New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley has already made it clear that he’d like his critics to stay on their side of the aisle should he turn it around in 2022.
He’s heard everything they’ve had to say about how he was drafted too high, is injury prone and is among the league’s most overrated. He’s also heard their criticisms about his running style and is admittedly “fed up” with it.
“That’s just part of my game. As a running back, understanding the scheme. Understanding what I have to do,” Barkley told reporters on Thursday. “This is probably the last time I’m going to speak on this, I know people want to say, ‘dancing and this in the third, he don’t get north and south,’ but I’m not just going to run into any of my lineman back. That’s not how I play the game. That’s not how I’ve been playing since I was eight years old.
“I’ve been playing this position for a very long time, and by no means am I the perfect running back, and I still got so much work to do. But I know that’s been the conversation or been a thought or been a thing out there that’s said about me it, ‘He don’t know what he’s doing. He’s just dancing back there.’ I’m really kind of fed up with people who never played a position and try to speak on how I run a position.”
Armchair general managers. That’s what they are in Barkley’s mind, which is a fair criticism headed into the other direction.
“We call them all pros with clickers in their hand. Running back is a tough position, but it’s easy to be there and watch football and watch on tv, or even watch on watch film and stop the clicker and say, ‘Oh, he should’ve made that cut.’ There’s a lot of things that go into making that cut,” Barkley said. “There’s a lot of things like your shoulders being square. There’s a lot of things that have an impact on your vision.”
The problem is that some of the armchair GMs actually have NFL experience. Maybe not at the running back position specifically, but they’ve played to a level of success in the NFL. Ex-Giant Chris Canty, who has called Barkley overrated on several occasions, is a good example.
“Dancing is stuff that you do in high school football — in little league football where you run this way, you run that way. That’s not my thought process,” Barkley said. “If I’m making a run, if I’m making a run back in the day, and someone breaks free and is in my face, I’m not just going to run right at him. I’m going to try to get back to the line of scrimmage. That’s part of my craft and that’s part of my game.”
Whether it’s a return to health or just being “fed up” with the critics, Barkley has turned back the clock this summer. He looks as healthy as he’s ever been, confident within the offense and ready to break back out. He just wants the critics to remember that when he finds success once again, they better not leap back onto the bandwagon. He’s not having that.
