ReportWire

Tag: Saquon Barkley

  • Saquon Barkley ‘excited’ for Cowboys opener, not focused on future as Giant

    Saquon Barkley ‘excited’ for Cowboys opener, not focused on future as Giant

    [ad_1]

    Saquon Barkley wasn’t about to make any commitments past the 2023 season on Wednesday when asked if he still wants to be a Giant for life.

    His focus is on the Dallas Cowboys and on maximizing his potential and the Giants’ chances of winning this season. Then he’ll let the rest fall into place.

    “My focus is really on just this season, taking it one day at a time,” Barkley said in his first team interview with the New York media since July 27. “Everyone knows how I feel. I was public about it before. But I think I’d be doing a disservice to myself to get too caught up in my future and worry about what’s going to happen and being a Giant for life.

    “I’ve got to live in the moment,” Barkley, 26, continued. “I’ve got to live in the now. And like I’ve said for five years, a saying I stole from [Penn State coach] James Franklin, ‘take it one day at a time, live in the moment and let the rest take care of itself.’”

    The way Barkley sees it, he entered last season with a chip on his shoulder determined to prove himself, and he’s simply ready to run it back.

    “Similar to what it was last year,” Barkley said of his mindset. “Obviously my contract stuff and everything was public and talked about. I turn on the TV and see myself being talked about. But for me all that’s in the past. Once I made that mindset to come here, [I] gotta be mature about it, no hard feelings about it.

    “So now my back is against the wall again,” Barkley added. “I gotta go out there and prove it. I’m gonna go out there and play my heart out, compete at a high level and do what I do best, not only for myself but my teammates.”

    Back in July, Barkley sounded prepared to possibly hold out for his desired contract after he skipped the team’s entire spring program and negotiations went public and got ugly. But then he abruptly signed the franchise tag, reported to camp and put his head down, limiting media exposure and sitting out all three preseason games.

    By signing, Barkley got $2 million of his one-year, $10.091 million guaranteed deal in signing bonus money. And he can earn an additional $909,000 in incentives contingent upon the Giants making the playoffs: $303,000 each for 1,350 yards, 11 total touchdowns and 65 catches.

    The difficult result of those negotiations, however — with the Giants also retaining the ability to tag Barkley a second straight spring if they wish — make it difficult for Barkley to even project what a strong 2023 season would do for his finances.

    His 1,312 rushing yards and 10 TDs last season still have him playing on only a one-year contract this fall.

    All he can do is try to stay healthy and perform at a high level. He said he actually lost even more weight than he did last year, and he’s now at about 226 or 227 pounds compared to the 232 he played at last season.

    “It’s not more of that, the financial part of it,” Barkley said of his motivation. “Obviously that’s part of the business: you go out there, you perform at a high level and [there are] contracts, talks, whether it’s for the Giants or other teams.

    “But for me,” Barkley continued, “I kinda see last year as like a rookie year, I guess. Not my rookie year obviously. It was year five. But being back on the scene, and showing what I’m capable of doing, and now how can I take it to another level — whether that’s in between the tackles, outside the tackles, catching the ball, running routes, showing why I was drafted No. 2.”

    Barkley said he felt like he reminded people why he was drafted No. 2 overall last season, “but now I want to be able to take it to a whole ’nother level. It’ll be special.. Hopefully I can get us off to a great start and go on a high note in Week 1.”

    As for how Barkley feels on the field, he said that being in Brian Daboll’s offense for a second year has helped him with “understanding the offense a little more, knowing the scheme, knowing where to block, be[ing] able to time it better.”

    He felt like he didn’t need preseason game action because he prepared enough in practice against the Giants’ defensive line, led by Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams.

    “I go against Dexter and Leo every week in camp,” Barkley said. “They’re some of my best friends and extreme talents, but they don’t take it easy on me. So I get a lot of contact — as you guys probably saw — throughout camp.”

    One of Barkley’s primary football-related gripes during his offseason was that Daboll didn’t use him enough in the passing game as a receiver last season. The differences between the Giants’ and Barkley’s evaluations of him as a receiver colored the contract negotiations, too.

    Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was asked if the coaching staff would heed Barkley’s wish.

    “We’re always improving any of those little areas,” Kafka said. “Whether it’s a running back wanting to be a little more out in the pass game or a receiver wanting to be more involved in the run game — all the different positions, you want to improve on each player. If they have that and we think it’s a strength that we can build on and use them, then we will. If we don’t, then we won’t.”

    Everyone will have to wait until Sunday to find out. It can’t come soon enough for Barkley, though. He’s revved up for the NFC East opener.

