Okay, let’s talk about the heart of the Giants FB team….
“My leverage is I could say, ‘f— you’ to the Giants, I could say, ‘f— you to my teammates,’ ” Barkley said. “And be like, ‘You want me to show you my worth? You want me to show you how valuable I am to the team? I won’t show up. I won’t play a down.’ And that’s a play I could use.”
So, based on the above, that is a play his agents are encouraging him to consider. In the end though, he’s not that guy and the team and the fans like me know it. He’s gonna play because he is never gonna say ‘f— you to my teammates,’. I respect that about him. He’s a leader and a captain. I’m trying to raise a couple of those in my own household. I went through the first few games of their schedule to see about how they can get down, and while I looked through Varsity, I have no idea what is going to pop off on the 22nd of next month when these freshmen finally strap it on for their first game. My own kid, a Captain and starter both ways, hasn’t been in pads for over a year. So that is going to mean readjustments. These things take time… that is why there is training camp….
Which is what Barkley is going to willfully miss for the first time (healthy) in his career. I don’t know how it impacts him. I don’t know he’s football ready week one, but I know that without him the Giants don’t win games. Period. G-Men need this guy. Defenses stacked the box last year, because they had to stop 26. While they slowed him down, 8 went off and had a career year earning a career payday. Sadly, that is off the table for 26 right now, and honestly, I see him either getting tagged or getting a Jones-style 2+2 next year that can be fully voided after the first 2. That’s the market for RBs and that is hot trash.
Some Thoughts:
- Not ready to talk fantasy draft other than to say my drafts are the weekend of the 2nd of September. Plenty of time to prep and plan.
- More excitement at the HS level than I’ve felt in almost all six years following DV. The excitement is coming from inside the locker room and, while not as powerfully loud and boisterous as they were (two) coaches ago, they look ready to rock and roll and commit to a long-term turnaround. The pieces are there to make a playoff run. Hopefully there are enough of them for my kids to get noticed and get on the scholarship lists. If not, track season is right around the Christmas corner…