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East Rutherford, N.J. — The rookie yr model of New York Giants operating again Saquon Barkley has returned. He can see it when he watches movie of himself the primary three weeks of this season.
Barkley is second within the NFL with 317 yards speeding and two touchdowns on a wholesome 6.0 yards per carry.
“Yeah, to not be conceited however while you see performs like once I went again and watched movie on the landing run I had on Monday, making that leap lower inside a gap, making these two guys miss and discovering a strategy to rating, these are performs the place it simply places a smile in your face while you’re like, ‘That’s the man I do know,'” Barkley mentioned on Thursday of his 36-yard landing run towards the Cowboys.
Barkley was named Offensive Rookie of the 12 months after compiling over 2,000 whole yards in 2018. However he is struggled to remain wholesome since. He is been restricted the previous three seasons by ankle accidents and a torn ACL in his proper knee.
Even when Barkley performed final yr (13 video games), he wasn’t himself. It is one thing he is been open and trustworthy about this yr. He lacked confidence in himself and his physique, particularly the surgically-repaired knee.
“That’s the man who was at all times there,” Barkley mentioned of his return to kind this season. “He was there final yr to be utterly trustworthy. I simply had a tough time discovering a strategy to deliver him out. That’s coming with a psychological disconnect, loss in confidence and simply human nature. It occurs. You are going to have your ups and downs in life, however it’s a must to discover a approach to not waver and belief your self. Proceed to belief the method and discover perception in your self once more. I really feel like I am beginning to try this.”
Barkley had -44 speeding yards over expectation final season, in response to NextGen Stats. That stat thought-about him a below-average again.
Not this yr. Barkley leads all operating backs with 112 speeding yards over expectation via three video games.
The No. 2 general decide in 2018 has his confidence again. It was evident on Monday evening towards the Cowboys, when the Giants referred to as that third quarter run. It was a play they’d run earlier, however Barkley wasn’t pleased with the results of a six-yard achieve.
“I do know I missed it earlier than, and [quarterback Daniel Jones] was like, ‘Hit that motherf—er,” Barkley mentioned. “We hit it and we scored. Simply little stuff like that’s coming again. Simply the belief in it.”
Will probably be on full show once more Sunday when the Giants (2-1) host the Chicago Bears at MetLife Stadium. It was when these two groups met late final season the place Barkley insists he received again on observe.
He had 102 yards on 21 carries in final yr’s 29-3 loss to the Bears in Week 17. It was Barkley’s greatest workload and first 100-yard recreation since Week 16 of the 2019 season.
“Final yr is once I actually felt the hurdle everybody needs to speak about, I form of felt that was the hurdle for me final yr,” Barkley mentioned. “Clearly we did not end the final recreation final yr — we did not play nicely in any respect as a crew. For that one, to return to Chicago, the place the place I tore my knee, to have a 100-yard recreation, clearly it is all concerning the crew, however to take a look at it from my mindset, to go to that place that form of put all the things up to now for me and be capable to go into the offseason wholesome. I used to be capable of present glimpses of that, particularly inside operating. I simply wasn’t breaking lengthy runs and now that I’ve that confidence again all that stuff is beginning to occur once more.”
Identical to 2018, solely Barkley feels he is smarter and extra skilled now.
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