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T
he New York Giants have fallen a long way in the past decade. The once-proud franchise has made just a single postseason appearance (2016) since its most recent Super Bowl victory and is now on its fourth head coach in six seasons.
Former Giants center Shaun O’Hara spent seven seasons snapping the ball to Eli Manning from 2004-2010, and he is not happy with the product his old team is putting on the field these days. Toward the end of a Good Morning Football segment on Thursday about running back Saquon Barkley’s recent struggles, O’Hara dove into an impassioned rant about the team as a whole.
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Here’s the full clip, but skip to the 1:53 mark if you just want to hear O’Hara’s unfiltered rant:
“I was tired of watching film on this stuff,” O’Hara said on NFL Network, after breaking down a handful of Barkley’s unsuccessful rushing attempts from last season. “Offensive linemen with a brain fart. Tight ends messing up. It’s been dysfunctional at best.”
O’Hara did not stop there. The Super Bowl XLII champ made it very clear that Barkley’s not the only one feeling frustration.
“I’m happy [Barkley] is pissed. You know what? He should be,” O’Hara said. “Giants fans are pissed. Offensive linemen that used to play for the Giants are pissed. Every former New York Giant is pissed at the way this has transpired and what’s going on. We’re tired of it.”
It’s not every day you hear a former Giants player rip the current state of the franchise, but few fans would argue with O’Hara’s assessment of the organization during this segment.
Barkley Leads NFL in One Very Unfortunate Statistic
One of the most eye-catching aspects of that Good Morning Football segment was the stat graphic showing percentage of rush attempts that have gone for zero or negative yards. Per that NFL Network graphic, Barkley leads the entire NFL with 23.8 percent of his rush attempts ending in such a way since 2020 (minimum of 150 carries).
Despite that very unfortunate stat and the abysmal blocking highlighted immediately afterward, O’Hara actually ended his rant with a vote of confidence for Barkley and New York’s ground game.
“I’m gonna bet on Saquon,” O’Hara said to wrap up the segment. “I’m betting on a running back that is hungry and is ready to run downhill.”
Barkley, 25, is trying to navigate through an offseason full of trade rumors as he enters what should be a pivotal Year 5 with the Giants. The former second-overall draft pick out of Penn State scored 23 total touchdowns in his first two seasons combined and has only found the end zone four times in the two seasons since. He’s slated to count $7.2 million against the salary cap this season, according to Spotrac, before becoming a free agent in 2023.
The Biggest Key to Saquon’s Success in 2022
The biggest key to Barkley’s success in 2022 will not be his health or the way the Giants utilize him out of the backfield; it will be his blocking.
O’Hara broke down the film in the Good Morning Football segment, and in most of the plays Barkley is meeting an unblocked defender in the backfield. He may be one of the most athletic ball carriers in the NFL, but Barkley can’t make every play on his own. He needs his blockers to know their assignments and execute them as designed.
Under new general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, the Giants have made some changes to the offensive line this offseason. They mostly tinkered with the interior during free agency, adding Mark Glowinski, Jon Feliciano and Max Garcia off the open market. Also armed with two of the top 10 picks in next week’s NFL Draft, the Giants are in position to land a quality starter at offensive tackle to bookend the unit opposite Andrew Thomas.
The personnel is promising, but for Barkley and the rest of the Giants to succeed this season, it all needs to come together on the field this fall.
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