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John Fennelly article attacking the drafting of Saquan Barkley by the NY Giants. Hard to believe he gets paid for writing crap like this!

They drafted a QB at 6 one year later. There is a reason for teams drafting in the top 10 consistently. It took Cleveland 20+ years of having nothing but great draft picks to get a good year.

Barkley wasn't falling out of the top 5 no matter what. Somebody would have taken him or traded up for him. The price of being a high pick: you go to a sucky team.

Getting injured is not a bust either unless that's the only term you wish to apply. A bust is you show up and don't produce. A bust is the team gives up on you and trades you. A bust is you are healthy and get beat out by lower rated players.
 
If I use my mortgage money to buy scratch off tickets, I might win money. It’s a horrible risk. That’s the point of saying the Barkley pick was bad. It’s not saying that Barkley isn’t a good RB. There are 5 elite QBs in the league, maybe 5 or 10 elite edge rushers, and somewhere around 10 elite LTs. There are 25 RBs that could make the pro bowl if they played for the right team.
And Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl.
 
I don't follow the Giants and have no opinion about past drafts. But isn't hindsight always 20/20?? This genius writer can look back to 2018 and say what the Giants should have done to solve today's problems. Well, duh!! Sports journalism is a great field. How much talent do you need to criticize what someone did three years ago?? Maybe this guy will write an article next spring and tell us who the Giants should draft with their first pick of 2022. In 2025 we can look back and see if it worked out.

^^^^This.^^^^

That tool from the NY Daily News, Pat Leonard was hammering them for picking Barkley instead of Sam Darnold...because Leonard had a major hard-on against Eli Manning. Darnold's already on his 2nd team and Josh Allen is the gem...which of course no one knew because there were lots of doubts about him.

I mean, if the Giants were going to pick anyone it should have been Quenton Nelson of ND (now likely the NFL's best OL) who would have been the perfect pick. They could then have taken Nick Chubb with the 2nd pick ahead of the Browns instead of Will Hernandez. Daniel Jones would be a lot safer today.

Mayfield, Allen & Jackson were the only decent QBs from 2018 draft. Darnold, Rosen, Lauletta and the rest? Busts.

They couldn't take Mayfield since the Browns did. Rightly taking Nelson would have prevented them from taking Jackson since the Ravens took him just before their 2nd round pick. So, if the Giants had to take a QB, the only real option would have been Josh Allen...about whom there were many questions.

Nelson would have been the correct pick...with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight.
 
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I don't follow the Giants and have no opinion about past drafts. But isn't hindsight always 20/20?? This genius writer can look back to 2018 and say what the Giants should have done to solve today's problems. Well, duh!! Sports journalism is a great field. How much talent do you need to criticize what someone did three years ago?? Maybe this guy will write an article next spring and tell us who the Giants should draft with their first pick of 2022. In 2025 we can look back and see if it worked out.
^^^This. It’s easy to look back, but none of the QB’s at the time looked to me to be first or second draft material. There are far more QB busts than RB busts (I don’t consider injury making someone a bust especially if it occurs due to lack of properly building an OLine). Picking another position other than QB or RB may have been the better move, but at the time it was all about which QB to take and none of them really looked like the next Peyton Manning (at least in my opinion) so the Giants may have made a mistake, but it’s a mistake that can only be judged in hindsight. I also think all the other things he said about Barkley have to count for something. And nobody they picked would have made them a winner by this point.
 
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It was a mistake. Said so at the time. The Giants needed far more than a star running back. And many teams in the league woulda loved to get SB. Giants should have traded that pick for several more picks later in the draft. They could have gotten at least three players for that pick. And Barkley would be on a better team getting even better stats.
 
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Barkley needs to get out of NY and go to a team that has a functional offensive line. The article is correct, big mistake for the Giants to take him (even if he was the best player available) when their OL is as bad as it is.

Honestly no draft pick will work until they completely overhaul the way they handle the personnel on the lines.
 
