A brand new Saquon Barkley business trolls Giants co-owner John Mara and GM Joe Schoen for letting him stroll to the rival Philadelphia Eagles.
“I’m Saquon Barkley. I’ve heard you guys have had some trouble sleeping lately,” Barkley mentioned in a Unisom commercial posted on his Instagram account Thursday. “We got a big game coming up. You should rest up. Maybe try some Unisom. I don’t need it. But you might. I’m gonna sleep like a baby.”
The jaw-dropping advert performs off Mara’s notorious spring remark to Schoen about the opportunity of Barkley signing in Philly as a free agent, an interplay proven on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ actuality sequence.
“I might have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philly, I’ll tell you that,” Mara informed his GM.
Schoen astoundingly informed his proprietor that “I just got a text that Chicago’s driving the price up and Philly’s out. I don’t know if that’s true or not.”
The Eagles, after all, weren’t out. They had been all the way in which in.
They paid Barkley what he believed he was value. Barkley rushed for two,005 yards in 16 video games. And the Eagles clinched the NFC East and the convention’s No. 2 seed.
A second Unisom business, in a sequence of adverts that Barkley posted on Thursday, piled on the indignity for the Giants.
“I heard some of you were having trouble sleeping,” Barkley mentioned within the second advert. “So I wrote you a lullaby: ‘Rockabye baby, awake in your bed, as the thought of 2,000 swirls in your head. It sure is tough to lose sleep over football. Not for me, though. Goodnight to you all.’”
The launch of these ads was a surprise on Thursday, especially since Barkley and Mara have a good relationship.
But anyone who knows Barkley understands that his mocking of Mara’s well-known quote is directed extra at Schoen’s determination to price his proprietor sleep than Mara’s plea to retain the working again.
Plus, something is honest recreation on this intense Giants-Eagles rivalry. And Mara didn’t cease Schoen from making that expensive mistake.
Barkley is just 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s all-time dashing file, however Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni determined to relaxation Barkley and different key starters for Sunday’s Eagles (13-3) common season finale in opposition to the Giants (3-13) at Lincoln Monetary Area.
That’s, after all, extra disrespect of the Giants: Barkley and the Eagles have so completed nicely — and the Giants have completed so poorly — that the working again doesn’t even need to actual revenge for a second time this season.
Barkley already went off for 187 yards and a landing in a 28-3 beatdown of the Giants on Oct. 20.
Now, regardless of not enjoying in Sunday’s recreation, Barkley’s new Unisom endorsement heaps adequate embarrassment on the Giants as soon as extra for his or her unwise determination to let him stroll.
“Still can’t sleep? Try counting sheep,” Barkley says in a 3rd advert. “Wow. Still can’t sleep? Try some Unisom. I don’t need it, it but seems like you might.”
KAFKA KEEPS TOEING COMPANY LINE
Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka arrived at his last press convention of the season — and sure his Giants profession — with a gap assertion that claimed every thing was nice with head coach Brian Daboll. He additionally steered away questions on his future.
“Obviously, I love being here and I love working for Dabs and everybody,” mentioned Kafka, who tried to go away a yr in the past and had his try blocked by the Giants. “My only focus really is just on Philadelphia.”
Kafka was marginalized on the employees this season, with play-calling stripped away, and nonetheless is enjoying good presumably for optics’ sake. Daboll even talked about quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney and never Kafka for Drew Lock‘s improvement last week, yet Kafka still won’t say something essential about his state of affairs.
He has one yr remaining on his contract.
The one noteworthy remark Kafka made, as an attraction to his private capacity, was in reply to a query about what he’s realized from watching Daboll name performs.
“You learn from a bunch of different coordinators,” he mentioned. “I’ve learned a lot from [Daboll]. I learned a lot from [Chiefs] coach [Andy] Reid. The guys that I’ve been around, I’ve learned a lot from the coordinators and head coaches that I’ve been around as a player: Norv Turner and Marty Mornhinweg and Matt Nagy and Doug Pederson. And I can go down the list of guys that I’ve learned from. So you just take all those experiences and learn from it and grow.”
That was Kafka, 37, itemizing his credentials, together with lots of names that he’s realized extra from than he’s assimilated right here.
The younger coach should have a vibrant future. However being related to New York’s offense has set him again, particularly his acceptance of his demotion in 2024.
It’s time to maneuver on.
LAWRENCE MAKES THIRD STRAIGHT PRO BOWL
Defensive sort out Dexter Lawrence was chosen as a Professional Bowler for the third straight season, and he’s the Giants’ lone consultant from the 2024 group.
Lawrence has not been seen since dislocating his left elbow in his last recreation of the season on Nov. 28 at Dallas. However he posted a career-high 9 sacks within the 12 video games he performed, all 9 in his first seven video games earlier than going 5 straight with out one.
He additionally had 44 tackles (23 solo), eight tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits and one compelled fumble.
Lawrence is the primary Giants participant to be voted to a few straight Professional Bowls since security Landon Collins (2016-18) and the primary defensive lineman since Corridor of Famer Michael Strahan (2001-03).
He’s additionally the franchise’s first inside defensive lineman to earn three Professional Bowl choices since Rosie Grier (1953, 1956, 1960).
Edge rusher Brian Burns was chosen as a primary alternate at outdoors linebacker, whereas rookie vast receiver Malik Nabers was chosen as a second alternate, as nicely.
SLAYTON WINS GOOD GUY AWARD
Giants vast receiver Darius Slayton was elected winner of the twenty fourth annual George Younger-Ernie Accorsi Media Good Man Award by the New York Giants Chapter of the Skilled Soccer Writers of America for his professionalism and availability through the 2024 season.
The award is known as for the 2 former basic managers of the Giants and given yearly to acknowledge a Giants participant for his constant and excellent cooperation with the writers who cowl the group each day.
Slayton obtained 15 of a potential 18 first-place votes from members of the chapter. He had completed second within the voting in every of the previous two years to security Julian Love and Barkley, respectively.
“It feels good,” Slayton mentioned with a smile. “I feel like every year it’s always come, they’re like, ‘Oh, you came in second this year. or you would have won, but … I remember Julian Love winning specifically, and they were like, ‘Ah, we gave it to Julian this year.’ So I’ve always been right there, but it’s nice to finally bring it home.”
Coincidentally, the Giants’ latest media good man award winners haven’t caught round for much longer as soon as they’ve introduced residence the {hardware} — from Barkley to Like to Leonard Williams and Logan Ryan. And Slayton shall be a free agent in March.
The one different Giants to obtain first-place votes this season had been linebacker Micah McFadden, quarterback Drew Lock and sort out Jermaine Eluemunor. Every participant obtained one first-place vote.
