Legend Barry Sanders addresses hype hovering over 2023 Lions

Detroit Lions legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders is among those buying into the hype hovering over the current edition of the club this summer. 

"I think this team is well-balanced," Sanders said about the Lions during a Tuesday appearance on the NFL Network "Inside Training Camp Live" program. "Obviously, they have to be feeling good about the way they finished last season although you're only going to get so much push from what you did last year. But if you're building on that, you've been working in the offseason, I feel like things are certainly set up for them in the division, and yes, me along with some of the other Lions fans, we are excited about this season. We know that really the sky is the limit."

The 2022 Lions began the season at 1-6 but then went 8-2 after Halloween, and they finished the campaign by eliminating the division-rival Green Bay Packers from the playoffs via a win at Lambeau Field. Schedule makers responded by choosing Detroit to open the upcoming regular season at the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in front of a national television audience on Sept. 7. 

As of Tuesday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Lions as the betting favorites at +145 odds to claim the NFC North title. Head coach Dan Campbell noted last month he feels the "hype train" regarding his Lions has "taken off and gotten out of control," but Sanders suggested Detroit should embrace expectations such as earning the franchise's first playoff victory since January 1992.

"It would mean so much, and I think that has to be in the back of this team's mind, changing that narrative," Sanders said about the Lions winning a postseason matchup this coming January. "We've all heard it, we've all had to live with it. It's there. That's how it is and that remains the reality at this point, but I know that if there's any team that can change that, then it's this group and coach Campbell and just sort of how he's built the last few years and the product they put on the field."