Running Back Saquon Barkley
Q: Were you getting your shoulder looked at?
A: Nah, I was just working with the kids. I work with Covenant House and Children's Promise. Invite them to every home game and win, lose or draw I try to go up there, answer some questions and take some pictures.
Q: How is your shoulder?
A: Shoulder is good.
Q: What does it mean to be a 5-1 football team right now?
A: It feels good. (Head coach Brian Daboll) Dabs said it, it's okay to be happy. You can be happy being 5-1. It's hard to win in this league, you can enjoy it. At the end of the day, you can't get too overconfident. You got to keep taking it week by week, keep following the process and that's the mindset we are going to continue to have.
Q: When did you know you were going to slide down on that run to the outside? Was it something you had talked about beforehand?
A: The run before that, we have a call that alerts us. Our coaches do a really good job not only in that situation but throughout the week. We practice all those situations. The run before that, I feel like if I really wanted to, I could have went this way and kind of scored but I was focused on protecting the ball. I ran up to Dabs and was making sure, "We're not scoring here. We're not scoring here, right?" And he told me, "Yeah." Did a spin move, had an opportunity and just got down. I knew once you get the first down, that secures the win.
Q: What are you going to say to those fantasy fans that have you?
A: I know fantasy fans are going to be a little upset about that, but I've got a job to do and that's to do whatever I can to help my team win a football game. Anytime you can make a play that can secure a victory, you got to do that. Like I said, it's credit to the coaches and obviously (quarterback Daniel Jones) DJ within the huddle making sure we all knew that and we were able to do that.
Q: What was the offensive huddle like at 20-10 when you get the ball back?
A: Go score. That's the only thing we had in our mindset – go respond. That's the first thing that we said. There was no panic within this team at all. Not only the offense but defense, special teams. Great complementary football. Everyone out there is making plays, feeding off each other, vibing off each other and I think we've been showing that so far in the season and we got to continue to do that.
Q: You've won a lot of games, I don't have to tell you that. What's different about this group?
A: I mean, it's a different team in my opinion. Every year is a new year. Obviously, we have a lot of the same guys, but every year is a new year with a new coaching staff. It's just, I would say, to answer what's different – just the trust that we have in each other, the love that we have for each other. We're all competitive guys who go out there and just play for each other. We find a way to win these games. It's been like this in the past. Obviously, we came out of it on the wrong side of it a lot of times but now we're finding a way to win games. That's a testament to the coaches and all those guys in the locker room.
Q: On your touchdown, when did you decide to leap over? There was pretty much no one there.
A: I was jumping no matter what. I was in that situation, and I was like, "So be it, I'm going to jump. Just got to protect the ball." A lot of times, defenses aren't expecting that. Probably switch it up next time because they are probably going to expect it next time. Also, it just depends on the feel of the game.
Q: You mentioned that you were losing these kinds of games, right? The last few years. How much does it feel like the little break that you might need there is falling in your favor?
A: Yeah, I would say that. Sometimes – you go to Week 1, we played a heck of a game and they went out there and missed a field goal. Special teams did a great job and they missed a field goal. The year prior to that, I don't really want to talk too much about prior, but the year prior to that, we're playing the Commanders and they say we jumped offsides. Obviously, there's controversy or whatever. They missed a field goal, they get another opportunity and they make that field goal. You get that one, stuff like that can help change the team. You can see when you start winning games in the NFL, those kind of build and they stack up. When you continue to get that confidence, every week you go out there like no matter what the score is, you're going to find a way to win games, especially when you have the type of guys that we have in our locker room and the coaches that we have.
Q: Script seems to be the same every week. They focus on you early, shut you down early. You guys keep going and this is three times you've been down double digits. Do you just feel like it just doesn't matter if they shut you down for a quarter? Would you like to, one of these weeks, have a hot start?
A: Yeah, I mean you would love to come out there and blow a team out by 30, but it's the NFL, that's rarely ever going to happen. Whatever way, any way that you can do it – that's the way that matters. Find a way to win. Yes, they've been doing a really good job of focusing on the run, stopping the run and doing different things. You got to give credit to (offensive coordinator Mike) Kafka and all those guys coming in in the second half, making adjustments and also sticking with the run. It's easy when you're down by 10 points to give up the run and become a pass-heavy team. We know the identity of this team and we know what we have up front, the players that we have and we were able to get things going and find a way to win.
Q: Do you thrive on work? You seem to do your best job third quarter, fourth quarter when you're getting the ball a lot and when you're working too.
A: I would say you kind of fall back on your training. That's the kind of mindset that you have when you want to get stronger as the game continues to go on. Football, and anything, is kind of just getting in a rhythm, getting a feel. Obviously, credit to Baltimore – they did a good job in the first half but in the second half, we were able to get a rhythm and a feel. Not just myself, but get on time with all the linemen and tight ends. Stacking runs together and stacking runs together and then off of that, run a naked or a waggle. That stuff helps and it builds. Kind of just going off to just the mindset that I have in my training and, also, credit to the coaches and how they prepare us in camp for us to continue to get stronger as the game continues to go on.
Q: In your first four years, there were numerous times when you've said, "We're going to turn this. We're going to turn this and I want to be a part of it and I can't wait to feel what it feels like." Is this what you imagined when you said that? What has it been like?
A: Yeah, I kind of said it today. There's a point of time, I forgot – I think it was after the pick. No, not the pick, before the pick. Or before the sack-fumble, I forgot. But like the stadium was jumping. The stadium was so loud you could really feel the energy from the fans, and it wasn't always necessarily like that in the first couple of years. We weren't doing a really good job of going out there and winning games. Obviously, we are doing that now. It's New York City. We got some of the greatest fans from New York and New Jersey. Like I said, I want to go out there and give them something to be proud of. I feel like this team has been doing that and we got to continue to do that.
Q: You still came into this game as pretty big underdogs. You've been underdogs in four of your five wins. What do you think of that and how much do you guys embrace that?
A: We really don't care, to be honest. It is what it is. You guys can say whatever you want. People can say whatever they want. The only thing that matters is in-house. We got to continue to focus on the process and keep believing on each other.
Q: Do you feel like you're one of the best teams in the league?
A: I feel like we're a great team. We're a very confident team, we know that. Like coach said, it's okay to be happy, but you don't need to get overconfident – continue to stay humble, continue to keep that mindset, get better each day and love the process.
