Barkley ready to take the lead
On the flight home from Charlotte, N.C., with loss No. 4 of the season — the most harrowing one yet — not fully packed away in the overhead compartments, Saquon Barkley sat in his seat and before he knew it, coach Pat Shurmur plopped himself down next to his young running back.
“Said some very great things that I needed to hear,’’ Barkley said Tuesday.
The conversation lasted a few minutes, coming not long after Barkley again showed how special his skills are, vaulting into the end zone for the touchdown that appeared to give the Giants a rousing 31-30 comeback victory over the Panthers. A 63-yard f ield goal by Graham Gano ruined that scenario, and Shurmur wanted Barkley to know he appreciates everything the rookie has done in his short time with the Giants, on the field and in the locker room.
“I really think some of your younger players can be your best leaders,’’ Shurmur said.
The Giants need everything they can get right about now, from anyone they can get it from, sitting at 1-4 and in last place in the NFC East, a division without a winning team five games into the season. Barkley leads the Giants in rushing (308 yards) and is second with 31 catches. He has five total touchdowns and is on pace for 985 rushing yards, 99 receptions and 16 total touchdowns. The Giants saw him as far and away the best player in the 2018 draft and nothing since he donned the uniform has anyone in the organization thinking otherwise. They also viewed him as an extraordinary person, another assessment they believe is 100 percent on the money.
With Eli Manning hanging in at 37 years old and Odell Beckham Jr. disappointing Shurmur, the front office and ownership with his recent ESPN interview and the record what it is, Barkley might be exactly what the Giants need right now. Shurmur seems to think so, even if he’s the youngest player on the roster at 21.
“He’s doing everything that you would want to see as a coach,’’ Shurmur said. “He displays humility, he says the right thing. But when he says it: Don’t you sense a genuine nature to what he says? You got a genuine, competitive guy that can do really great things on the foot- ball field. Those guys can lead naturally by just being themselves.
“Saquon comes in every day, and every day becomes the best version of Saquon. He’ll be fine. And if he sticks to those principles and that integrity, but of course he’ll be a terrific leader. He’s already established himself that way.’’
In the loss to the Panthers, Barkley caught a touchdown pass from Beckham and then scored late to put the Giants a head, but he also showed there is attitude behind his smile. When he was dropped for a 4-yard loss in the third quarter, tackled as he tried to spin away by Julius Peppers — the ageless (actually 38) defensive end who has been punishing NFL running backs and quarterbacks since Barkley was 5 — who stood over Barkley, who did not appreciate it. Barkley got to his feet and stood his ground and a tepid wrestling match followed.
It is already apparent Barkley prefers action to words. He did not want to make anything off the brief dustup with Peppers.
“It’s not really so much as that, it’s the way you carry yourself, the way you work, come to work with your head down, try to do anything you can possible to help the team, that stuff goes a long way,’’ Barkley said. “Obviously your play on the field goes a long way too. Try to be one of the first people in here, work your butt off in the weight room, asking questions, try to prepare yourself like a pro, like a vet, stuff like that is what sits well with your team.’’
Barkley knows he has to be a huge factor Thursday night against the Eagles for an offense that lost despite f inally cracking the 30-point barrier. He also is willing to take on a leadership role, even though he just got here.
“Yeah, I felt that way since I got drafted here, that’s something I wanted to do, a goal of mine,’’ Barkley said. “I know you can’t just take on that role from Day 1, you got to grow into that role, earn the respect of your teammates and that something I’m going to continue to try to do every single day.’’