Football's New Wave: The Young Superstars Taking Over the Game
Barkley made an immediate impression on fans and his new teammates He earned the nickname SaQuads Barkley because of the massive quadriceps muscles in his legs Signature Move Every great running back seems to have a signature move When Barkley is in trouble his first instinct is to treat an opponent like an obstacle in leapfrog Barkley made a habit at Penn State of jumping over a would-be tackler much like a track star going over a hurdle on his way to the finish line He discovered this talent during his freshman year at Penn State when he soared over an Illinois defender for a touchdown I took off at like the 4-yard line Barkley said I was able to jump into the end zone I would’ve gotten farther but the guy kind of jumped up and hit me After he hit me my momentum just carried out and it was kind of cool Barkley however stressed he doesn’t want be known just for his high-flying antics I don’t want to be known as a hurdler he said I’m not a hurdler I’m a football player I want to be known as a guy who breaks tackles that’s the whole objective of the game 8 FOOTBALL’S NEW WAVE
26 26 AMOSON 38 Barkley’s incredible athleticism makes him difficult to stop His quads are the size of my waist and whole upper body Manning said I’ve never quite seen anything like it And the Giants have never seen anything quite like Barkley He wasted little time proving he was more than just a workout phenom In New York’s THE YOUNG SUPERSTARS TAKING OVER THE GAME
2018 preseason opener against Cleveland he took a handoff from Manning and found his path blocked by a host of Browns No biggie Barkley shuffled his feet slipped past a defender and took off 39 yards down the sideline before being pushed out of bounds Barkley’s play earned the respect of teammates and opponents alike I think his first game watching him I was like OK this kid’s got something said seven-time Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson who faced Barkley and the Giants twice in 2018 while playing for Washington Each time I see him I’m just like OK this guy can be really really good Though New York struggled as a team in Barkley’s rookie season finishing 5 11 Barkley’s play pointed to potentially better days ahead Barkley led the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 2,028 and his 1,307 rushing yards set a team rookie record Getting 1,000 yards in the NFL is an amazing accomplishment and being the first rookie ever for the Giants to do that is an even bigger one Barkley said It’s big because even though my name might go in the record book it’s not just myself It’s the offensive FOOTBALL’S NEW WAVE
line play and the guys in the running back room All those guys have been a tremendous help Barkley’s teammates know he’s simply being polite His ability to turn a play that looks like it’s going nowhere into a big gain isn’t something that can be explained by good blocking or flashy weight-room accomplishments I just know that you give him a couple of touches he’s going to make something big happen out of those couple of touches so he’s a player that’s special New York wide receiver Sterling Shepard said You got to give him the ball and he can make magic happen Saquon Barkley AT A Glance Birthplace Bronx New York Birth Date February 9 1997 Position Running Back Size 5'11 233 pounds Team New York Giants College Penn State Drafted First round No 2 overall in 2018 11 THE YOUNG SUPERSTARS TAKING OVER THE GAME
