MIAMI — Take it from the leading expert: It’s too soon to worry about the Giants wasting Saquon Barkley’s prime.
Because of his breathtaking ability to make tacklers miss and run through a small hole for a big gain, Barry Sanders is the historical comparison most often cited for Barkley. It’s a source of great pride for the 22-year-old Barkley, a big Sanders fan from YouTube highlights.
But, as the years go by, there’s another comparison to draw. The Lions wasted most of Sanders’ Hall of Fame brilliance — one playoff win in a 10-year career — by not fielding a good enough team around him. Is that a reality facing Barkley?
“At least it’s a franchise that has won multiple Super Bowls,” Sanders told The Post as he promoted Rocket Mortgage on Super Bowl 2020 Radio Row.
“They know how to put together a winner. At this point, I wouldn’t be that concerned about that. I would lean toward them at least understanding there is a method in being able to do it. You have to get the right guy in there coach-wise.”
The Giants are hoping it’s newly hired Joe Judge. He replaced Pat Shurmur, who led the Giants to a 9-23 record in Barkley’s first two NFL seasons.
Sanders experienced four seasons with five or fewer wins as the Lions continued changing quarterbacks. He retired at age 30 and drew awareness to the shorter careers for running backs because of the physical toll on their bodies.
One advantage for Barkley is it looks like the Giants have the answer in place with Daniel Jones.
“We’ve seen a lot of promising things from the quarterback,” Sanders said. “They have a blueprint for how it’s done. It’s a matter of shaping it around the best player you have.”
How so?
“They should probably draft offensive linemen in every round of the draft the next few years,” Sanders quipped. “The ones they don’t keep, they can turn into tight ends or something. The point is you have to invest something in protecting in him and Jones because they could have a bright future with those two great young players.”
Barkley led the NFL in yards from scrimmage and scored 15 touchdowns while winning 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. His second season did not go as smoothly, missing three games with a high ankle sprain and slowly returning to form even when on the field.
“He could easily be one of those historic-type runners that you see in this game every so often,” Sanders said. “It reminds me of my journey and how I always loved running backs, hearing about guys like Gale Sayers and Jim Brown. It’s great I can be an inspiration in that way, and it made a big difference in my career.”
Sanders is partnering with Rocket Mortgage to introduce the free Super Bowl Squares Sweepstakes. Deadline to sign up at rocketmortagesquares.com is Thursday. Every time the score changes in the Super Bowl one winner will receive $50,000 and will be entered for a chance to win one of two $500,000 grand prizes toward a new home.
“We are trying to give fans a lot of cash,” Sanders said, “and garner interest in the game for people who are hardcore fans or just casual fans.”
For more on the Giants, listen to this episode of the “Blue Rush” podcast:
