New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley isn’t lacking any confidence entering his second professional season, shedding his silent rookie persona and replacing it with a more vocal, leadership-minded persona.
But just how confident has Barkley become? Confident enough to declare himself the best running back in all of football.
“You got to believe that you’re one of the best, and that’s what I personally believe,” Barkley said, via the New York Post. “But I do have tremendous respect for all the guys out there, especially the [Todd] Gurleys and Le’Veon [Bell] and the Zekes [Ezekiel Elliott] of the world, Alvin [Kamara], Christian [McCaffrey] — there’s so many I could list off.”
What makes Barkley the best back in the league? He credits the way he was raised and his relentless desire to not only be the greatest, but to believe he’s the greatest.
“Why do I think I’m the best back in the league? That’s just how I was raised to believe,” Barkley said. “When I do something and I’m passionate about something I’m going to go 100 percent at it so when you stick me out there I’m capable of doing anything you want a running back to do and I think I can do it at a high level. That’s why I think I’m the best back in the league. That’s my personal opinion. Everyone can have their other opinions and I respect your opinions.
“You can’t just talk about it, you got to show it. Show it to my teammates that not only am I, I feel, the best running back in the league, I feel like that I can be one of the best teammates for my team and help my team.”
In 2018, Barkley showed that he was the greatest every time he stepped on the field. And while he’s seen no preseason action to date, there’s little reason to believe he won’t pick things right back up on September 8 against the Dallas Cowboys.
