Saquon ready to keep on learning
Joe Judge did not need to step foot in the building or say a word to his star running back to understand Saquon Barkley, the player. The outrageous body and off-the-chart measurable athletic prowess are recognizable to anyone who ever saw Barkley get the ball at Penn State or the past two years with the Giants.
What Judge needed to find out about Barkley was something that could only be learned through the experience of working with him.
“One of the toughest things when you see them from afar is you don’t know how they are as a person, how they respond to coaching,’’ Judge said Monday. “I think the most pleasing thing about Saquon so far is how eager he is to be coached and how he is always looking for a better way of doing something.
“I love the way he works on the field. He comes out every day with a purpose and that’s important. You can see what he’s working on specifically not only from our own install standpoint but personally based on what may have happened in a previous practice. Or a technique or fundamental that he has to improve on himself. He has a unique skill set and he is going to give himself an opportunity to maximize that by the way he’s working right now.’’
Judge said the entire roster of players has been, “very receptive to different coaching points.’’ It is very early, yet this is a positive development, of course. Barkley, though, is not like everyone on the team, as far as the physical gifts he possesses. Sometimes, the most talented are also the most resistant to change. Barkley, in his time with the Giants, has never tried to stiff-arm his coaches and he enjoyed hearing Judge is already impressed.
“I definitely appreciate that compliment,’’ Barkley said. “Just come to work every day, ask a lot of questions and try to improve. I feel like the only way you can improve is by being coached. Obviously, I’m not naive to the fact that I was blessed with a tremendous talent. The way you improve on that is by focusing on little things, focus on the details and listen to your coaches. I think we have a great coaching staff here, from coach Judge all the way down to the position coaches, all the guys. I want to be great and I want to be great for this team. I know that starts with taking coaching and learning from them.’’