Thursday Media Transcript: RB Saquon Barkley

RB Saquon Barkley
September 13, 2018
 
Q: You’ve been in touch with (Ezekiel Elliot) this week?
A: Yeah I have. It was last week, actually. He texted me saying congratulations on the touchdown run and the start of the season.
 
Q: No communication during the week, though?
A: No, not really, not really. Obviously it’s a grind week. He’s over there preparing to win this game, I’m preparing to win the game for my team, but tremendous, wish him the best of luck to a great dude. We got to have a conversation before, got to meet him a couple of times. I’m a big fan of his game, also, so I’m excited to see him play a lot of the game.
 
Q: How different is it for you going into week two just – you have an idea of what your first NFL game would be like, but now you actually have a better feel for it.
A: The difference would be establishing a routine. Kind of got a good routine now that I did last week that I liked and want to continue to work on that routine, continue to learn from it, and continue trying to get in the best situation I can to get my team win this year.
 
Q: Odell (Beckham Jr.) was talking about how he sees in this offense potential, once it really gets rolling, to kind of be unstoppable. Do you see that as well?
A: I do truly believe that. When you look at it on paper and you look at just the people we have on this offense and who we’re surrounded by, it’s a great offense, it’s a great team. We have potential to be great, but we got to continue to work every single day to get to that point.
 
Q: Every team has rivals. What have you heard from your teammates about the Giants-Cowboys rivalry because this is probably one of the hottest ones this organization could have?
A: Yeah I actually haven’t really heard much about it. I guess I’m kind of just going to figure it out when I get out there. It’s still just into the NFL. At Penn State, we really didn’t have a rivalry game. Pitt tried to be a rivalry, but I think we established that this week that we’re not giving them a chance of being a rivalry team. I’m just getting adjusted to it, so I guess it’ll hit me all in the face on Sunday how big of rivalry game it is.
 
Q: Ohio State wasn’t a big one for you guys?
A: We haven’t played each other that long. Obviously the last couple of years have been really good games, so I guess you could kind of say it, but we never really have an established rivalry at Penn State, which kind of sucks because you wish you kind of did. I guess the games are a lot funner, but I guess I’ll find out this week how fun it really is.
 
Q: You had a pretty big first game against Ohio State.
A: Yeah, I guess you could say that was my coming out game on a live national stage, but at the end of the day we didn’t win, so that really didn’t matter.
 
Q: You’re more familiar with the Jets-Patriots, the Dolphins. Did you kind of enjoy watching those games more?
A: Yeah definitely. I definitely enjoyed watching those games more. I really was like a big Jets fan, just like the Patriots a lot. I remember when the Patriots were playing – anytime the Patriots were in the Super Bowl, I was kind of rooting against them just being a Jets fan, so got to see it on TV, got to see it live, but never got to experience a rivalry game really. Like I said, I guess it’ll all hit me in the face this week and I’m really excited for it, but just another chance to me in my mind for us to establish ourselves as a team and an offense and put a win in the win column.
 
Q: So when you were growing up watching Jets-Patriots, I mean (Bill) Belichick and (Tom) Brady are there in their prime. I’m trying to think what year you might’ve been aware of them.
A: Belichick and Brady have been in their prime for a really long time.
 
Q: I know, so you were like six when they were winning Super Bowls.
A: Yeah, even when I was in middle school, high school, and even in college, to be completely honest. The ones that stick out to me is the Mark Sanchez era with Thomas Jones and those guys where the two years they were going back and forth in the AFC Championship games. Those were the type of games that really standout to me that I actually remember.
 
Q: I know you’re critical of yourself. What did you watch on the tape from Sunday that you can do better in your second game?
A: I went back and watched every play, every rep I had, and just tried to figure out where I could be better, try to break up more tackles. With this week, Sean Lee is a great linebacker and they’ve got a great linebacker corps over there. Continue to work on setting up blocks for the offensive line and obviously know when and where to take chances and continue to just enjoy the game, love the game, and continue to grow as a player every day.
 
Q: Was there any doubt going into your first game that you could break a run like that, the same way you did in college?
A: No. No doubt at all.
 
Q: You were preparing to do that in that game?
A: You believe that any time you touch the ball you can score, but you really can’t prepare to score like that. The only way you can prepare is when you get to the next level, work on a move that’s going to open you up or when you get one-on-one with a guy, most of the time those plays happen so fast, a lot of it is just reaction. Just watching film and believing in yourself, and seeing how the defense, and seeing how we’re going to attack them. Just continue to gain belief, that’s how those big plays happen.
 
Q: What are you expecting from the Dallas atmosphere? What have you been told?
A: I’ve been told not really much about it. I’ve been told it’s going to be loud, it’s going to be a fun place to play. I’m still trying to learn and figure out this little rivalry division thing going on in the NFL. But I’m excited to go back to the place where I was drafted, that was the first time I’ve ever been to Dallas and last time I was there my name was getting called and I was walking up in front of the stage and seeing a Giants jersey. To be able to go back there and be able to start off and try to get a win in the NFC East, that would definitely be huge.
 
Q: Did you play against (Ezekiel Elliott) as a freshman?
A: Yes.
 
Q: Did you get to know him?
A: Yes, I got to meet Zeke after the game. He gave me high praise after the game. We both had pretty good games that game, and his team came out with the win, but I got to talk to Zeke in the offseason throughout my college career, keeping a little communication with him. I talked to him last week after the game. He congratulated me on my first touchdown, and I just asked him how he’s feeling, good luck to the rest of the season for him. too. I got to know Zeke a little bit.
 
Q: What did you take away from your first game from maybe the more mundane plays than your big run?
A: The thing I took away from the first game is, it’s just like college, to be completely honest. When I say that I don’t mean the speed, I don’t mean the physicality, I mean just that you’ve got to continue to stick with it, especially at the position of running back. Continue to grind out those tough runs and just continue to tell the O-Line that one’s going to split, and when they give you the opportunity, take advantage of it.
 
Q: Do you always have the belief that with enough carries, you’re going to spring one?
A: Yes, yes I do. I do believe that. There will be times in games where I fall short, there will be times in games where I see that expectation a lot, so I’ve just got to continue that belief not only in myself, but with the offensive line and the team itself, the general offense that at any given moment we can score and put points on the board so we’ve got to continue to have that mindset and continue to work every single day with it.
 
Q: What do you think the offense can be moving forward?
A: The sky is the limit. I knew that before we even got on the field. If you go back and you look at the game, there’s just little things, little mistakes we made as a team that kind of kept putting us playing behind the line of scrimmage. Getting behind the sticks, that’s what I meant. Little stuff like that, if we continue to work on that and get better in those areas and execute the opportunities that we had, definitely the game could be a very different outcome. But you’ve got to give credit to Jacksonville and that’s something we’ve got to learn from. Take the good and learn from the bad, and continue to get better this week.
 
Q: Did Odell give you your ball back?
A: Yes, I got my ball back. There was no way I was not getting that ball back.
 
Q: Where’s it going?
A: The ball’s right now probably going to go to my mom’s house until after the season or until I buy myself an actual house, then put it in a case and have it with me.