Barkley and Co. under pressure to deliver
CHICAGO — Saquon Barkley and the Giants both could be defined in 2020 by how they respond in Chicago on Sunday.
If Barkley fails to quiet All-Pro clicker critic Tiki Barber with a dazzling all-around performance, the noise about Barkley’s flaws will grow louder and the Giants (0-1) will struggle to get their first win against the Bears (1-0).
If the Giants return home from Soldier Field with nothing more than a souvenir deep dish pizza, their schedule presents no obvious early opportunity for their first win.
Next up will be the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers at home and the L.A. Rams and Dallas Cowboys on the road, all boasting defensive fronts and offensive firepower that will give Joe Judge’s Giants all they can handle.
The expectations for Judge’s first Giants team are not tied to any specific record. Ownership simply wants to see a team that’s consistently competitive and improving, knowing if that happens, some wins will come.
Judge’s Giants indeed were energetic, aggressive and competitive in their Week 1 26-16 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. There was plenty to like.
But their talent gap compared to opponents is often large enough that their margin for error is miniscule.
Add enormous public pressure put on their most talented player, and it could be a recipe for Barkley and the Giants breaking out and silencing the doubters.
“Bring it on,” left guard Will Hernandez said of anyone eager to challenge Barkley and the Giants’ offensive line.
Conversely, the Bears’ pass rush led by Khalil Mack, and their offense led by top receiver Allen Robinson, beat Pat Shurmur’s Giants 19-14 in this same building last season.
Barkley dropped a wide open early pass downfield on a great play call by Shurmur, and Jones had just 59 passing yards in the first half and 150 for the game.
As Barkley caught heat in the spotlight this week, however, his offensive linemen stepped up and got his back.
Hernandez said Friday that Barkley is “mentally tough,” “this is not the first time he’s gotten heat,” and that he’d use it as constructive motivation.
Center Nick Gates, speaking to the Daily News on Friday, said the linemen didn’t like seeing Barkley being blamed and criticized when the result wasn’t the back’s fault.
“It sucks,” Gates said. “We’re not running the ball, and him having six yards, that’s on us. What was it, 11 of his 15 carries he was hit at or behind the line of scrimmage? That’s not on him. He’d make one guy miss but there was another one there. It’s not on Saquon. That’s mostly the O-line.”
Barber had blown up Barkley on Tuesday’s “Tiki and Tierney” on the CBS Sports Radio and TV Networks saying Barkley “might not be an every down back” because “he cannot pass protect.”
Barber also said Barkley “doesn’t want to hit anybody” and added: “He’s a big back who wants to play small.”
Barkley was predictably salty on Thursday answering to the criticism, calling Barber a “legend” that he respects but later adding: “It’s easy to be an All-Pro clicker and to be able to watch stuff on film and say ‘oh, he should have done this, he should have done that,’ or ‘he can improve on that.’ That’s the easy way.”
It might be good for the Giants that Barkley has a fire lit under him, though, and it might be good for Barkley in the long run that he’s getting tough love now both internally and externally.
Judge, in fact, prepared Barkley for this outside criticism in a way by coaching him hard himself.
Judge, you’ll recall, chewed out Barkley in an early training camp practice, demonstrating that he’ll coach his stars the same way he’ll coach his practice squad players: firmly, with an emphasis on teaching to make them better.
Barkley isn’t used to being questioned or criticized, especially so harshly in the public eye. But he knows he needs to improve several areas of his game, so in the long run it will be constructive if he embraces it.
It’s noteworthy, though, that Barkley was sensitive to even the topic of his pass protection on Thursday, as evidenced by how he closed his second answer on the topic.
“I just have to keep working at it, keep getting better and that’s going to be my same answer for the rest of the pass pro questions. Thank you, guys,” Barkley said, as if he were heading off further inquiry.