The NFL took a huge blow last season when Saquon Barkley tore his ACL in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears. The New York Giants running back is one of the league’s biggest young stars but had his third season in the league was derailed. When healthy, he could be one of the three best running backs in the NFL. However, a torn ACL is not easy to recover from. He’s going to have to but in a lot of work.
Barkley has decided to channel Raiders legend Bo Jackson as he works his way back to the field. He was seen wearing a shirt that says “Saquon Knows Comebacks,” which a clear homage to the famous “Bo Knows Comebacks” shirt.
Jackson was one of the most dynamic running backs to ever play in the NFL. Unfortunately, he suffered a career-ending injury during the 1990 season. He only played four seasons with the Raiders before he had to hang up his cleats. Hopefully, that won’t be the case for a dynamic young talent like Barkley.
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Barkley Unsure When He’ll Return to the Field
Talents like Barkley don’t come around often. The Giants should be very careful regarding how they bring him back to the field. The last thing they need for him to suffer any kind of setback. Barkley has suggested that it isn’t entirely clear if he’ll be ready to play Week 1 against the Denver Broncos.
“Those are conversations I actually haven’t even had yet, so far, with the trainers and the coaches,” Barkley said on The Rich Eisen Show recently. “The focus is to take it one day at a time and kind of go with the flow. Listen to your body and listen to your team, and listen to your trainers.”
There’s no reason to rush him back to the field. If he can return to form, he might be the Giants’ most important player. Obviously, they’d love to have him on the field as soon as possible but there’s no reason to risk any further injury.
Is Josh Jacobs Raiders’ Next Great Running Back?
Since the days of Bo Jackson, the Raiders haven’t had a true star at running back. They’ve tried to find one but haven’t had any luck. During the 2019 NFL Draft, the team decided to use a first-round pick on Josh Jacobs. Though he’s had some issues staying healthy, he looks like he’ll be the team’s next great running back.
Jacobs has broken 1,000 yards rushing in each of his first two seasons. Not even Raiders legend Marcus Allen pulled that off. Though he’s not as quick as Jackson or as elusive as Allen, Jacobs is a powerful runner who refuses to get tackled with ease. If his body holds up, he’s going to be the team’s next great running back. Now that he has Kenyan Drake to take some of the pressure off his body, Jacobs could be in for his biggest season yet in 2021.
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Saquon Barkley Channels Raiders Legend With New Shirt