The first time Saquon Barkley touched the football as a member of the Eagles, he slipped on the terrible turf inside Corinthians Area in Sau Paolo, Brazil, and lost five yards. It wasn’t the kind of first touch Barkley and Eagles fans expected.
Pretty OK is like saying the movie “Gladiator” is a pretty OK movie. Barkley was fantastic, along the lines of “The Godfather.” He became just the second player in Eagles history to score three touchdowns in his debut, joining Terrell Owens in 2004 against, ironically enough, the New York Giants, because it was the Giants who felt they needed to move on from Barkley and let him test free agency.
Saquon Barkley talks with reporters following his first day of training camp with his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles. / By Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI“I don't look at it like that,” he said. “I look at it as an opportunity for me to play the game that I love. I put all the BS to the side. I can just go out there and be a little kid and play football. That's my main focus.”
His O-lines in six years with the Giants never rose above mediocre, though he did rush for at least 100 yards 18 times with New York. His last 100-yard game came on Oct. 29, 2023, but the Giants lost that one, 13-10, to the New York Jets.