Key Takeaways
- Legendary running back Terrell Davis had immense praise for Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley, who won Offensive Player of the Year last season before leading the Birds to a Super Bowl title.
- Davis, a former Denver Broncos great, told RG that Barkley is a blend of Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, and other NFL legends.
- “He's got everything”, Davis said of Saquon, who was rewarded with a historic two-year, $41.2 million contract extension this offseason.
Saquon Barkley running the football for the Eagles (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Terrell Davis knows a great running back when he sees one.
The Hall of Fame running back was arguably the best postseason running back of all time during his short career, leading the Denver Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 90s while winning Super Bowl XXXII MVP honors. He followed that performance up with a 2,000-yard season that culminated in an MVP award during the 1998 campaign.
Fast forward more than 25 years later, and the Philadelphia Eagles' Saquon Barkley is the latest running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. Barkley is coming off of one of the greatest offensive seasons ever, breaking Davis' single-season record for rushing yards (2,504) while leading the Eagles to a win in Super Bowl LIX.
Davis says Barkley is "different" and can't really compare him to just one running back from the past. The 52-year-old legend says the Eagles star is a combination of multiple great running backs from the past.
"He's different," says Davis in a one-on-one interview with RG. "He's got everything. He's a blend of Barry (Sanders) and Walter (Payton) and Earl Campbell, and a little Marcus Allen. He's got a combination of a lot of different backs."
The aforementioned four backs are all Hall of Famers and all former MVPs. The fact that Davis mentions Barkley in a Mount Rushmore of running backs just shows what kind of respect he commands among players at his position.
The 28-year-old is seen as the driving force behind the Eagles' Super Bowl win and was rewarded handsomely for his efforts with a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension with $36 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid back in NFL history.
During Davis's era, running backs were considered the most important position in football, along with quarterbacks. Four of the 10 MVPs of the '90s were at the running back position. However, rule changes during the 2000s tilted the advantage in favor of passing, with only one running back winning the MVP award since the 2007 season.
"But this notion that somehow backs were devalued and they were financially, but I've never seen or felt like that was the case," says Davis. "Backs always have an important role now financially, because for whatever reason, whether it's injury, whether the game has changed for passing, some people place different values on running backs.
"If you've got one, if you've got a guy like a Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, James Cook -- if you've got a back -- you need to treat that back based on what he does for your team," Davis continues to say. "Internally, don't listen to what everybody says that you should pay a running back."
The New York Giants allowed Barkley to walk as he signed a free agent deal with the Eagles last offseason. They paid the price as Barkley promptly won Offensive Player of the Year and led Philadelphia to a Super Bowl.
While the Eagles have thrived with the addition of Barkley, the Giants are still trying to build a consistent winning culture and identity. New York has just two playoff appearances and one playoff win since the start of the 2012 season.
Davis says the Giants found out the "hard way" by allowing Barkley to walk in free agency.
"I think the Giants found out the hard way," says Davis of the Giants' decision. "Saquon is one of the best backs, not only in the league today, but he's going to be historically, one of the best backs when it's all said and done. When you have one, you have to take care of them. I would design my offense around backs."
The Broncos great details why the game has "changed again" and why you can build around running backs as the Eagles have done around Barkley.
"The game has changed again," says Davis. "They don't have the big linebackers. I would be running against the grain if I was a coordinator. If you have a good running game, the problem with coordinators is that it doesn't really give you a head coaching job. They like to throw the ball around if they can get promoted and get head coaching jobs."
