Why Saquon Barkley believes Giants will turn it around in 2022
Saquon Barkley #26 of the Giants looks on during the fourth quarter against the Washington Football Team at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Saquon Barkley is convinced both he and the team will be better next season, and he has a message for those who do not share his optimism.
"For everyone outside in the world who were fans but may not be fans right now, for you guys [in the media] who are going to write something positive or mostly something negative about me, just make sure you guys stay on that side of the table when things turn around," the running back said on Monday.
Barkley’s four frustrating seasons with the Giants have seen him go from adored savior of the franchise to the personification of retired GM Dave Gettleman’s failed tenure, from a dazzling and record-setting offensive rookie of the year to an oft-injured player with less than mediocre stats.
He said he is aware of that shift in how he is perceived.
"My mom always told me since I was kid, no matter if you are doing good or you are doing bad, people will have something positive or negative to say," Barkley said. "I just have to block it out. It is kind of hard to do that in the Big Apple, especially in the day we live in. I’m active on social media so you can go on your phone at night to look for something and it’ll pop up. But I had this conversation yesterday with my family and my mindset is I’m not going to allow people who have no impact on the success that I have or have no impact on my life to dictate my feelings. At the end of the day I’m very blessed. I’m playing the sport I love at the highest level. There are a lot of people who would kill to be in my position so I am going to take advantage of the opportunity God has blessed me with."
Barkley said he is looking forward to this offseason, his first since he spent last year rehabbing a torn ACL, so he can return the emphasis to his strength and speed rather than coming back from an injury.
Asked how certain he is that he will be better in 2022, he said:
"I’m almost 100 percent sure, to be completely honest, because the only thing I can focus on is the things that I can control. I can control my work ethic. I can control my effort and my attitude this offseason. This offseason is going to be all about getting myself in tip-top shape and getting my body back to the form where I need it to be, so I can be the player that I know I am."
He was also asked if, after four seasons in which the Giants have never won more than six games, he has confidence that the team can improve.
"I do believe it can be done," he said. "I think you see it every year throughout the National Football League, a team that did not do so well the year before and then the next year they’re in playoff contention. It’s the offseason. In the offseason as players, we’ve got to come in, we’ve got to work and ownership and coaches, they’re going to do the right thing to add key additional pieces that we need for our team. We’re going to get healthier with guys like (linebacker) Blake (Martinez) coming back and just going to keep working and do what is going to be necessary to happen for us to make us turn it around."
None of that is guaranteed, of course. And there are plenty of reasons to believe that it will not happen. Not for the Giants and not for Barkley.
It all depends on what side of the table you are on.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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