Saquon Barkley is still looking for his comeback season after his year was cut short in 2020 due to injury and his 2021 campaign didn't turn out any better, playing in 13 games but not contributing that much to the offense.
During one of the team's mandatory offseason workouts in April, Barkley said he is aware of the noise and criticism that is surrounding him and the Giants this season and claims he's honestly sick and tired of what's written about him.
“To be honest, I’m just tired of whatever is written about me, the B.S. that’s said about me or this team,” Barkley said in April during offseason workouts. “I want to go out there and prove to this organization that the player they drafted is still there, I can still do special things with the ball in my hands, and I can help this team.”
However, a recent comment from an anonymous NFC offensive coach may catch the ears of the Pro Bowl RB.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler put out his rankings of the top 10 running backs in the league according to coaches and executives. On that list, Barkley fell into the "honorable mention" category. In fact, Fowler had Barkley as the No. 1 back just two years prior. The unnamed coach thinks Barkley doesn't know how to play the position -- even when he's helping out on pass protection.
“I’m down on him—he still doesn’t know how to play running back enough,” the coach said, via Fowler. “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.”
Barkley began his NFL career with two back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, including a Pro Bowl appearance as a rookie and the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. He's been on a precipitous decline since tearing his ACL in 2020 which he followed up with 2021 with only 593 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
We'll see if Barkley can find his rookie form again this season. I'm sure this comment from a coach in the conference will just be added motivation.
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