As the New York Giants make their final preparations for the kickoff of the 2021 NFL season–the franchise’s 96th overall season–there are a few certainties in place. For one, their 53-man roster is set, and most of the names on the list we’ve come to expect. They are taking on the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 12th at 4:25 pm. Daniel Jones will resume the reins in his third season of a newly fortified Giants offense courtesy of GM Dave Gettleman and the front office’s offseason work.
However, there’s one continuous concern amongst the media and fanbase that remains uncertain. That is the official Week 1 status of running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver Kenny Golladay, two of the Giants most important offensive weapons.
Being two big-time names within the Giants locker room, Barkley and Golladay are guaranteed to have the cameras following them everywhere they go. Barkley is arguably the team’s biggest offensive threat when the ball is in his hands with his nifty footwork and incredibly strong lower body. Golladay was the front office’s biggest deal of the offseason, bringing in the former Lions receiver for a lofty 4 years and $72 million.
Yet, the former’s recovery from a season-ending injury has been the biggest storyline of the Giants’ entire offseason and training camp. The star running back saw his flashy strides and playmaking ability dramatically cease in Week 2 of the 2020 season when he suffered a torn ACL in the Giants’ loss to the Chicago Bears. Following the fateful injury, Barkley receded from the Giants’ sidelines into a long, unknown rehab and the backfield, even the entire offense, was never the same the rest of the season.
Throughout the spring and early summer, most of what anyone knew regarding Barkley’s rehab progress came through his social media accounts with video clips posted by him of his at-home routines. At the organizational level, the Giants kept things very coy with updates on their starting running back, continuously feeding the press lines about his appearance and their desire to take a “day-by-day” approach.
In terms of Golladay, it was a welcome sight to see the new Giant meeting up with his new teammate and quarterback in Daniel Jones with other receivers and getting work in. That was until August 3rd, when he suffered a hamstring injury in camp that has since set him back in practicing with the team and ensuring his learning can produce results on the field in live action.
Golladay’s absence and lack of exposure to mock live game action leading up to the start of the season has left many worried, given how much Jones will rely on his new receiver and the weight of his contract.
Neither Saquon Barkley nor Kenny Golladay saw any reps in the three preseason games, with only some of the starters having a dress rehearsal in the final game against the New England Patriots. However, the two have recently returned to practice and began participating in the full practice experience, including inclusion in full pad, contact drills.
From what those on the outside have seen from their perspective, Barkley appears to be on the precipice of his pre-injury self and ready to be an active participant in Week 1 against the Broncos. Golladay got his first full practice in with the entire offensive room earlier this week, showing signs of hope that the Giants will have a fully loaded offense come at the least second week of the season.
On the other hand, with just a week till the Giants take the field at MetLife for a legitimate football game, the messaging from head coach Joe Judge, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, and the players themselves continues to send mixed signals and “day-by-day” drolls. As a Giants fan heading into a season with much to be determined, the consistent messaging has to be getting irritating.
Speaking in front of the podium for a post practice presser, Saquon Barkley told the media he was feeling great, improving on the field with each day, and enjoying the time reunited with his teammates in practice, but he stuck clear of committing to Week 1. Instead, he spoke of taking it one day at a time being his motto for the upcoming season in totality.
“I know Week 1 and the season is right around the corner, but I’m just taking it one day at a time,” Barkley said. “That’s the approach I’m going to take, not just rehabbing but from now on. I feel like that’s the best thought process to have throughout the season, not just for me as a player physically, but mentally, too. So, I’m just going to take it one day at a time and that’s my approach. I’m just happy to be back out there playing the sport I love.”
Kenny Golladay didn’t offer much of a soundbite to the media either, repeating the sentiments of his teammate.
“I feel like each day I’m getting better,” Golladay said. “So, right now I’m just taking it day-by-day, trying to stack good days on top of each other.”
“This is literally like the first day and a half I’m back out there, so it’s still fresh. I’ve still got to get my legs up under me and everything.”
While he understands that the fan base is desperate to find out whether he will be performing like his old self or not, Barkley noted that his focus is elsewhere. That elsewhere is just getting in the best football shape he can and letting his true, always present talents shine through.
“I’m just not even trying to think about do I look like my old self,” he said. “I’m a very confident player. I know whenever I’m able to get back out there – maybe it might be one quarter, maybe it might be one play – whatever the opportunity is, when I’m back out there, I know I’m going to be able to go out there and be who I am and play how I am. Right now, I’m not focusing on if I’m making cuts, saying, ‘Is that how it was before?’ I’m focusing on getting in football shape, just living in the moment, enjoying the moment and playing football again,” said Barkley.
As the Giants’ season opener crawls closer, the hope is that the team will announce the official statuses of their two stars by the beginning of this week. For now, it remains their greatest mystery outside of how the contest will turn out.
What is a given for this Giants team is that they would really benefit offensively from having Barkley and Golladay present for the entirety of the season. In his previous two seasons before the injury, Saquon Barkley tallied over 1,000 yards rushing and between 400-750 yards receiving, providing Daniel Jones with a dual-threat whenever the passing game fell through. Kenny Golladay will likely be Jones’ #1 target this season, and the player he counts on to win contested one-on-one battles down the field. Nobody has seen the pair in a live game yet, but the coaches are confident they have a feel for what a Jones and Golladay partnership will look like.
“We have a notion about what these guys are, we have a vision for what they are and how they fit in, but we need some time on task,” said offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.
“We saw a lot of him in Detroit,” Garrett said. “That’s one of the reasons we liked him and wanted to bring him here, so that’s where it starts. But then certainly you want your guys to practice every play every single day. That’s how they get better, that’s how they get comfortable with each other. But that’s not realistic, so whatever the situation is we have to make it work.”
This season more than ever, Garett’s confidence needs to prove itself on Sundays. Multiple members of the organization’s positions may hang in the balance, with CEO and co-owner John Mara emphasizing his desire to win double digit games and expectation to see progress from his players.The organization and its fans have been through nothing but uncertainty since their title run in 2011, thus it is time that they see the fruits of their patience with the process of rebuilding a team crumbled since the post-Miami boat trip collapse in 2016.
Time to see the Giants remove the clock of mystery covering East Rutherford and give the sure signs that they are back to competing in the NFC conference for the league’s biggest prize.
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