New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley is one of the NFL’s most explosive and dynamic players. That is, until the Giants line up on or near the goal line.
In 2019, Barkley gained only one yard and scored just once on seven goal-line carries. Now, before we get too crazy, let’s consider Barkley’s high ankle sprain, the Giants’ offensive line not being the greatest at winning in tight spaces, plus the play calling was telegraphed. Defenses stacked the middle of the line effectively.
“Barkley scored five touchdowns on 16 rushes inside the 5-yard line as a rookie in 2018; those are typical numbers for a featured rusher,” writes Bleacher Report’s Mike Tanier. “But Barkley was hurt for part of last year, the Giants weren’t in scoring position all that often. And with rookie Daniel Jones under center, Pat Shurmur called for Saquon up the gut on first down, crossed his fingers and hoped for the best.”
Yep. We all saw that happen. Up the gut for no gain, or a loss, was commonplace. Shurmur is gone and hopefully he took that play with him. New offensive coordinator Jason Garrett may have more luck in the red zone.
“Say what you will about Garrett, but he doesn’t overcomplicate things,” writes Tanier. “(Ezekiel) Elliott led the NFL with 59 red-zone carries and 11 touchdowns last year, including nine touchdowns on 12 carries inside the 5-yard line.”
Granted, short runs and pushing the pile are the staples of Elliott’s game. Barkley is a more dynamic rusher who makes his living off tackles and in open spaces. Plus, Elliott was rushing behind a line that had three Pro Bowl players.
Tanier’s article was about running backs that “break your heart” starting with Cleveland’s Nick Chubb, who ran for 1,494 yards last season but had the worst statistics inside the five-yard-line. Other players in the “All-Stuffed Club” were Barkley, Leonard Fournette of Jacksonville, Philadelphia’s Miles Sanders and Frank Gore, who played last year in Buffalo.
This year, Barkley can get off that list easily. With Garrett calling the plays and the Giants’ offensive line being coached by former Cowboys OL coach Marc Columbo, they can expect more winning upfront.
In addition, Barkley will be healthy and the Giants could have a new center.
“Goal-line production might be random, but goal-line opportunities are largely dictated by the coach or offensive coordinator,” says Tanier. “Saquon will get the chance to score some short touchdowns; whether he’s as productive as Zeke or goes Full Chubb will be decided by forces mostly beyond his control.”