Barber rips Barkley on his toughness
How will Giants star respond to his 1st test of adversity in New York spotlight?
Saquon Barkley has had bad games, and his pass protection has taken plenty of criticism before.
But never this publicly, never by a former standout Giants player like Tiki Barber, never so loudly that the dominant storyline of a Giants game week was about the dynamic running back’s shortcomings and not his skills.
So this is Barkley’s first true test of adversity in the New York spotlight, his first Odell Beckham Jr.-like experience of going from media darling one day to a target for hot takes the next.
And the question for Barkley and the Giants (0-1) now is not just whether they’ll beat the host Chicago Bears (1-0) at Soldier Field on Sunday.
The big picture question is how Barkley will respond to facing such harsh public criticism of his game, when he’s gotten so used to nothing but praise from those around him his first two seasons in this league.
Thursday, at least, while Barkley did his best to remain respectful, his patience clearly was tested by the repeated questioning of his abilities and that fact that “I know this is going to be the question or the kind of the theme of this media session, is about my pass pro.”
Barkley stuck to the script early and called Barber a “legend,” but eventually he’d had enough of hearing what someone outside the Giants’ locker room had said about his flaws.
“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,’” Barkley said.
Tiki Barber: Hall of Fame nominee, All-Pro clicker. The resume grows.
Barber had blown up Barkley on Tuesday’s “Tiki and Tierney” on the CBS Sports Radio and TV Networks. Barber said Barkley “might not be an every down back” because “he cannot pass protect.” He said Barkley “doesn’t want to hit anybody” and added: “He’s a big back who wants to play small.”
What might have stung Barkley most was that Barber’s comments on his pass protection were not wrong. It was a brutally honest assessment, but it wasn’t wrong.
His poor blocks that led to Lions and Jets strip-sacks returned for touchdowns last season are well-documented.
Head coach Joe Judge and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett have had Barkley’s back the past couple days, but neither disputed Barber’s premise, either.
The daily extra work on pass protection Judge has assigned Barkley since the beginning of training camp also has reinforced that the coaching staff sees the same need for improvement.
“There were some examples of [Barkley] blocking well in the passing game the other night,” Garrett said Thursday. “There were some examples of him not blocking as well as he needs to. He knows that.”
Even Barkley admitted: “I understand that I probably made some mistakes in pass pro and I put it on film.”
Barkley initially said “Tiki is a legend, he has done a lot of great things for this franchise. So I’m not going to look at it as disrespect, I’m going to look at it as a challenge.” He insisted all that mattered to him were the opinions of those in the building.
Later, though, after facing four or five questions on the same topic, Barkley finally showed some of his true feelings.
“To be completely honest, the reason it doesn’t bother meis — and no disrespect to anyone on this call or anyone outside this — but when I say I don’t care, I truly don’t care about other people’s opinions,” Barkley said.
“You can ask my teammates, you can ask anyone in this building, they won’t question my toughness.
“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. But in my poasition, I know howI come to work every single day and I know the belief that myteammates have in me.”
Barkley and Barber know each other personally, but Barkley said he had not spoken to the former Giants standout since Tuesday’s show went viral.
“No, I didn’t,” Barkley said. “I guess he addressed something on his show, which is his God-given right. He has an opinion, he voiced his opinion. Like I said, it’s his opinion to have. I’m going to take it more as a challenge than disrespect and just focus on myself and focus on everyone here in this building.”
Barkley is super-aware, however, of the criticism out there about him.
On Thursday he cited a stat ESPN had shown late Monday night that Barkley had tied for the second-lowest rushing total of a back with 15 or more carries in a game since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger.
He was also shown on Monday’s telecast visibly and understandably frustrated on the bench because the Steelers so routinely were hitting him in the backfield.
“It happened. The game happened. I had 15 carries for six yards. I think I tied for the second-lowest of all time with 15 carries or more,” Barkley said. “Guess what? I came to work this week with a smile on my face, ready to work and ready to get better.
“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if you praise me or you say negative things about me. I’m not going to use that motivation because my motivation is to be great myself. I don’t need you guys to push me that way.”
Regardless, Barkley is human, and it will be intriguing to watch how he reacts, both on the field Sunday in Chicago and throughout this fall if the Giants’ season continues to not go their way.
The injury report: Giants WR Golden Tate (hamstring) was still limited Thursday. LB Carter Coughlin (hamstring) was upgraded to limited after skipping Wednesday’s practice. S Adrian Colbert (quad) was an addition to Thursday’s report as limited. ... Bears DT Akiem Hicks (illness) did not practice. Edge rushers Khalil Mack (knee) and Robert Quinn (ankle) remained limited.