BIG BLUE HAS ’BARK
But can they bite?
SAQUON Barkley has dreamed of this day for most of his life, and Odell Beckham Jr. has dreamed of this day for 11 months, 11 painful months that seemed like a lifetime to him, from the moment they carted him off this very field of dreams in tears, his ankle and heart fractured.
Showtime ... when the stars come out Sunday at 1 p.m. at MetLife Stadium, and burn to help Eli Manning bring the Giants back.
“I believe that this team has a great chance to be a great team,” Barkley said.
Coach Pat Shurmur, the calm after the Ben McAdoo storm, makes his Giants debut. Time for him to show that playcalling artistry. Manning returns for his 15th season. Time for him to show why the franchise decided the future is wow with its 37-year-old franchise quarterback when it passed on Sam Darnold.
Beckham and Barkley are the showstoppers. Barkley: Best player in the draft. “I hope to make a great impact. I hope to make an impact not only on the field, in the community, in the locker room,” he said. “But on the field, catching the ball, returns, running the ball, getting the tough gritty yards, being able to make those special plays and being a great teammate, that’s what I hope to have.”
Beckham: Highest-paid receiver in the game, and arguably the best.
“Being a fan of his game and being a fan of the NFL and watching him and then actually get to see it live and see how he works on his craft and how he pushes himself, and how he has that passion and fire built inside of him to want to be great,” Barkley said, “that’s something that you gotta admire.”
The Giants have never had a receiver as wondrous as Beckham, the 13th Wonder of the World, and if they are right about Barkley, already hyped as the 26th Wonder of the World, then they have never had a running back as dynamic as him. A running back who is so much more than a running back.
Barkley: GM Dave Gettleman’s gold jacket guy.
“He’s a great kid, and a great athlete, and good running back and hey, I’m excited to see him out there as well,” Manning said. Beckham: The $95 million man. “Odell’s healthy and running great and ready to rock,” Manning said.
Killer Bs. Or, should Beckham take a slant to the house and Barkley take a screen to the house in the same game, AirBnB.
Barkley’s mere presence will help Beckham — and everyone else — and Beckham’s mere presence will help Barkley — and everyone else. And if Barkley has truly been touched by the hand of God, then Manning will soon understand what a charmed life Ben Roethlisberger has been living with Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell.
In a different era, it was Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson and Carl Banks who drove the Bill Parcells bus. But now, with Big Blue in transition under new defensive coordinator James Bettcher, it will be Beckham and Barkley, 13 and 26, who must be The Straws That Stir Manning’s Drink.
They will have assistance from Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram, but on occasions when the Giants will be required to score 24 points or more — and OLB Olivier Vernon is out — the ball will need to be in the hands of Beckham and Barkley as often as possible.
“It’s gonna be something to watch,” rookie backup QB Kyle Lauletta said. “Both those guys have the ability to be the best player at their position in the entire NFL. You can say a bunch of stuff, but until we play, we won’t know exactly what’s gonna happen.”
They are already fast friends and bosom buddies. They share an athletic arrogance that a Taylor, a LeBron James, would appreciate. They want to be great, and they want to be great in New York and earn the right to be champions in New York.
Beckham will confront the mental hurdle of getting that ankle hit. And will have Jalen Ramsey singing “Me And My Shadow” all afternoon. Barkley has an overhauled offensive line that has yet to fully mesh and a fast, cocky, imposing defense standing defiantly in his way.
“I can go out there and have the game of my life, and never touch that game again,” Barkley said. “Or I can go out there, have the worst game of my life and then from the rest of the season, have the best games of my life.” There will be more best games of his life. “He’s gonna hurdle guys, he’s gonna run people over, he’s gonna catch the ball out of the backfield — he can do it all,” cornerback Eli Apple said.
Cornerback Grant Haley played at Penn State with Barkley.
“There’s gonna be a play, I’m sure on Sunday, where everyone ooohs and ahhhs,” Haley said. “I’ve seen it every single game, he’s gonna make a play that’ll turn your head.”
The Giants no longer have one headturner.
Showtime.