    “We’re excited,” he said. “Sunday night. Prime time. In Metlife Stadium.”

    INJURY REPORT

    The Giants listed seven players as limited in their first official injury report of the 2023 season: WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), RB Gary Brightwell (knee), LB Cam Brown (ankle), TE Lawrence Cager (ankle), DT D.J. Davidson (knee), CB Cor’Dale Flott (hamstring) and S Gervarrius Owens (hamstring). Three Cowboys players did not participate on Wednesday: G/T Tyler Smith (hamstring), DE Sam Williams (foot) and S Donovan Wilson (calf). Dallas CB Jourdan Lewis (foot) was a full participant.

    [ad_2]

    Pat Leonard

    Source link

  • Slowing Saquon: The Green Bay Packers Face A Monumental Task In Taming Giants Star Barkley

    Slowing Saquon: The Green Bay Packers Face A Monumental Task In Taming Giants Star Barkley

    [ad_1]

    Dalvin Cook and David Montgomery have both done it twice.

    Josh Jacobs, Christian McCaffrey, Raheem Mostert, Ronald Jones, James Robinson and Nick Chubb have done it, as well.

    All of these running backs have eclipsed 100 yards rushing since Matt LaFleur took over as the Green Bay Packers’ head coach in 2019. And over the last three-plus seasons, stopping the run has been a major issue for LaFleur’s teams.

    Green Bay could face its toughest test of the LaFleur-era, though, Sunday when it tries slowing down Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants in a game being played in London at 8:30 a.m. (CST).

    Barkley is the NFL’s leading rusher, averaging 115.8 yards per game. Barkley is on pace for 1,968 rushing yards, which would be the ninth-highest total in NFL history.

    The Giants have a mediocre offensive line and a wide receiver group that’s been devastated by injury. Thanks in large part to Barkley, though, New York has the NFL’s No. 1 rushing attack (192.5) and is off to a surprising 3-1 start.

    “Phenomenal player. Phenomenal talent,” Green Bay defensive coordinator Joe Barry said. “He’s explosive. He’s big. They do a great job of throwing the ball to him as well. They find ways to get him the ball, not just turning around and handing him the ball. He’s the best in our business right now, statistically.

    “He’s just an all-around complete back. It’s got to be a collective group effort this week because you can’t tackle that guy with one person. It’s got to be population to the ball. Unbelievable player. Unbelievable talent.”

    Now, combine Barkley’s exploits with the fact Green Bay is in the bottom-third of the league stopping the run.

    The Packers currently rank 22nd against the run, allowing 126.8 yards per game. They’re also 22nd in yards allowed per carry at 5.0.

    Stopping the run has been a consistent problem under LaFleur, whether Mike Pettine (2019-20) or Joe Barry (2021-22) has been the defensive coordinator.

    Green Bay ranked 23rd in the NFL against the run in 2019 (120.1) and 27th in yards per carry (4.9). The Packers finished 13th in rushing defense in 2020 (112.8) and 11th last year (109.1), but still ranked just 18th in yards per carry in 2020 (4.5) and 28th in 2021 (4.6).

    This year, things have been even worse.

    Cook ran for 90 yards in Week 1, averaged 4.5 yards per carry and led Minnesota to a 23-7 win over Green Bay. Chicago’s Montgomery ran for 122 yards and averaged 8.1 yards carry in a Week 2 loss.

    And last week, despite the fact New England was down to a third string quarterback, the Patriots ran for 167 yards and averaged 5.0 yards per carry.

    “Man, we’ve got to just focus up, honestly,” Packers nose tackle Kenny Clark said. “There’s too much inconsistencies when you talk about the run game with us. We’ll have two good quarters, and then the third quarter we’ll have a little lull and let guys get going and let their momentum get going. We’ve got to find a different way to just find that consistency.”

    Rookie inside linebacker Quay Walker agreed.

    “I just think it’s always coming down to us killing blocks, getting off of blocks and just knowing how to fit the runs up, just being physical,” Walker said. “It just takes getting off the blocks and just making the play. You can’t stay attached to blocks. You’ve got to know who you’re using in the run fit and those types of things. That always correlates to stopping the run.”

    During LaFleur’s time in Green Bay, the Packers have seen plenty of elite backs. But Barkley may be playing better than any of them right now.

    Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year that season when he had more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns. Barkley ran for 1,307 yards, averaged 5.0 yards per rush, caught a whopping 91 passes and didn’t fumble.

    Barkley’s numbers slipped a bit in 2019 (1,441 total yards, eight TDs) when he battled a high ankle sprain. Then Barkley’s career hit a crossroads when he suffered a torn ACL in Week 2 of 2020.

