Transcript: Running Back Saquon Barkley

Running Back Saquon Barkley

Q: How are you feeling?

A: I feel good. It felt good to obviously get away a little bit, come here out with a trip. I feel like it's beneficial for the team to get away, kind of like a little reset, restart button going into the back stretch of the season. Had a great week of practice, not only myself, but as a team and especially on the offensive side of the ball. Ready to go out there on Sunday against a really good Chargers defense and a really good Chargers team.

Q: Yesterday you had your ankle heavily taped, today you don't seem to. Were you not feeling good yesterday? What's the distinction for you there?

A: Pads. Just pads. When we have shells on, obviously it's more just to protect it. When you have pads, it's the nature of football, you get a little more aggressive. You get a little more physical. Sometimes bodies fall and just in case someone did fall, it gives a little extra support.

Q: Is it hindering you? The ankle, like is it significantly hindering you?

A: No. It's like I said before when I first came back, it's nagging. If you ever know anyone that had an ankle sprain and you go on through the season with it, it just nags here and there. That's not the reason – I'm not going to make excuses why I haven't been performing at a high level. I don't believe that's the reason.

Q: When you say it's a reset, this is also pretty different for you guys to have a practice week, you're walking through there are fans out here kind of getting to see guys in their jerseys. It's something you've seen before, but is that almost a refresh too to just kind of relax a little bit?

A: Yeah, it's a refresh. Just being in a different state, different weather. I like it because it's kind of like college. You're forced to be with your teammates a lot more. When you go home after practice, usually you go home – I go home to my family. (Tight End Kyle) Rudolph goes home to his family. (Tackle Nate) Solder goes home to his family. It's a different environment when you're home. When you're here, (it's) not a bad thing, meaning being forced, but we're put in hotels. We're eating together more. We're talking crap, playing games, watching football together – all the stuff that you kind of have in college ball and you miss. You don't really have that when you get to the NFL. That's why I think it's beneficial for the team also, too.

Q: What's your impression of (Running Back) Gary Brightwell? What's he brought?

A: I think he's young and he's a young, talented back. Obviously, he's been elite for us on special teams, making plays. Hopefully sooner or later he can get on the field because he's made some plays for us in practice. You can see his twitchiness, his elusiveness, his one-cut ability. He's very talented. I look forward to continuing to work with him and continuing to try to teach him the things that I've learned in my short career, and whatever I can do to help benefit him to have the best career he can have.

Q: Has this stretch of games here and you noted it before, the lack of productivity, is that wearing on you at all?
A: It's not wearing on me. Are you talking individually or as a team?

Q: Individually.

A: Individually, obviously, I would love to be doing a lot more for my team, meaning being more productive, and you've got to take accountability. You've got to look yourself in the mirror and go back, watch film and see what you can do better, see what you did good, take it and grow from it. Obviously, these last couple games haven't been playing as well as I would like to play, especially last week with a couple drops and stuff like that. You can't let that slow you down. My mindset is once I get to practice, get on the jugs, catch as many balls as I can and practice to make sure I catch every ball that I can. The balls that I do drop, go back and work on that. When it's in the run game, make sure I get my footwork right so I can see it better, set up the runs better, put myself in the best position I can to be successful to my team.

Q: This is a team that's at the bottom of the league in run defense. You know that.

A: That doesn't mean anything.

Q: Doesn't mean anything?

A: No, it doesn't mean anything. You can't look at it that way. Whatever they're ranked, it's the NFL. They get paid a lot of money over there. Those coaches get paid a lot of money over there, too. Obviously, we feel like we have a great game plan. Obviously, they're going to do some different things that we're going to have to adjust to. We've got to come ready. We can't come with the mindset that, 'Oh, they've been struggling in the run game, so this should be cake walk.' No. Obviously, we know we have to establish the run game and that starts by us, that starts by establishing the line of scrimmage, dominating the line of scrimmage and me making the right reads and me finishing the runs and getting vertical and making plays when the plays are needed to be made.

Q: What did you see when you watched the tape last week of yourself? You said your own assessment was that you didn't like what you did last week.

A: Yeah, I had two drops. Two balls that hit my hand and I didn't come up with the play there. I felt like as the game went on, I got better in the run game. I've just got to continue to take what's there. Whatever the defense gives me or whatever opportunity I have, take what's there and when big plays are there to be made, like a catch in the flat or an under against a linebacker, I've got to make those plays.

Q: There were a few stumbles. You talked about this in the past kind of aligning your mind, your eyes, your body.

A: That's just going to come back with –

Q: Is that what you're looking at when you saw that?

A: Yeah, that's going to continue to come back with playing football. Obviously, it's been very unfortunate to have the injuries that I've had and the biggest thing that I can see is just the lack of, not the lack, just the lack of time that I've spent on the football field. Obviously, you can simulate it in practice and in camp and in training, in the offseason, but it's nothing like getting back on the field. That's only going to continue to come as I continue to just play more and continue to get back on the field. Obviously, I see stuff where I'm like, 'Damn, like I've got to be better there.' But I also see stuff where I left my feet for the first time in a minute. Obviously, it wasn't the right decision to do there from fourth-and-3.

Q: Why not? It actually worked.

A: Yeah, I got the first, but I kind of got stuck in between a spin and a hurdle. Like you said, it worked. Stuff like that, leaving my feet, it shows obviously, I know I have confidence. It's different to have confidence in yourself and then going out there and your body is showing that it has confidence in itself too. Like I said, obviously, it's been frustrating with injuries and the lack of time that I have spent on the field, but the more and more that I'm continuing playing in games and continue to be able to practice at a high level, all that stuff is going to come back. It is what it is.