Barkley excited to play Giants preseason opener

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Saquon Barkley got an incredulous look on his face when asked if he was hoping to play in the New York Giants preseason opener Thursday against the Cleveland Browns.

Hoping was not an option as far as the second overall pick in the NFL draft was concerned.

This halfback from Penn State wants to play, even though the Giants cut back his workload last week, leaving many to wonder if he was a little dinged after 10 days of camp.

Coach Pat Shurmur put the injury speculation to rest Monday when talking with the media. He said Barkley is physically fine and the team is just managing his workload.

Barkley believes he is ready. He has worked hard, picked the brains of quarterback Eli Manning and veteran running back Jonathan Stewart, has gotten to know his linemen and seems to have grasped the offense as well as can be expected.

Shurmur said Barkley, 21, is making mistakes but learning from every one.

“Hoping? I plan to play,” Barkley said Monday. “That’s like I don’t know; I haven’t experienced an NFL preseason game yet, but I am hoping I am good to go for that game. I am more than capable to playing now. I am just happy inside to play in my first NFL game. Hopefully I can maximize every rep.”

Barkley said he never had this much time to take care of his body in college. He noted that in his final season at Penn State he had to juggle training camp with taking finals from summer school classes.

Being hit for the first time in the NFL is something Barkley wants to happen. “The first hit is something that knocks everything out, wherever your nerve is, you are overthinking stuff. It definitely helps.”

Barkley isn’t looking to gain a specific amount of yards or touchdowns. He wants to maximize every chance he gets and to have no missed assignments.

Manning said the best advice he has given Barkley is to take what the defense is giving on each play and realize you are not going to score on every play.

“Understand that expectations are going to be high, and don’t worry about that,” Manning said. “That’s what you have a team for and you have a job to do.”

Shurmur said he still was working on how much everyone will play Thursday at MetLife Stadium. He said he wants to see his whole roster since performance in games carries more weight than training camp in determining the 53-man roster.