SHADOW OF A GIANT
Struggling RB Barkley knows he's capable of better than he's shown
TUCSON, Ariz. — He sees it. Of course he does. Saquon Barkley is self-aware. He knows what he is doing on the field this season is not up to the standard he holds himself to, not what the Giants need to make their running and passing game go. There are plays that go by on which Barkley takes a look at No. 26 in a Giants uniform and sees an imposter. He has said, either aloud or to himself “Damn, like I’ve got to be better there.” It seems everyone is lining up to criticize Barkley, enduring a nightmarish season after enduring a wasted season. The Giants are adrift on offense, and he cannot provide much in the way of a life preserver.
Even when things go right, there is something off.
In their 20-9 loss to the Dolphins last Sunday, Barkley gained 9 yards on a third-and-7 run late in the third quarter that was productive, but also uncomfortable.
“I left my feet for the first time in a minute,’’ he said Friday after practice at the University of Arizona. “Obviously, it wasn’t the right decision to do there.’’
There was a time, when Barkley was running past defenders at Penn State and hurdling over them as a rookie with the Giants, that his instincts and his great athletic prowess worked in unison and the results were magnificent. He suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Week 2 last season. When he was finally getting his mojo back this season, he sprained his ankle and missed four games. The 9-yard gain in Miami was promising, but also not quite right.
“Yeah, I got the first, but I kind of got stuck in between a spin and a hurdle,’’ Barkley said. “Stuff like that, leaving my feet, it shows obviously, I know I have confidence. It’s different to have confidence in yourself and then going out there and your body is showing that it has confidence in itself too.
“Obviously, it’s been frustrating with injuries and the lack of time that I have spent on the field, but the more and more that I’m continuing playing in games and continue to be able to practice at a high level, all that stuff is going to come back.’’
Barkley had his ankle taped tightly for practice this past week, but he said that was precautionary. He is healthy, but that burst comes and goes.
“It’s nagging,’’ he said. “If you ever know anyone that had an ankle sprain and you go on through the season with it, it just nags here and there. That’s not the reason — I’m not going to make excuses why I haven’t been performing at a high level. I don’t believe that’s the reason.’’
There is no doubt the offensive line he runs behind is suspect. Sunday, the Giants will confront a Chargers defense ranked 31st against the run, allowing 141.2 yards per game. Barkley says “That doesn’t mean anything’’ and he speaks from experience. When the Giants are struggling to block,
they can be stopped by anyone.
Getting Barkley back on track would be a big step in the right direction. In his last three games, he has averaged 4.2, 3.1 and 5.0 yards per rushing attempt, but his numbers, as meager as they are, are actually inflated by runs of 32 and 23 yards the past two games. He is not grinding out the 4-, 5- or 6-yard runs every offense needs to keep balanced.
With Freddie Kitchens in his second game since taking over for fired offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, Barkley last week was targeted a season-high nine times in the passing game. He had two blatant drops, and another ball thrown slightly high glanced off his fingers. He did have six receptions, but for only 31 yards.
“Individually, obviously, I would love to be doing a lot more for my team, meaning being more productive, and you’ve got to take accountability,’’ Barkley said. “You’ve got to look yourself in the mirror and go back, watch film and see what you can do better, see what you did good, take it and grow from it.
“You can’t let that slow you down. My mindset is once I get to practice, get on the jugs, catch as many balls as I can and practice to make sure I catch every ball that I can. The balls that I do drop, go back and work on that. When it’s in the run game, make sure I get my footwork right so I can see it better, set up the runs better, put myself in the best position I can to be successful to my team.’’