New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley held a youth football camp at West Essex High School on Saturday, and after three and a half hours of making the dreams of those kids come true, the sophomore back took a moment to meet with the media.
And the usually quiet and reserved Barkley had a lot to say…
Barkley not only addressed the critics of quarterback Daniel Jones, but he also discussed the New England Patriots, his expectations for the Giants in 2019 and even a little NBA.
Here are five takeaways from Barkley’s Saturday media availability.
Daniel Jones critics are wrong
Barkley has heard the critics of Daniel Jones and it’s grown exhausting for him. And in perhaps the strongest defense of the rookie quarterback to date, Barkley says those detractors will fall silent once he wins two Super Bowls or more.
“Everyone has something to say and right now people are saying it was an awful pick,” Barkley told reporters following his football camp on Saturday. “But, wait until he wins two Super Bowls, they’ll be saying ‘what a great pick!'”
Barkley expanded on that by pointing out Jones is in the ideal situation.
“He’s really in the perfect position,” Barkley said. “You get to come to New York. You get to learn behind Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, a quarterback who does everything right, and is a leader and captain. When his opportunity comes, he just has to be ready for it.
“Every single day come in and try to find something that you can get better at. That’s the kind of focus I have. When his time comes, I think he has a bright future.”
Giants are a playoff team?
No one believes the Giants are anything special heading into the 2019 season. In fact, the general consensus is that Big Blue will win roughly 6-7 games this coming season, but Barkley doesn’t want to hear that.
Rather, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year fully expects them to make the playoffs. Yes, the playoffs.
“I know why people may not think (so), but yes,” Barkley said, via NJ Advance Media. “I’m going to confidently say ‘yes’ until the day we are not, until the day we are eliminated from playoff potential I’m still going to say we are a playoff team. My opinion is yes.
“I know we lost a lot of great talent. Obviously Odell — Odell is still a very good friend of mine — but at the end of the day it’s about team.”
Channel their inner Patriots
Barkley is confident the Giants are a playoff team despite unloading several superstar players over the past two seasons, but what gives him that confidence?
The New England Patriots.
Barkley pointed out that while Tom Brady may be a superstar, New England is essentially comprised of hard-working team guys that put their individual goals aside in order to win, which is what he now sees in the Giants.
“I think about the Patriots,” Barkley said. “Obviously Tom Brady gets all the praise and Tom Brady is a great player. But there are not there many guys around him. I’m not saying they are not great players, but they are not superstars.
“They are guys who come out and work and do things right and win situational football and they win games. If we continue to do what w e did last year, especially the second half, and win situational football and come back together as a team I don’t see why the sky is not the limit.”
Impressed with Jabrill Peppers
Of the new arrivals in East Rutherford, safety Jabrill Peppers has made the greatest impact on Barkley due to his competitive nature, loud leadership and non-stop motor.
Acknowledging the two jaw on the practice field, Barkley says Peppers is going to be a major player for the Giants.
“I love his work ethic. I love how passionate he is about the game and his competitive nature. I’m happy we got him. I feel like he’s really going to help us,” Barkley said, via Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
Kevin Durant is the best player in the world
Barkley would love to see Kevin Durant on the New York Knicks, calling him the best player in the world on Saturday before quickly correcting himself.
“If KD comes back, I mean, KD’s the best player in the world,” Barkley said, via SNY. “I mean one of the best players in the world. It’s him and LeBron [James].
“LeBron was hurt the majority of the year so it’s not like we got the true LeBron. He was still averaging like 27-8-8. Not like he dropped off.”
The LeBron love aside, Barkley thinks so highly of Durant that he’s picking the Toronto Raptors to win the NBA Championship if the veteran doesn’t return to Golden State’s lineup during this series.
“Kawhi is going crazy right now,” he said. “I have the Raptors. I said it on my [Instagram] story the other day: The Raptors are winning the Finals if KD doesn’t come back.”
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