Barry Sanders shook hands with fans Youth Byron Jones Jersey , posed for pictures and engaged in small talk outside , the Hall of Fame running back was on the field to turn a huge key, and the stadium's speakers blared with the sounds of an engine revving.Sanders is in his second season as an ambassador for the team, a paid role that is sending him on the road for Detroit's game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday."It's definitely nice to be back after the first few years of being retired and there not being much communication," Sanders said in an interview with The Associated Press. "So, certainly just being able to be involved with certain things that the team is doing from a community outreach standpoint and that sort of thing, for me, it's great."And, just being able to be around the game a little more and certainly around the Lions family a little more for me is meaningful so I do appreciate that."The Lions like the arrangement, too.Sanders visits suite holders during games and attends meet-and-greet sessions along with going to other team functions such as its draft party."It's great having him around and back in the fold, interacting with fans and corporate sponsors," Lions president Rod Wood told The AP. "He's probably if not the best player in Lions history, he's in the handful of the best."And, he's definitely the most remembered by our fans."While it may seem like a logical connection between the former star player and the only NFL team he played for, their relationship was not smooth in the years following his sudden and surprising retirement just before training camp began 1999.Sanders is always showered with cheers in the Motor City these days. But he was booed in public at times back in the day by fans who were still unhappy he walked away from the game after 10 spectacular seasons when he was on the verge of becoming the NFL's all-time leading rusher."I hated that it came to the point where he was getting booed," said Lomas Brown, one of Sanders' former teammates. "He's one of the greatest ever and he did it all here in Detroit. There are still some people holding a grudge today, but that's been gone for a while."Brown hopes the Lions take another step in their relationship with Sanders by honoring him with a statue at Ford Field."It's hard to believe there's not one," Brown said.Wood declined to say if there are plans to erect a Sanders statue."We've talked about things we haven't announced," Wood said.When Calvin Johnson announced his retirement two years ago, it reminded people of Sanders' decision to walk away from the game.Like Sanders, the former star receiver chose to leave the Lions and the league with years left on his contract and seemingly some solid seasons left in his career.Johnson retired two years ago and the team has tried and failed, so far, to rekindle its relationship with him.As Sanders was the honored guest in Wood's suite for a game earlier this month Cheap Demarcus Lawrence Jersey , Johnson was in a nearby luxury box on the same floor."I know Lions fans appreciate Barry's role with the team because he's the greatest Lion and one of the greatest running backs 鈥?if not the greatest 鈥?to play the game," said Johnson, who declined to talk about his relationship with the team.Brown believes time will take care of whatever issues are keeping Johnson from being a part of the organization in some way."If the Lions continue to reaching out to him and being warm to him, I think it'll happen," Brown said.Wood is working on it."It's still goal of the organization, and me in particular, to get Calvin back in the fold," Wood said. "It was good to see him at the (Jets) game." The last time Jason Garrett and his staff coached in a meaningless game, it turned out to be one of the more entertaining games of the whole year. And now, Garrett may deliver on that again with the Pro Bowl, happening Sunday at 3 PM ET. Since Scott Linehan is no longer with the Cowboys as they prepare to coach in the Pro Bowl, and seeing as how Dallas hasn’t officially hired a new offensive coordinator yet, many are looking to the Pro Bowl practices to get a glimpse of what Garrett does. One of the interesting bits is that Jon Kitna, who is heavily rumored to be the new quarterbacks coach, has made the trip to Orlando to work with the team, although he hasn’t officially been added to the staff. That said, during practices with the NFC Pro Bowl team, Kitna has been primarily working with the quarterbacks. Doug Nussmeier has been working with the tight ends, as he has all year, and it was Kellen Moore who was in charge of installing the offensive scheme and calling plays. Moore was unwilling to comment on whether or not that means he’ll be the team’s offensive coordinator going forward, and Stephen Jones was vague as well. Jerry Jones at least said that they like the coaches that are already on the staff, but didn’t say much more. The general vibe that has come out of this, though, is that Moore will be the most prominent offensive coach in charge of coming up with schemes and which formations the team uses and ways that each player gets utilized in those formations Youth Jaylon Smith Jersey , but Nussmeier is expected to be a voice in those conversations as well, with Kitna also lending his experience while focusing mostly on quarterbacks and allowing Moore to center more of his efforts on the scheme. As Travis Frederick noted this week, Moore already had a minor role in game planning this year, but that was in addition to his duties as a position coach. Of course, there’s still the question of how involved Garrett himself will be after reports that the head coach was in line to call plays again. Jerry Jones dodged those questions by saying his head coach can do “more or less” with regards to offensive game planning, which tells us nothing. But based on these Pro Bowl practices, the most likely scenario is that the offensive scheme that Garrett’s staff is using will be compiled by Moore, Nussmeier, and Kitna, with Garrett keeping a watchful eye, and then Moore will call the plays in the all star game on Sunday. It’s being reported that Garrett might not call the plays come the regular season.The low (non-existent?) stakes of the Pro Bowl effectively allows Moore and company to have a trial run at this; after all, the three quarterbacks Moore will be calling plays for - Russell Wilson, Mitchell Trubisky, and Dak Prescott - all possess similar skill sets, so it’s good practice for finding ways to utilize their strengths, most notably their mobility. If Garrett likes what he sees, then perhaps Moore will get the offensive coordinator job will full play-calling duties. It also gives fans a chance to see what kinds of plays Moore can draw up. And speaking of the kinds of ideas Moore may incorporate, he offered a very brief soundbyte at one of the Pro Bowl practices that may or may not mean something: It’s possible that Moore was just being cheeky and inferring that Dak an Zeke will easily pick things up because it’s what they’ve been running their whole pro careers. Or it could mean that Moore has added some new things to this playbook and essentially grafted new skin onto the bones of the Linehan offense. Perhaps I’m reading too much into that, but we’ll find out Sunday. At least one thing is for sure, though: if you’re a Cowboys fan, the Pro Bowl is must-watch TV this year. Custom Houston Texans Jerseys