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It was a mistake. Said so at the time. The Giants needed far more than a star running back. And many teams in the league woulda loved to get SB. Giants should have traded that pick for several more picks later in the draft. They could have gotten at least three players for that pick. And Barkley would be on a better team getting even better stats.
Way wrong sir!

back in the day, way back i the day, the Steelers selected a PSU product named Franco Harris and they also need MORE than a star running back at the time.

he proved the critics wrong and Barkley will do the same.

Again, nice try sir.
 
Barkley needs to get out of NY and go to a team that has a functional offensive line. The article is correct, big mistake for the Giants to take him (even if he was the best player available) when their OL is as bad as it is.

Honestly no draft pick will work until they completely overhaul the way they handle the personnel on the lines.

I guess Franco Harris needed to get out of Pittsburgh too 'cause the Steelers O-line was stinky too back then?

:D :) ;) :) :p :D
 
Way wrong sir!

back in the day, way back i the day, the Steelers selected a PSU product named Franco Harris and they also need MORE than a star running back at the time.

he proved the critics wrong and Barkley will do the same.

Again, nice try sir.

It was still predominantly a running league back then and a great RB had more of an impact than than they do in today's game. It isn't the same game now.

Value-wise, RBs should not be taken in the upper half of the first round in today's game. The teams in the lower half of the draft are not missing as many pieces and can afford the luxury of taking one in the first round. The Giants needed an OT with that pick that could help both their running and passing game instead of Barkley. Either that or trade down and get 2 or 3 players that could improve a team that needed a lot of help.
 
They drafted a QB at 6 one year later. There is a reason for teams drafting in the top 10 consistently. It took Cleveland 20+ years of having nothing but great draft picks to get a good year.

Barkley wasn't falling out of the top 5 no matter what. Somebody would have taken him or traded up for him. The price of being a high pick: you go to a sucky team.

Getting injured is not a bust either unless that's the only term you wish to apply. A bust is you show up and don't produce. A bust is the team gives up on you and trades you. A bust is you are healthy and get beat out by lower rated players.
Trent Richardson was a bust at #3 overall to Indy. Saquon has had one elite production season and one very good one.

In two healthy seasons, he’s had over 2300 rushing yards, 150 receptions, 3500 total scrimmage yards and 23 TDs.

Edit: and he’s averaged an elite 4.8 ypc.

That is elite NFL RB production. Let’s focus the conversation where it belongs: whether that production level warranted the #2 overall pick.

It’s in the ballpark certainly.
 
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It was still predominantly a running league back then and a great RB had more of an impact than than they do in today's game. It isn't the same game now.

Value-wise, RBs should not be taken in the upper half of the first round in today's game. The teams in the lower half of the draft are not missing as many pieces and can afford the luxury of taking one in the first round. The Giants needed an OT with that pick that could help both their running and passing game instead of Barkley. Either that or trade down and get 2 or 3 players that could improve a team that needed a lot of help.
Nice said sir but I disagree.

I don't here Saquan complaining.

He's is also in America's #1 TV market.

He'll do well even endorsing denture cream!

:) ;) ;) ;) :)
 
There is no telling that if they had drafted Josh Allen, he would have turned out to be as good as he is now. After all, we are talking about the New York Football Giants.
The 4 time super bowl champion Giants? Is that what you mean? You’re acting like they are the Bengals or the Bills…oh wait…
 
Trent Richardson was a bust at #3 overall to Indy. Saquon has had one elite production season and one very good one.

In two healthy seasons, he’s had over 2300 rushing yards, 150 receptions, 3500 total scrimmage yards and 23 TDs.

Edit: and he’s averaged an elite 4.8 ypc.

That is elite NFL RB production. Let’s focus the conversation where it belongs: whether that production level warranted the #2 overall pick.

It’s in the ballpark certainly.
All those stats led to how many playoff wins?
 
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And all those stats were indeed done by him due to his ability!!

But, to answer your question, I think you should blame the other 21 guys on both offense and defense for NOT making the playoffs.

