Saquon Barkley is already one of the biggest stars on the New York Giants’ roster, despite not playing a snap in the NFL at this point. It’s something that comes with a lot of pressure and media attention, and Barkley talked about that and other things recently in an interview with the New York Post’s Steve Serby.
Barkley talked about the explosiveness of the Giants’ offense this season. But before that, he talked about the expectations on him and the potential for him to become the next face of the franchise.
“Face of the franchise? I disagree with that. I don’t view myself as the face of a franchise, because one, I haven’t done anything yet, and two, there’s so much talent on this team. You look at the years that the Giants have been successful, it really wasn’t just one star that got it done,” he said, also mentioning that stardom comes with success in New York City and that it is something that will come with winning.
“Obviously people shape a career for me, or shape what I should be. But I already have a high standard for myself. I really don’t feel pressure from no one at all,” Barkley also said about the pressure around himself and the team. It’s not hard to see, even from the outside, that Barkley really does have a high standard for himself. You don’t have the kind of college career that Barkley did, without going above and beyond the minimum standard.
Additionally, Barkley talked about the current talent on the roster. “I think when you look on paper, it’s all there. You can ask anybody that knows football. But it’s a lot easier said than done. You gotta hold each other to a standard, push each other every single day. And I think if we’re able to do that, have that chemistry, I think the sky’s the limit for our offense.”
Reassuringly for Giants fans, Barkley would mention that the image of Odell Beckham Jr. in the media is very different than his personality in real life. While he said that it’s Beckham’s decision, he also said that he expects the receiver to be there. Finally, Barkley reaffirmed an earlier prediction, that the Giants have enough talent to make the playoffs.
“Everybody in the NFL has the talent to be a playoff team. We just gotta find a way to have one more point than our opponent every week.”