One of the major things the New York Giants miss about star running back Saquon Barkley is his unselfishness. He always put the team first while he was here and that has continued now as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Barkley is on the precipice of setting a new NFL single-season rushing record but won’t take the chance as the Eagles have decided to rest him this week against the Giants.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters he had to do what was best for the team, and that was to have Barkley on the sidelines in street clothes and out of the line of fire as his 13-3 team prepares for the NFC Playoffs.
“He asked me if I wanted to play; if I want to go for it,” Barkley said on Wednesday. “I said on Sunday, you know, I probably didn’t care too much for it. When I slept on it, it was like it was an opportunity to implement my name in football history. May never get another opportunity like that again, so I’m down, but at the end of day, I don’t care if we’re putting the team at risk.
“He’s the head coach for a reason, he makes the decisions, and whatever decision he wanted to make, I let him know if you want me to play, I’m going to go out there and make sure I get it, and if we don’t, I’m OK with that too.”
Barkley is in his first season with the Eagles after six seasons with the Giants. He signed a three-year, $37.75 million free agent deal with Philly much to the dismay of Giants co-owner John Mara, whose team did not make any overtures to keep the All-Pro back in free agency.
Several quick takes blamed Barkley for being selfish, but after HBO’s Hard Knocks aired this summer, it was clear it was the Giants who did not pursue him.
The fact that the Giants are the team on the schedule this week may have also played a role in the Eagles’ decision not to play him.
What if he plays and the Giants stop him from reaching the 101 yards needed to break the record? Eagles Nation — and Barkley — would never live it down.
Or even worse, what if he gets hurt, damaging the Eagles’ chances at a Super Bowl? The decision would be questioned for years.
The Eagles are making the right decision for the greater good here. The record is actually intact. Eric Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards in 1984 in a 16-game season. Barkley has 2,005 yards after 16 games.
He needs this 17th game to eclipse Dickerson’s record. That would likely be noted in the NFL record books with an asterisk. Not Barkley’s fault, but still it would be seen as a tainted record.
And who really cares about records anyway? This isn’t baseball. The only record that really counts in football is the record of the team and Barkley is willing to sacrifice his personal goals for the good of the Eagles.
“I think it’s important because we haven’t had a bye since Week 5, so we’ve been going at it since then,” Barkley added. “Won 10 in a row, lost one, then won another one. So it’s like, I think the rest definitely is going to help rather than hurt us.”
[lawrence-related id=738738,738728,738720]