    Barkley spent the rest of that season on injured reserve. Then when Barkley returned in 2021, he lacked his previous burst and elusiveness and averaged just 3.7 yards per carry, ran for 593 yards and had four total touchdowns.

    This season, though, Barkley looks like his old self.

    He’s averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He ran for 164 yards in Week 1 and 146 yards in Week 4. And he’s tied for the Giants’ lead in receptions with 15.

    “Great running back,” Clark said. “You can tell that he’s healthy now. He’s a powerful back. He can run behind the tackles and get those yards inside.

    “When he gets out in space, he’s very elusive. He can run with the best of them and he’s got that breakout speed. I’ve got a lot of respect for his game. He’s a great back. He got drafted when he got drafted for a reason.”

    Added linebacker Preston Smith, who’s faced Barkley three times in his career: “He’s a pretty stout guy. Has some big legs, he’s hard to take down and he’s a guy that’s going to fight for extra yards and continue to move the pile if you let him. He’s going to try to make a big play, no matter what — spin off tackles and try to keep moving forward.”

    Barkley will be one of the few weapons the Giants have on offense.

    New York wide receivers Kenny Golladay (knee) and Kadarius Toney (hamstring) are out. Quarterback Daniel Jones will be trying to play through an ankle injury.

    So the Giants’ offense figures to be Barkley, Barkley and more Barkley.

    Will the Packers — and their suspect run defense — be up to the challenge?

    “I know we can be better and we will be better,” Barry said. “We have to be better, quite frankly, because we’re going up against the No. 1 rush offense in the National Football League.

    “We know how explosive Saquon Barkley can be. It’s going to be a great challenge for our defense, just to consistently go out there and perform at a high level. We’re going to have to be on point.”

    Which is something the Packers haven’t been in 2022.

    [ad_2]

    Rob Reischel, Contributor

    Source link

  • ‘SaQuads’ vs ‘Quadzilla’: The RBs unpack the tale of the tape

    ‘SaQuads’ vs ‘Quadzilla’: The RBs unpack the tale of the tape

    [ad_1]

    6:00 AM ET

    • Rob Demovsky

      Close

      ESPN Staff Writer
      • Covered Packers for Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1997-2013
      • Two-time Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year as selected by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association

    • Jordan Raanan

    AJ DILLON FIGURED the encounter with a stranger at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport would be like any other with a Green Bay Packers fan who asked to pose for a picture.

    They’d throw an arm over each other’s shoulders and smile like they were long-lost pals while they either snapped a selfie or had someone else take it.

    Not this guy.

    “He gets down on his knees and wraps his arms around my quads,” the Packers’ running back recalled. “This is a grown man, picture of his kids on his phone, married and [says to his] his wife, ‘Hey, take this picture of me with my arms wrapped around his quads,’ and thought it was the funniest thing.

    “I didn’t know he was doing all that. I just thought I was getting ready for a picture, and before I knew it, he was down there.”

    Even Saquon Barkley, who has the thighs to rival Dillon’s, had never experienced anything quite like that.

    “That is where the line draws for me,” the New York Giants‘ running back said. “I might pick up the sleeve a little bit and give it a flex for the picture. I’ve done that a couple times. I haven’t gotten anyone to drop down to their knee and wrap my leg and take a picture with it. That’s a little too far.”

    Coincidentally, it was at an airport when Barkley first recognized people fixating on his legs.

    “This is when I first realized it: I was in Newark airport, and I was walking to get my bags, and I had short shorts on, people were just looking at me, and I’m like ‘What the heck?’” Barkley said. “I had a hoodie on, and I’m like, ‘What’s everyone staring at?’ And people were coming up and saying, like, ‘You’ve got some really nice legs.’ I think when it first started out, I was like, I don’t know why — it was males, females, everybody — and I’m just so caught off guard by it.”

    Such is life in public for the two running backs with perhaps the most muscular lower bodies in football.

    Two years after tearing the ACL in his right knee, Barkley has rebuilt his body into the foundation of his success. With the added motivation of a contract year, he leads the NFL with 463 rushing yards through four weeks. His 252 yards after contact is second only to Cleveland’s Nick Chubb, and only 81 fewer than he had all of last season as he rebuilt his strength and confidence.

    Barkley ranks 36th in the NFL in yards after contact since the start of the 2020 season, despite missing 18 games with injuries. Dillon, who combines with Aaron Jones to give the Packers one of the most lethal 1-2 punches in football, ranks seventh.

