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Impossible mission.
That's what Eagles coach Doug Pederson said is like trying to tackle Saquon Barkley. And he and his team need to know. They are the first to have a second chance against the rookie who runs as he enters his first NFL program.
"This kid is a special player, a special talent," said Pederson. "I just remember going back and watching our game the last time. It was just hard to knock down. You must emphasize this. You must attack. He is such a powerful and powerful guy that he has a speed of arrival, which is sometimes impossible. "
The fact that he has improved since the first Eagles game, in which he has accumulated 130 yards in 13 runs and nine passes for 99 yards, is almost hard to understand for the feather heads. But that's exactly what happened.
Barkley has forged a reputation as a film-eater among the great hulks of the past and present. And now, this week, for the first time in his career, he is learning by looking at himself. Facing an opponent a month and a half after playing against him, Barkley will undoubtedly glean some ideas, make some corrections, and improve some movements compared to his performance of the sixth week.
Will that help?
"Yes," Shurmur said without hesitation. "It's the tactic of the game, certainly."
Barkley has already been shown open to adjustments. Under the pressure of the Giants coaches, Barkley became a more dangerous running back by changing his tempo in the back of the field, reaching the line of scrimmage and the contact point faster and attacking the defenders rather than attempting to to foil them.
He still has plenty of opportunities where he can score away and make something special happen, but Barkley's production has tickled the Giants in the past two weeks.
"When you see a player of Saquon's caliber, dirty track and kissing him, that's another aspect of his personality that's remarkable because he's coachable," said Pat Shurmur. "People who thought it was the right thing to do told him to do it and he did it. It's great. You do not always see this from excellent, high quality players, so this is another checkbox. "
He earned Barkley the title of offensive player of the week in the NFC for his match against the Buccaneers.
Whether or not a good thing for Barkley, remains to be seen. The Giants fished him because they insisted that he was more than a half-defender. It's something he showed at the beginning of the season. Using him now as a semi-offensive (three assists of the season last week and a 28-yard long run that he had overshadowed in five of his first nine games) gives the impression that it could be a feat. . poor allocation of talents.
But the giants are not bothered by that. When Barkley came off the field after his 5-yard touchdown on Sunday, a touchline mic picked up Shurmur to cheer him: "You're running like an NFL race now," he said. "Is not it fun? If you hit him, they can not stop you! "
On Sunday, it will be the Eagles' mission – if they choose to accept it – to try.
Tom Rock started covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and is the writer of the best Giants drummer since 2008.
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