there is no telling what Barry would have gotten if he played for the Cowboys instead of the ty Lions
the LIONS SUCKED. Barry WAS the Lions. Defenses would stack the line and wait for Barry.
The reason Barry lost yardage, is because HE HAD NO CHOICE. The line sucked so bad, many times you see Barry already about to be tackled as soon as he got the handoff from the QB. So Barry could either get tackled, or gamble and be BARRY SANDERS and try to break free. It worked for 15,000+ yards.
Barry would NEVER had gained so many yards if he had not run his style. His biggest plays and highlights, a big bulk of his touchdowns are a product of BARRY SANDERS talent and not the offensive line. They sucked. Many times in the highlights, you see the O-line crumble and Barry left to juke and run around BEHIND the line of scrimmage just to even get free, before he breaks and pops a 60 yd td run.
(I know Barry retired at 31 years old just before passing Walter Payton and that Emmitt took the record eventually, but Emmitt can suck my . Emmitt played for a LOT LONGER than Barry did. Barry is the all-time leading rusher IMO)