The New York Giants are quickly approaching a division game with the Eagles, but the biggest story right now is still the changes in the organization. Jason Garrett is out as offensive coordinator, and the reactions have been trickling in. The Giants haven’t yet announced who will call plays in place of Garrett, but various members of the organization have given their remarks about the firing this week.
That includes Saquon Barkley, who was asked about it on Friday. Based on what Barkley said, it looks like the players are taking the firing as a sort of wake up call too.
“Obviously with JG getting fired, as an offensive player, you feel like you take some responsibility,” Barkley told reporters. “Obviously, we know that he’s the one that got fired, but we’ve still got seven games left and we’ve got to take responsibility about knowing that it wasn’t just only him.”
His comments are similar to those from Daniel Jones earlier in the week. Like Barkley, Jones acknowledged his own part in the outcome for Garrett.
Barkley’s comments are especially relevant this season as the running back is having a down year. Despite coming back with big expectations, Barkley has only played in 6 games at this point and has 220 rushing yards.
But of course, the poor offensive performance that got Garrett fired runs far deeper than Barkley. Against the Eagles, many eyes will be on the offense to see if that downward trend continues after Garrett. Barkley also spoke on the matter of what to expect the offense to look like on Sunday.
What will the offense look like on Sunday?
The Giants moved on from their offensive coordinator, but it’s unclear how much will change for the rest of the season. Many have pointed out how even if the playcalling is different, the offense is still limited by Garrett’s playbook. During the season, there’s no time to train for a complete revamp. Barkley’s comments on the subject echoed that idea.
“I mean, when you’re in Week 12 or Week 13 in the NFL, there isn’t really much more you can have. Obviously, you could have new wrinkles here and there, but you’re not really going to have much, the terminology is not going to change,” Barkley said.
We can perhaps expect more creative playcalls and better management on offense. But based on everything that’s been said this week by coaches and players, don’t expect any drastic changes. As much as the fans would like to see an instant leap forward in offense, the logistics of a drastic shift just aren’t possible at this point in the season.
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