Barkley: The Goal is for Me to Be So Elite, I Don't Think I'll Ever Reach It
Running back Saquon Barkley gives the Giants' offense a rare dimension.
Yes, he is one of the league's most explosive and elusive runners out of the backfield, but that's just the surface of what he can do on a football field.
Barkley's ability as a receiver, whether it be out of the backfield or even lined up out wide, is simply unique.
The crispness of his routes and his ability to get open against NFL defensive backs is comparable to elite deep-threat wide receivers. Yet, he still possesses shiftiness and re-direction ability at the line of scrimmage comparable to Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffery.
But for Barkley, the comparisons he seeks are with those of Hall-of-Fame running backs that were regarded as complete backs due to their multifaceted skill sets.
"When I think of the best complete back the backs that come to my mind is the Walter Paytons, the Marshall Faulks," said Barkley, who has also listed Lions legend Barry Sanders as a boyhood idol.
"When you think of Walter Payton, you see clips and highlights, it's inside of tackles, outside of tackles, catching, blocking.
"I don't want to just be special interior running back, I don't just want to be a special outside the box running back, I truly believe that with my God-given ability and the work that I put in that I could be special in all phases, not just one dimensional."
Barkley's drive to achieve that historic level of versatility has already shown up on the field so far in his career.
As a rookie in 2018, he led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage with 2,028 yards. Of those, 721 came as a receiver on 91 catches, the most by any rookie running back in NFL history.
Other running backs in the NFL have accumulated better statistical production than Barkley. However, Barkley is only just getting started as he enters his third NFL season, which is typically thought of to be the start of a running back's prime.
This year Barkley's true ceiling as a running back will be revealed, as new offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett will be employing an offense that should take advantage of Barkley's full complement of skills.
"With the ability that he has, he can be a dynamic player for us. Certainly, he’ll be a big part of what we’re doing," Garrett said.
"I know Saquon Barkley has been a real threat throughout his career up to this point on screens, and certainly has been against the teams that I’ve been around."
Barkley believes that his level of greatness will ultimately come down to how he contributes to winning, even if he does so as a blocker.
"I want to be elite in pass protection," Barkley said. "At the end of the day, it's about winning games ... and if I can do that by stepping up and making that key block, we might throw the ball 40 times a game and I might have to be responsible for key blocks then that's what I got to do. It's not just focusing on just me being elite, it's whatever it takes to help the team win."
Despite his high aspirations, Barkley is also very real with himself about reaching his goals.
"The way I view myself and the confidence I have in myself, the goal for me to be elite is so high that I don't think I'll ever honestly reach it," Barkley said.
"But if I come anywhere near close to it, I know that I put the work in every single day, I can personally look myself in the mirror at the end of the day and know that whenever I am done with this and I wrapped it up knowing that I put in everything I have."
