New York Giants fans have some good news this week, and that’s in the form of Saquon Barkley’s injury recovery timetable being shortened from what was initially expected. In fact, Barkley is potentially in line for an extremely quick return compared to most players who have suffered the same injury, a high ankle sprain – while Barkley isn’t confirmed to be playing yet, he also hasn’t been ruled out by the staff as an option on Sunday’s game against Minnesota.
“I’m a competitor and definitely want to be out there for my team. But when you say team, it’s not just only in this building or on the football field. I have to trust my team in there, I think we have some of the best, if not the best, training staff starting with Ronnie Barnes all of the way down,” Barkley said on Thursday.
The comments are of course fairly standard, but it’s an encouraging sign that Barkley hasn’t written himself off for the next six to eight weeks following his injury, the duration that many thought Barkley would be out for.
“I’ll just continue to listen to them, have faith in them, and continue to do what I can to help my team win games whenever I’m able to come back,” Barkley continued.
“I don’t know, is it surprising to you all?” Barkley responded when asked about the quick recovery time which led to him getting back on the training field after the relatively recent injury. “For me personally, like I said, I feel like a lot of it is mental and how you approach it. I told you guys that the same way I attack the field (and) the same way I attack the weight room, I’m going to attack the training room and attack recovering and rehab. I think I’ve been doing that.”
While there’s some concerns to possibly be had about Barkley coming back too soon to remain healthy, the Giants are fighting for a winning record and to keep their momentum going, making this a desperate occasion. Will we see Barkley on the field when the team faces the Vikings? We’ll see, but as of now, a return hasn’t yet been ruled out.