New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley stated that he feels the best since his collegiate years in terms of health and confidence. After dealing with a torn ACL and partially torn MCL during the 2020 season, Barkley is finally back to full health and preparing to make the most of his fifth-year option with the Giants.
This season is integral for Barkley to gain a long-term contract, whether it be with the Giants or another club. However, he needs to replicate his 2018 statistics to justify such a big investment.
Barkley tallied over 2000 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns behind a subpar offensive line during his rookie campaign, but he does have his fair share of weaknesses. Barkley has never been known to be a grinder between the tackles, churning out extra yardage. He’s better known for his desire to hit home runs and dance around in the backfield, looking for an open lane he can expose. In addition, he is a lackluster pass protector, which has hurt Daniel Jones in certain situations.
Seemingly, there are people out there who don’t see the upside with Barkley, especially coming off two injury-riddled seasons.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, one offensive coach in the NFC is not a fan of Saquon Barkley:
“I’m down on him — he still doesn’t know how to play running back enough,” a veteran NFL offensive coach said. “He’s a bouncer. He wants every run to be a home run. He’s going to have to learn that 4-yard runs in this league are good, instead of stopping, cutting it back and losing 2. And he gets his ass kicked in protection.”
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The New York Giants need SAquon Barkley to do the little things:
The anonymous coach claims that Barkley still doesn’t know how to play running back enough, which is likely why new management is looking to activate him as a receiver to extrapolate on his skill set.
The coach has a point in his style being a home run or bust strategy, which has proven to be successful in the past. However, when your offensive line is incapable of creating gaps and running lines, that system fails miserably.
General manager Joe Schoen has rebuilt the line, hoping to get far more production out of Evan Neal at right tackle and Mark Glowinski at right guard. They should be far better run blockers, which theoretically will boost Barkley’s production.
However, grinding out extra yards and taking what a defense gives you is a big part of what running backs do. Barkley needs to become a bit more proficient in that area while maintaining his desire for house calls.