Sometimes, the right move isn’t the popular one.
That’s probably the best way to describe, at least from a fantasy football or gambling perspective, the reaction to Saquon Barkley sliding down at the two after getting a first down to ice the Giants’ 24-20 win over Baltimore.
And, believe it or not, that move – the right move in the only column that matters, the win column – is one the Giants have had drilled into them by the new coaching staff.
“We prepare for it. We communicated it after the turnover, one first down. We didn't need any more points,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “We just ended by kneeling on it, so our staff does a good job with that.”
Barkley actually knew before the series began, and before he got the first of his two carries on the final drive, that the end zone wasn’t the goal.
“The run before that, we have a call that alerts us. Our coaches do a really good job not only in that situation but throughout the week. We practice all those situations,” Barkley said. “The run before that, I feel like if I really wanted to, I could have went this way and kind of scored but I was focused on protecting the ball. I ran up to Dabs and was making sure, "We're not scoring here, right?" He said yeah. I did a spin move, had an opportunity and just got down. I knew once you get the first down, that secures the win.”
Of course, Barkley knew his fantasy owners were going to be upset, but that’s not the concern.
“I know fantasy fans are going to be a little upset about that, but I've got a job to do and that's to do whatever I can to help my team win a football game,” Barkley said. “Any time you can make a play that can secure a victory, you got to do that. Like I said, it's credit to the coaches and obviously Daniel Jones within the huddle making sure we all knew that and we were able to do that.”
“That’s something we prepare for each week. Something we're talking about on the sideline, in the huddle and a heads up play by him,” Jones added. “It's one thing to talk about it, it's another thing to execute in the heat of the moment and he did it well. So, credit to him on that.”
Even if those six-plus points could be the difference in a lot of fantasy matchups or with the books.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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