Tiki Barber On Saquon Barkley: 'He Does So Much Well Already'
(CBS Local)-- There's no one in New York Giants history that has more rushing yards than Tiki Barber.
The 3x Pro Bowler ran for over 10,000 yards in his career and was one of the top running backs in the league before retiring at age 31. Even though Big Blue isn't expected to make a playoff run this year, Barber will be closely watching the development of Giants running back Saquon Barkley.
"He's the man. The beauty of Saquon is that he does so much well already from the jump," said Barber in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith at NFL on CBS Media Day in New York. "Whether it was being able to run with a compromised offensive line... which will be better this year, catch the ball out of the backfield, or be a checkdown resource for Eli or whoever the quarterback will end up being for parts of the season."
Barber played with Eli Manning for a few seasons before walking away from the NFL and he remembers how he took his game to the next level next to a young Manning.
"The bigger thing he [Saquon] can do is be that second set of eyes behind the quarterback," said Barber. "I remember late in my career and early in Eli's career, there's one guy that can see the whole field and that's the quarterback. There's two guys that can also see it and that's the running back. Developing an understanding of what's happening comes with age and experience. I think Saquon is smart enough to pick that up."
The Giants open the season Sunday September 8 against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas.