Without Saquon Barkley, the Philadelphia Eagles probably would not have made it to the Super Bowl. With him in shape, the chances of winning this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs of Patrick Mahomes multiply. The team's resurrection would not have been possible without the great season of the pure running back.
In his first year with the franchise, the player, a physical powerhouse capable of lifting 180 kilos in weightlifting, doing five repetitions of squats with 240 kilos, or running 100 meters in 10.7 seconds in high school, has accumulated 2,005 yards in the regular season (ninth best mark in history) and 12 touchdowns, to which he adds two more as a receiver. He did not break the record because his coach benched him in the last week to avoid injuries, but if he gains 30 yards tomorrow, he will achieve the best full-season record, held by Terrell Davis since 1998.
Barkley, along with Christian McCaffrey, represents the resurgence of a position as essential as undervalued. The glory and big contracts go to the receivers. Running backs, much more exposed, victims of more hits and injuries, have settled for a secondary role in negotiations. Until them. The star from San Francisco, another phenomenal athlete, has secured 19 million per season, while Barkley, dreaming of his first ring, is under a three-year contract for 37 million, after closing an unprecedented season as a free agent. Barkley is a unique case of a superstar who never was, at least not initially. Outstanding in wrestling, basketball, sprints, shot put, or high jump, he arrived late to football. Coaches, teammates, and analysts say he was pure power, very good, but initially, they never thought he would become so good. It wasn't until he was 20 years old that he became the city and state's great figure. But his work ethic, eagerness to learn, his physique (almost 1.80 meters and over 100 kilos), his explosiveness, and ability to dodge obstacles were breaking down barriers.
A man of his word who took time to believe blindly in his potential, he committed to Rutgers University because he thought no one else would be interested in him, and when the powerful Penn State, where he would eventually break all records, called him, it was a struggle to excuse himself to the coaches of his first choice. After two brilliant years, the Giants picked him in the number 2 of the 2018 draft, defying those who thought it was too risky to use such a decisive pick on a running back.
The person in charge of the operation added even more pressure by saying that the player was "touched by the hand of God." His first season was very good, Offensive Rookie of the Year, but the following ones passed without much glory, between injuries, changes in leadership, and a weak team that only made it to the playoffs once.
On the field, Barkley is the opposite of off the field. A calm man, about to marry his college sweetheart, with two young children who accompany him on the sidelines before games, delighting the cameras with a special greeting for each. A professional who avoids scandals, diversifies his fortune by investing in companies, crypto ventures, or start-ups. The word that all his coaches, from high school to Penn State and the NFL, repeat is "inquisitive," curious, hungry for knowledge.
When he approaches the line of scrimmage, he transforms into an almost perfect machine. Lightning-fast, powerful, acrobatic, surprisingly calm. Capable of thinking when his legs and heart are pumping uncontrollably. The offensive play of the year probably bears his name. A 70-yard touchdown in the snow against the Rams. Or that incredible somersault to evade three defenders, the first as if he didn't exist, the second with a 180-degree turn, and the last with a frog jump, backwards, over the perplexed Jaguars player who was inches away from tackling him and still doesn't know where he is.
Andy Reid, Kansas City's coach, a three-time ring winner and the man who was everything in the Eagles for two decades, pointed him out as the biggest threat to his team. "He has Hall of Fame potential," he acknowledged. He won't be the only factor in a game where all eyes will be on the two quarterbacks, but he can be the decisive one. He is the best on the team. And although on Thursday night, when the awards were announced, he did not win the MVP of the year (but did win the Offensive Player), he could be the Super Bowl MVP.