Saquon Barkley plans to play in Giants' preseason opener
By Tom Rock
Saquon Barkley was asked Monday if he hopes to play in the Giants’ preseason opener against the Browns on Thursday night.
“Hoping?” he responded with an incredulous look on his face. “I mean, I plan to play.”
That’s certainly encouraging and a good sign that the rookie running back is excited about making his NFL debut, even if it is in a preseason game. And for the fans who will be attending the game with fingers crossed about seeing the Giants’ new offensive weapon in action, it’s a reason to be optimistic.
But if the past week has taught Barkley anything, it’s this: His plans and the Giants’ plans are not always the same thing.
The team has been cautious with Barkley’s reps in practice. On Saturday, he sat out most of the team reps, standing on the sideline while the rest of the squad thumped and pounded on each other. He also was limited two days before that on Thursday, participating in about half of the practice before being removed.
“I don’t see it as a decreased workload,” coach Pat Shurmur said. “There’s nothing wrong with Saquon. We’re just managing his reps like we would any running back.”
Anything that puts the second overall draft pick on the field — or perhaps more so, takes him off it — is sure to draw attention. Barkley’s practice reps certainly qualify. While most rookies have to adjust to playing in the NFL, Barkley is learning how to not play in the NFL.
“Obviously, I want to be out there every single rep and every single play, but the times I’m not out there are the times you have to take mental reps, be locked in and focus,” Barkley said. “When you get in, maximize your reps to your best effort.’’
It’s also something Barkley has had to adjust to. At Penn State, there were not a lot of days when he did not take the majority of the first-team reps. In fact, he recalled, when the Nittany Lions reported to training camp last year, he still was studying for the Spanish 3 final he had to take from the summer course in which he’d enrolled.
“The big difference [in the NFL] is the time,’’ Barkley said. “The time that you have to take care of your body. You can get in the cold tub, you can get treatment . . . I’m still trying to find that right routine, whether it’s little things like take a nap here for 15 minutes or get in the cold tub for 15 minutes, just trying to figure out what to do, how much work I want to do during an off day. It’s hard.”
Shurmur said one of the reasons the Giants have been able to pace Barkley in camp is because he has been so clean regarding mistakes. If he were messing up plays and assignments, the Giants likely would have him on the field more often.
“Sometimes you see rookies getting a feel for things where they just don’t quite get it yet,” Shurmur said.
Barkley’s mistakes are typically corrected and then filed in the completed task bin. There isn’t a lot to go back over.
He expects to come out of Thursday’s game with the same clean inbox.
“What I’m looking to accomplish in the preseason is take every rep I get and try to maximize it to the best that I can,” he said. “I’m not looking for this amount of yards or this amount of touchdowns. I’m just trying to be at the right spot where I need to be, no [mental errors]. Probably a lot of rookies make some mistakes in their first game. I want to try to stay away from that and just continue to get better throughout the game.”
Barkley may be itching for that first taste of NFL competition and that first hit (“It knocks everything out, whether you are nervous or over-thinking stuff,” he said) but it will be Shurmur who decides if that will take place this week.
“The coaches, they have a game plan,” Barkley said. “They have an idea of what they want to do and I’m just here to follow that idea. Whatever reps they want me to take I’ll get in . . . I’m just following, doing my job, doing whatever the coach wants me to do.”
All while hoping / planning to play.
