There is a new 26

[WheresDayne]

If Barkley ever gets into the Ring of Honor, then the entire concept is a farce!   

[JT39]

The quicker we can forget Barkley - the more the organization can move forward.

Might go down as one of the most overrated players in our history. He had 1 very good year.

[Ed Vette]

Wow, Ed. Coming from a neutral position on this subject, I get the sense this is more than just an opinion on your part. I understand that a player who was once the face of the franchise is no longer here and the impression of re-assigning his jersey number might be interpreted as a lack of appreciation for being a team captain and one of the team's star players. "Once a Giant, Always a Giant" is the team motto, after all. If I misinterpreted that, or missed something, please feel welcome to correct me.

A long time ago, I used to feel the same way. The one player my emotions drew the most support for were Harry Carson. In fact, I signed a petition that went directly to Wellington Mara on the subject. His response was that jersey numbers would run out if they continued to retire everyone's number, and so he would be one day honored in a Giants' Ring of Honor.

As I have aged, and hopefully matured, I came to the realization the reverance we have should not be the number itself but the player. The Ring of Honor, when finally came to pass with the birth of The Sardine Can in 2010, was the ideal method of honoring our great Giants' players. It is my belief that once a player with a retired Giants jersey dies, or gives the team permission, should return their number back into the available numbers pool to select from. These greats have been remembered forever in the Ring of Honor, some in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so why not give a new generation of fans the chance to see the numbers 1, 4, 7, 14, 16, 32, 40, 42, 50 returned to circulation and in a future generation or two, they can have 10, 11, 56, 92. By then, the Ring of Honor will have a man named Barkley listed with the rest of the Giants who did their craft well. He will go in just as Rodney Hampton did.

All of this will take place in due time. For now, he is part of the enemy, and it will be very interesting to see the Giants play against him and how he will feel going up against his former club.

As for fans wearing his jersey, we'll just have to wait and see when the TV camera pan the seats in the stadium which will answer your question. As for this "they," in your post, I'm not sure who you are referring to. I see people at stadiums wearing jerseys of former players all the time. When I went to the Cardinals' game last season, our fans had plenty of former Giants jerseys on. Heck, I was wearing my Phil Simms #11 jersey at the game! For as long as he is an Iggle, it probably would be awkward to wear a Giant Barkley jersey and I'm sure you can see that straight up.

I've said all I can say and hope this gives you perhaps a bigger picture thought about the whole jersey thing. Players these days are commodities more so than the heroes of our past. Sad, but true. Even Barkley had his price. That's why I don't collect or buy jerseys anymore, unless they are from the old days.

Peace!

Your right. He was the face of the franchise and now there is no replacement as Jones's future is uncertain and many fans have moved on from supporting him. When I say, they... I was talking about the Organization. If it was me, I would have held off a year before releasing that Jersey number. Just to let the dust settle. Tens of thousands of fans own that Jersey.

He walked away angry and gloating. Since that initial day, he backtracked and said words of appreciation to his fans. Too late, I think. The damage was done. There will still be fans however who will be adamant that the Giants should have paid him. I don't agree with that. 

I never said the number should be retired or that it was my opinion that it be retired. I said, I think it looks petty. Meaning that the optics will be viewed or interpreted as vindictive. Not by me, but by some fans on social media and some in the media may take off with it. Like I said, I would have waited a year. Just an observation.

[zephirus]

My goodness I did not expect this reaction.  Why are we bent out of shape that they reassigned 26?  Saquon Barkley is unlikely to ever go into the Giants' Ring of Honor with a limited tenure and injury-riddled seasons.  That's not a personal indictment of Barkley, it's simply the facts.  Even if he did, they don't retire all the Ring of Honor jersey numbers. 

I'm pretty sure the Giants reassigned #21 to Kenny Phillips a year after Tiki Barber retired and he did far more as a Giant than Barkley ever did.

[Trench]

My goodness I did not expect this reaction.  Why are we bent out of shape that they reassigned 26?  Saquon Barkley is unlikely to ever go into the Giants' Ring of Honor with a limited tenure and injury-riddled seasons.  That's not a personal indictment of Barkley, it's simply the facts.  Even if he did, they don't retire all the Ring of Honor jersey numbers. 

I'm pretty sure the Giants reassigned #21 to Kenny Phillips a year after Tiki Barber retired and he did far more as a Giant than Barkley ever did.

I'd put Ahmad Bradshaw into the ring of honor before Barkley. He simply did more for us to win.

[DaveBrown74]

I guess the question to be asking here is, would the Giants have treated this situation any differently if Barkley had signed wit, say, the Chargers or Texans? I'm not sure they would have, myself.

[AYM]

I guess the question to be asking here is, would the Giants have treated this situation any differently if Barkley had signed wit, say, the Chargers or Texans? I'm not sure they would have, myself.

I think Singletary would get 26 anyway, because that's always been his number, but as far as Barkley goes, going to the Eagles makes him the bad guy now. When we look back, we'll see he never did anything of note here, and whether it was his fault or the fault of his awful OL. Even if this team continues to be poor, we won't be pining for the days Barkley was here, much like we aren't pining for the days of Beckham being here.

He's a footnote in this franchise's history. Another "what could have been".

[DaveBrown74]

I think Singletary would get 26 anyway, because that's always been his number

Same here. I don't think this has anything to do with which team Barkley has gone to. Just my personal opinion.

[Painter]

The notion that it could take something more for Giants fans than for others to become petty, whiney, and argumentative may not be so after all. Still, this seems an odd topic for which to try to prove it.

Cheers!