Lord knows SAQUAN did his part.
Dude that’s my point. A s hit team shouldn’t be wasting draft capital on fluff. (RB)
How many wins is the bama rookie wr gonna give my birds? How bout a big fat zero wins.
 
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Dude that’s my point. A s hit team shouldn’t be wasting draft capital on fluff. (RB)
How many wins is the bama rookie wr gonna give my birds? How bout a big fat zero wins.
I’m looking back at the 2018 top ten picks. Maybe Quinton Nelson (guard…another iffy high pick) or Denzel Ward. I don’t think Allen is as good in NY. Maybe the only guy who could have really helped was Lamar Jackson who went at #32.

Hindsight is wonderful, but Barkley has been productive when he’s played….as much as most top 15 guys in that draft class.
 
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I’m looking back at the 2018 top ten picks. Maybe Quinton Nelson (guard…another iffy high pick) or Denzel Ward. I don’t think Allen is as good in NY. Maybe the only guy who could have really helped was Lamar Jackson who went at #32.

Hindsight is wonderful, but Barkley has been productive when he’s played….as much as most top 15 guys in that draft class.
Strategy on how to build a winning NFL team has zero to do with hindsight. Ask Luck what he thought about Nelson.
 
I want boat pictures tomorrow
F that. Witness
zLPrH3S.jpg
 
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These articles criticizing the Giants for drafting Barkley are, IMHO, ridiculous. Injury is an inherent risk for NFL players at EVERY position, and Barkley is a generational talent. The Giants simply need to surround him with more talent, especially on the OL.

Barkley is focused and driven enough that he does not need any further motivation, but if articles like this one provide even a tad of additional motivation for him, that's all right with me. I hope he puts up another 2,000 all purpose yards this year and shuts up the critics.
 
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Gold Jacket Anthony Munoz, arguably the greatest offensive lineman in NFL history played 13 seasons. the Bengals had 6 winning seasons and 5 playoff years with him. They were 104-79 during that time. There are a lot of ways to build a winner. It isn't about who you take in one pick, it is the sum of 3-4 drafts that make you successful.

Starting in 2015 looking at the first two pick of the Giants every year:

2015 - Eric Flowers (9), Landon Collins (33)
2016 - Eli Apple (10), Sterling Shepard (40)
2017 - Evan Engram (23), Dalvin Thomlinson (55)
2018 - Saquon Barkley (2), Will Hernandez (34)
2019 - Danial Jones (6), Devter Lawrence (17), Deandre Baker (30)
2020 - Andrew Thomas (4), Xavier McKinney (36)

They have picked QB, RB, OT (2), DT (2), CB (2), TE, S (2), G, WR during that time. I am not sure the problem is strategy.
 
Gold Jacket Anthony Munoz, arguably the greatest offensive lineman in NFL history played 13 seasons. the Bengals had 6 winning seasons and 5 playoff years with him. They were 104-79 during that time. There are a lot of ways to build a winner. It isn't about who you take in one pick, it is the sum of 3-4 drafts that make you successful.

Starting in 2015 looking at the first two pick of the Giants every year:

2015 - Eric Flowers (9), Landon Collins (33)
2016 - Eli Apple (10), Sterling Shepard (40)
2017 - Evan Engram (23), Dalvin Thomlinson (55)
2018 - Saquon Barkley (2), Will Hernandez (34)
2019 - Danial Jones (6), Devter Lawrence (17), Deandre Baker (30)
2020 - Andrew Thomas (4), Xavier McKinney (36)

They have picked QB, RB, OT (2), DT (2), CB (2), TE, S (2), G, WR during that time. I am not sure the problem is strategy.

Hung on to Eli probably a year too long, maybe two.

Flowers didn't pan out until after leaving. Apple has been decent at best, not the lockdown CB they anticipated. Fell in love with Engrams, wasted pick if there ever was one. TE is a position you don't draft this high IMO.
 
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