Big Blue Huddle

I have never witnessed a RB getting faster at his age before.  I suspect it has a lot to do with going from a poorly run team to one of the best-run teams.  I am talking about all aspects, including medical, strength, and conditioning.


https://x.com/The33rdTeamFB/status/1864685865399713861

I don't think he was slower last year due to his body.

He was slower because he had little to no room to run, and when you're running into brick walls you're going to get hurt.


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Barkley is clearly faster in terms of foot speed. His recovery of his lost speed is unprecedented, on par with Adrian Peterson's less than one year recovery from an ACL where he looked even better than before the injury. You just don't see human beings do things like that. It's difficult to believe.

Quote from: andrew_nyGiants on December 05, 2024, 10:04:36 AMI don't think he was slower last year due to his body.

He was slower because he had little to no room to run, and when you're running into brick walls you're going to get hurt.


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I forgot to add this


https://x.com/The33rdTeamFB/status/1864685865399713861

The reason is because he is actually a once-in-a-generation athlete on par with Adrian Peterson and Bo Jackson.  He's built different and always has been.  His acceleration is even more impressive than his top-end speed.  It's what allows him to destroy defender's angles.


The injuries did slow him down but, again, these kinds of athletes are rare in terms of ability to regain what 99% of others would have lost after significant injury.  Adrian Peterson was able to do it as well and showcased remarkable longevity afterwards.  I think Barkley has the chance to do the same. 

Releasing Barkley because for money reflects very very poorly on both Schoen and Daboll.

Daboll was in practice with Barkley for a few years, the fact that he couldn't recognize what Barkley brought to the table is mind boggling. Schoen and Daboll made the executive decision to save a few bucks and let Barkley walk.

In hindsight it's easy to criticize, but I was pissed when it happened and am still pissed. 

Schoen didn't want to pay him because of his injury history. He runs with reckless abandon. He should never leave his feet unless it's a game changing moment. The injuries kept him off the field and his top speed and burst took a couple of years to get back. If he were to have that same injury at 28-30? Even diminished he was one of the best backs in the game and the key to the Giants Offense.

He had precious few opportunities to get to top speed with the Giants behind that OL.  These guys in Philly are opening up enormous holes for him to accelerate into.  Also...probably helps that he's chasing a super bowl now rather than chasing the elusive 6th win in a given season.

If anybody really thinks that Schoen or Daboll just didn't recognize how good of a player Barkley is, I would say is misguided. They did the right thing this year letting him go.  They should have traded him last year if anything.  You'd have to be blind to not see how talented this guy is.  But he would not be having this season with the Giants and in fact the Giants would maybe have 3 or 4 wins right now instead of two but no more than that. 

Quote from: Gmo11 on December 05, 2024, 02:51:06 PMHe had precious few opportunities to get to top speed with the Giants behind that OL.  These guys in Philly are opening up enormous holes for him to accelerate into.  Also...probably helps that he's chasing a super bowl now rather than chasing the elusive 6th win in a given season.

If anybody really thinks that Schoen or Daboll just didn't recognize how good of a player Barkley is, I would say is misguided. They did the right thing this year letting him go.  They should have traded him last year if anything.  You'd have to be blind to not see how talented this guy is.  But he would not be having this season with the Giants and in fact the Giants would maybe have 3 or 4 wins right now instead of two but no more than that. 

The Giants would've been clowned for giving an oft-injured running back a large second contract. Now they're getting clowned for letting him walk. The process was sound as painful as it is to watch him thrive in Philly (which would never have happened in the Meadowlands).

He looks leaner to me, but I have not seen anything about him losing weight in the offseason. 

The softspoken, darkly handsome man in the blue Giants tie sips his steaming Gevalia here at the BBS cafe, and spits on the ground in disgust "OF COURSE, he is faster, he ACTUALLY has an offensive line!!! H has the clearance, Clarence, to run the ball FORWARD, not just up someone's backside!!!"

Unfortunately, the Eagles were always the perfect team to take advantage of Saquon's talents. They have one of the best run blocking lines in the league and have been consistently able to provide Saquon with running lanes. And because of the weapons they have on the outside and their ability to throw, teams can't stack the box against Philly like they could against us.

It feels like most of the highlights I see of Saquon are him running through massive holes and getting immediately into space. That's where Saquon can be unleashed. Get him to the second level and he's too fast for linebackers and too big for DBs. The Giants couldn't consistently do that.

Pretty sure this is more a function of blocking and having the ability to hit top speed moreso than him regaining something lost. Go look at his game logs, he rips off long runs once a game, often for a td. Derrick Henry being number 2 illustrates this further. God blocking is gonna give you more opportunity to crank it up.

Quote from: Leek21 on December 05, 2024, 11:23:39 AMReleasing Barkley because for money reflects very very poorly on both Schoen and Daboll.

Daboll was in practice with Barkley for a few years, the fact that he couldn't recognize what Barkley brought to the table is mind boggling. Schoen and Daboll made the executive decision to save a few bucks and let Barkley walk.

In hindsight it's easy to criticize, but I was pissed when it happened and am still pissed. 

Barkley was never released from his contract.

Rich: I can tell you Barkley played games with the Giants when he was injured.

Even then, the Giants didn't give him an occasional break because he was the only RB who could pass-block.

Also, he was the ONLY weapon the Giants had, so they had to overuse him. On the Eagles he's one of several.

Bob