Saquon Barkley, Giants Offense Stinking Up NYC

If Giants running back Saquon Barkley steps foot in a NYC club, the DJ’s likely to cue up "Stanky Legg" by GS Boyz the second he lays eyes on him. 'Cause right now, Barkley staaankkks.

Alright, let’s be fair – Barkley doesn’t stink, but he doesn’t exactly smell like roses either.

Over the last two seasons, Barkley’s averaging 2.7 yards per carry. Even he realizes those numbers are pungent, telling New York’s WFAN Radio: “I'm not doing anything in the running game. I'm not affecting the game in that aspect. That kind of happens, especially when you get down and you play from behind.”

Though now in his fourth pro season, Barkley’s been nothing more than average since a stellar 2016 rookie campaign. He spends nearly as much time on the sideline as the backfield, as he’s missed 21 games due to injury over the last three seasons. And when healthy, he’s had about as much impact as a socially distanced halftime interview.

Because of injuries, he’s played in just eight of New York’s 12 games and made minimum contributions on an offense that’s scoring just over 17 points per game, fifth worst in the league. On Sunday, Barkley carried the ball just 11 times for 55 yards, two yards shy of tying his best outing this season.

“We’ve got to be better as a whole and capitalize on opportunities, starting with myself,” Barkley told WFAN. “We’re very tired (of not producing). We know we have to be better, and we haven’t been scoring touchdowns. The defense is playing lights out and we’re not doing it on our side.”

But give Barkley credit, he recognizes his own stinky performance and is going to do what he can to deodorize the problem.

“I could either sit down and cry about it and give up or go back to work and keep working and keep figuring it out,” said Barkley via WFAN. “I’m going to go back to work, put my head down and keep working, keep leading and keep trying my best.”

If Barkley can, in fact, sniff out a way to improve his own performance, he and his teammates will soon be singing a different tune.

Follow along on Twitter: @OhioAF