famer, appeared in six playoff games in his career, recording one 100+ yard rushing game (169 yards) in a wild card loss to the Packers in 1993.
Over his legendary career, he amassed 15,269 rushing yards, 2,921 receiving yards, and 109 touchdowns, earning six first-team All-Pro selections and 10 Pro Bowl nods.
What are your thoughts on Mitchell’s take?
Who is most to blame for Detroit’s lack of playoff success during the Sanders years?
Did you see the documentary yet?