Detroit Lions: The Most Underrated Players In Team History
Lomas Brown and Kevin Glover
Blocking for Barry Sanders wasn’t easy. “It was tough blocking for him,” Lomas Brown says, “The play could call for Barry to run to the right and you’d look around he would be running to the left.”
Despite the inherent difficulty of trying to protect one of the most elusive and unpredictable players ever, left tackle Brown and center Kevin Glover proved up to the task, paving the way for eight of Sanders’ ten straight 1,000-yard seasons and keeping quarterback Scott Mitchell upright to direct the Lions’ prolific passing attack. Except for the time Brown didn’t.
Brown and Glover were drafted in the first and second rounds respectively of the 1985 draft and by the time Sanders joined the team in 1989, they were both starting. Brown made the Pro Bowl each year from 1990 to 1995, Glover was named to the game from 1995 to 1997. The two combined to play in 341 games over 24 combined seasons with the Lions.
Their consistent play over such a long time was a crucial element of the Lions’ offensive efficiency in the 90s. Barry Sanders had more room to run and Herman Moore, Brett Perriman and Johnnie Morton were setting records in large part because Brown and Glover were working hard in the trenches, giving the offense the chance to work.
Brown finished his 18-season career with the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers after leaving Detroit after the 1995 season. He has since taken up broadcasting in local radio and with ESPN.
Next: 30 Best Draft Picks in Detroit Lions History
Glover was let go by the Lions after the 1997 season and finished his career with the Seattle Seahawks in 1999. After retirement, he became a sports agent. He now oversees the alumni association in the athletics department at his alma mater, the University of Maryland.