Hopefully John Mara would have muted Monday's Ravens-Chargers game.
Otherwise, Giants owners would have heard yet another rant against a rudderless franchise in the aftermath of Saquon Barkley's historic performance against the Rams on Sunday.
It all started when ESPN's Joe Buck and Troy Aikman discussed the intense title battle between Barkley and Ravens star Derrick Henry. Berkeley's big game gave Berkeley the lead, giving Baltimore a 30-23 road win on Monday.
“You know, John Mara, if you had a little heartburn when Saquon Barkley left and signed with the Eagles, I can only imagine you felt heartburn watching what he did,” Aikman said. said.
Buck referenced the infamous “Hard Knocks” clip when Mara told general manager Joe Schon that he wouldn't be happy if Barkley landed on the turnpike.
“John Mara must be so tired of hearing that footage and hearing people say, 'If he goes to Philadelphia, I won't be able to sleep,'” Buck said. “Well, he's in Philadelphia, and he looks like one of the best running backs to ever walk this planet.”
And Aikman dug the knife deeper.
“Yeah, and they decided to keep Daniel Jones. Now they don't have either,” he said.
It's been a particularly tough week for the Giants, a problem only exacerbated by Barkley's MVP-caliber season with the Eagles.
The Giants are 2-9 and in contention for the No. 1 pick, but Barkley realized the grass was certainly greener on the other side.
“Hard Knocks” showed that Mara wanted Barkley to remain in blue for the rest of his career, especially fearing Barkley would join an NFC East rival.
“If Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I'm going to have a hard time sleeping, like I said, I'll tell you that,” Mara said in the video, something that will haunt him for years to come. That's going to happen.
Now, Barkley is in Philadelphia, leading the league with 1,392 rushing yards, including 255 on Monday against the Rams.
While Barkley shines, the Giants are also facing the reality that their decision to draft and ultimately pay Jones turned out to be a mistake.
Jones' contract is part of the reason the Giants did not match Barkley's contract with the Eagles, and the Giants now have neither player on the roster for their Thanksgiving road game against the Cowboys. There is no such thing.
