Now Saquon Barkley gets to experience the other side of earning a big contract and playing in Philadelphia.
The Eagles validated Barkley’s belief in his elite abilities with this spring’s free agent signing, and the former Giants running back’s three-touchdown debut in Brazil turned him into an early hero in The City of Brotherly Love.
But Barkley dropped a third down pass late in Monday night’s fourth quarter and cost his team the game in a 22-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. And so he fell short of his stated goal to be “consistent” this season in his prominent new role.
“I make that catch, game’s over,” Barkley told reporters after the Eagles fell to 1-1. “I dropped the ball. I let my team down today. Shouldn’t have put the defense in that position.”
Barkley’s hiccup added a new interesting chapter to the beginning of his post-Giants career, with the drop overshadowing an otherwise productive night with 116 yards from scrimmage and four catches on five targets, including a second receiving TD in his first two games.
His evening wasn’t unlike Sunday’s performances by the Giants’ replacements for him: wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Devin Singletary.
Nabers had 127 yards and a touchdown. Singletary had 95 yards and a TD. But Singletary lost a fumble in the third quarter to give Washington life early in the second half, and Nabers dropped a fourth down pass from Daniel Jones to cost the Giants the game.
Both Nabers and Barkley then watched as their drops turned into easy scoring drives for the opposition’s offense.
“I could sit here and complain and be upset about it, or I could be a professional athlete and go back to the drawing board and take the lick and move on and get better from it,” Barkley said. “I’ve made that play multiple times. I’ve missed that play before, too. I just got to be better. I let my team down. I got to man up to it, I got to own it, which I’m doing. I could promise those guys in this locker room that I’m going to be better from it.”
Barkley stubbed his toe on the heels of an interesting “Rich Eisen Show” interview last Friday that covered the running back’s perception of his Giants departure. Eisen, an early ESPN standout who was allowed to leave for NFL Network, said he has a chip on his shoulder to this day and wondered if Barkley felt similarly.
“I spent seven years at ESPN before going to NFL Network, and ESPN was my identity professionally,” Eisen said. “They gave my start. They drafted me if you will, right? But they let me walk. They let me walk to another spot, and you know, it’s a chip. It’s still a chip on this — I’m 22 years at the NFL Network, it’s still a chip for me. But I was still stunned, ya know? And it definitely surprised me”
“And I’m wondering,” Eisen said, “if that leaves a chip with you. But trust me, everything’s worked out for me. I’m very happy with everything that has worked out with the opportunity I was given to be let walk. But I’m wondering if you have a chip on that.”
Barkley said that was a good analogy for his situation.
“That’s a great question, and no one ever presented that question to me [in that way], and I would agree,” Barkley said. “It does leave a chip on your shoulder. But I always have a chip on my shoulder no matter what. I feel like God blessed me with a tremendous talent, and I want to go out there and try to be one of the best running backs to play the game.”
“I studied the greats, and the saying’s ‘study the greats to become greater,’” Barkley added. “So did it leave a little chip on my shoulder? Did it hurt a little bit? Yeah, of course. But I’m thankful for the opportunity, and sometimes they say the grass ain’t always greener. But looking at right here, my family’s happy, I’m happy, I’m smiling more. Everything about me is trending upward.”
Barkley explained that the “chip is on my shoulder not just because the Giants let me walk, just because there’s something I want to do, I’m on a mission,” he explained. “I want to accomplish it. That starts with getting back to being consistent.”
One part of the Giants’ decision to let Barkley walk that he appreciated, however, was seeing how much co-owner John Mara did not want Barkley to sign in Philadelphia. Barkley said he was not aware until he saw HBO’s “Hard Knocks” that Mara was concerned about him joining the rival Eagles.
“Not really,” Barkley said, “but I’m thankful for Mr. Mara and also Mr. [Steve] Tisch and both of their families for giving me the opportunity and drafting me there. And you get to see it first-hand how much they really did appreciate me. They always showed it to me when I was there, but even on TV you get to see that, so that definitely left a special place in my heart. And I’ll always have a special place in my heart for their families.”
“I know ESPN gave you the opportunity, [and] that’s how I look at it,” Barkley said to Eisen. “They’re the one that gave me the opportunity to get drafted. Things didn’t play out the way I would like it to play out there, but even though I’m moving on, it’s not like my career was over. And in my mindset it’s just beginning. I get a new chance. I get a new opportunity, and I feel like I’m off to a good start.”
Barkley reiterated that “during the time leading up to the negotiations before I hit free agency, I didn’t really hear from [the Giants] leading up to that time, so I kind of had an idea of what was gonna happen.
“Obviously everyone got to see ‘Hard Knocks,’” he said. “I wasn’t really surprised by that. But I look at it as a blessing. I’m in a new chapter. I’m thankful for all those guys over there in New York for the six years that I had there. I learned a lot. I feel like I wouldn’t be the player I am today or the man I am today without my time today.”
“Now I’m in a new chapter, and I’m super excited about it and blessed for the opportunity and focused on taking advantage of the opportunity I have here,” he added. “And [we’re] off to a great start. [I’ve] gotta be consistent. That’s my whole mindset for the season is how consistent can I be? That starts getting ready for Week 2.”
He fell short of that consistency on Monday, in a game where the Eagles faltered without top receiver A.J. Brown (hamstring) in the lineup. That’s what Barkley said he’s trying to do, though: have the same impact on the game every week. Obviously, the idea is to contribute in a big way to wins.
“Be consistent. Every day,” he said. “Someone challenged me to see how consistent I can be.”
Barkley’s drop prevented the Eagles from improving to 2-0 and moving into sole possession of first place in the NFC East. Instead, they are deadlocked in a three-way tie atop the division with Washington and Dallas with the 0-2 Giants trailing alone in last.
An Oct. 20 Eagles visit to MetLife Stadium in Week 7 looms on the horizon as the Giants scramble to try to get their first win of the season Sunday in Cleveland and capitalize on Philly’s stumble in Week 2.
