Lions’ Barry Sanders Is Off and Running : NFC: The Mouse that roared is gone, and that’s fine with conference’s premier running back.

From the start, it was a strange marriage between Mouse Davis and Barry Sanders and not an especially happy one. Davis, the creator of the run-and-shoot offense, was intent on proving his philosophy -- shoot first and run later -- could work in the NFL. His contention was that any running back could be plugged into the scheme and rush for 1,400 yards.

Sanders, of course, was not just any running back. He was a Heisman Trophy winner, and more than that, a runner with mystical powers in the fine art of making ‘em miss. For two seasons they co-existed, Davis as Detroit’s offensive coordinator and Sanders as the Lions’ only hope for a future with more wins than losses. And then, Davis committed an egregious faux pas. He actually said Sanders wasn’t all that important to the success of the run-and-shoot.

It was one thing to challenge NFL conventions with the run-and-shoot, but to treat Sanders as an ordinary Joe? Accepting a job as head coach of the New York-New Jersey franchise in the World League was a convenient out for Davis, but he was a goner in Detroit after knocking Sanders. Mouse roared once too often.

Now that the offense has been altered to put the ball in Sanders’ hands more often, the Lions have begun to roar. Sanders missed their opening 45-0 loss at Washington with a rib injury, but since his return to the lineup, the Lions have won five straight to lead the NFC Central as they head to San Francisco for a major test Sunday.

Sanders was second in the NFL as a rookie with 1,470 yards rushing, and he led the league last year with 1,304 yards. But now, he’s on a pace to rush for 1,920 yards. His carries are up from 17.3 per game to 26.4, and his per-game rushing average is up from 89.5 to a phenomenal 128.0, including a 149.5 average during the past four games.

“It’s not like I was happy when Mouse was gone,” Sanders said Thursday. “The only thing was that we weren’t winning. People win games, not systems.”

The Lions’ offensive statistics were impressive the past two seasons, but their records were 7-9 and 6-10. That bothered Sanders. He certainly was aware of the suggestion Davis was more concerned with proving his philosophy than he was with using his personnel the best way to win games.

“I’ve heard other people say that,” Sanders said. “I don’t know if that’s true. It’s hard to tell. There were uncertainties as to what plays should be called.”

In fact, Davis’ playbook didn’t include any end sweeps or pitches for Sanders. Since there is no tight end in the pure run-and-shoot, Sanders only had slot receivers in front of him to block much bigger linebackers. That all has changed. The Lions still operate much of the time from the run-and-shoot, but they also have tight ends on the roster, and they have added sweeps for Sanders.

“It’s probably best to get me on the corner with sweeps and off-tackle plays,” he understated. “I did well with traps and draws, but defenses could anticipate what was coming. That was my only criticism.

“In the old offense, we had wingbacks trying to block linebackers, and that didn’t work. Now, we have some formations with two tight ends, and we’ve had tremendous success.”

The irony of Sanders’ situation now is that he believes he is running a little too much. Sanders said 20-25 carries seems about right, but he was asked to carry 32 times in one game and 30 in another.

“I don’t know how necessary it was to carry 30 or 32 times in the games I did,” Sanders said. “If I’m needed that much, I’ll be more than glad to do it. But we have enough talent that the production of the offense can be spread around.”

Sanders doesn’t mind sharing, and that includes the new four-year deal worth $10.1 million he signed in training camp. Not only does he donate 10 percent of his salary to his church at home in Wichita, Kansas, but Sanders made sure the contract contained a bonus provision that rewards the starting offensive linemen with $10,000 apiece if he rushes for 1,000 yards.

“That’s the type of person Barry is,” tackle Lomas Brown said. “We had a goal to get him 2,000 yards this year if they rushed him like we thought they would. If you’ve got a weapon and you don’t use it, shame on you. Barry can change a game in a heartbeat. Last year was discouraging because we knew the type of talent he has. For some reason, Mouse felt Barry wasn’t important enough to carry the load.”

The offensive line’s 2,000-yard goal certainly is within reach, and Sanders said he wouldn’t mind becoming the third back in NFL history after O.J. Simpson and Eric Dickerson to achieve it if it comes “in the natural flow of the season.” But he has another goal in mind. “There are a lot of other things that are more important to the team,” Sanders said. “Like the playoffs.”

With all the focus on Davis’ Xs and Os the past couple of seasons, the Lions sort of forgot about Ws and Ls. But now they have a formula that could make them winners. It’s simple. Give the ball to Sanders and let him carry the Lions.