    While Jones leads the team and ranks seventh in the NFL in rushing yards, it was Dillon who got the call on the final drive of overtime in Sunday’s win over the New England Patriots. Coach Matt LaFleur ran Dillon six times on that drive to help move the Packers into position for the game-winning field goal.

    Barkley and Dillon will share the same field on Sunday when the Giants (3-1) and Packers (3-1) play in London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network), and before that, they shared stories of their legs, people’s reactions to them and debated who was “The Quad King” during a joint Zoom interview with ESPN.

    BARKLEY’S QUADS WERE a thing long before Dillon was even on the NFL radar. When ESPN The Magazine featured Barkley in the 2018 version of The Body Issue, Dillon was a sophomore at Boston College.

    “I never really was part of the obsessive quad bandwagon until I think some of my teammates at BC were joking around,” Dillon told Barkley. “I think after that you did the ESPN Body Issue and all my boys kept tagging me, like man, but I’m like, I’m not going to be talking and comparing my legs to this dude.”

    If Dillon’s quads weren’t an instant sensation in college, they were in the NFL.

    A photo from Day 1 of training camp during his rookie season was just the beginning of the phenomenon.

    “Training camp is where everybody kinda figured about the legs, and then people started tagging [Barkley] in stuff,” Dillon said. “And I was like, ‘Hey, you never know, I might have him beat.’”

    Barkley knew coming in if it were sheer size that would determine the title of “The Quad King,” he would be in trouble. Dillon reported that he checks in at 6-foot-1, 250 pounds; Barkley, a shredded 6-foot, 227 with body fat of less than 6%.

    Barkley, whose 133 rushing yards over expectation this season is second in the NFL, was stunned when Dillon guessed Barkley’s quads would measure at well over 30 inches. Hey, he hasn’t run through defenders for 290 total yards this season by accident.

    “Oh wow,” said Barkley, who knew he would measure in at a solid 29 inches.

    That is when Dillon took out the kind of measuring tape a tailor would use to fit a suit. Of course, he had to flex to reach max girth. These are uber-competitive NFL running backs. They compete at even the most innocuous of tasks.

    “We’ve got 34 [inches],” Dillon said. “But it might be more like 33 because I’ve got sweats on.”

    At that point, Barkley, riding in the backseat of a car to New York City, simply conceded.

    “Not 34,” he said. “You’ve got me beat.”

    The second-overall pick in 2018 wondered how the great Earl Campbell would compare. Campbell’s Hall of Fame bio notes he had 36-inch thighs. He’s got all of these modern-day backs beat.

    Barkley’s advantage may be strength per inch. He estimated his max squat at 700 pounds while Dillon said 675. (Note: They had to do it simultaneously in order not to try and one-up the other.)

    Neither is anything to scoff at. Actually, quite the opposite.

    WHILE BOTH HAVE nicknames related to their quads — former Giants teammate Odell Beckham Jr. came up with “SaQuads” for Barkley and Dillon has used both “Quadzilla and “The Quadfather” — their running styles are different. Dillon runs with power between the tackles, while Barkley seemingly glides through open spaces and makes defenders miss.

    Barkley has the edge in the speed department; his 4.40 40-yard dash time bettered Dillon’s 4.51 coming out of college. Barkley is tied for second in the NFL with four runs of 20-plus yards this season.

    “My biggest question is, like, ‘Yeah, he’s got big legs, but how do they move so fast?’” Dillon said. “Mine don’t necessarily move that fast. I’ve got the big ones, but I use mine more for running through people.”

    It’s still quite a strange phenomenon to Barkley. He doesn’t embrace the fascination with his legs.

    “I don’t know why, for some reason in college, having big legs wasn’t a thing. It wasn’t like my legs got bigger when I got to the NFL or AJ’s legs got bigger when he got to the NFL, but it’s like, once you get on the NFL scene, everyone likes talking about the size of your legs,” Barkley said.

    “People talked more about my calves in college, and then I got to the NFL, Odell kinda made a joke calling me ‘SaQuads,’ and everyone was like, ‘He’s got huge quads, he’s got big legs.’ Now, whoever’s new, it was Najee [Harris] or it was AJ — I forget how the order went — but, like, every year someone new is like, ‘Who’s got the best quads, who’s got the biggest quads in the NFL?’

    “I don’t know why. I don’t really get people’s obsession with it.”

    Not that Barkley tries to hide them. He still flaunts them by wearing the short shorts he says are in style. The quads protrude out of them.

    As do Dillon’s.

    “If you got ’em,” Dillon said. “You’ve got to show ’em.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link