The Secret Sauce Of A Superstar: Inside The Approach Of Eagles' Saquon Barkley

What’s most impressive about the Eagles' Saquon Barkley isn’t the reverse hurdles, explosive runs, or even an MVP candidacy in an era where that award has come to define “the best quarterback.”

Barkley’s ability to stay grounded defines him as the player who leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage (134.7 per game) entering Week 12. 

“I’m not too concerned about that,” Barkley said of the MVP chatter after practice Friday. “I’m taking it day by day, focusing on the Rams. I don’t really have too much to say about that.”

When you talk about true superstars across any sport the commonalities start with the baked-in, top-tier talent but it's the off-the-field stuff that is the secret sauce: things like work ethic, humility, and the idea that greatness does not unfold in highlight form.

You can cross the street in South Philadelphia to the Wells Fargo Center and see generational talent (occasionally). However, you won't see greatness because the intangibles are absent.

“My whole process, my whole mindset has been how consistent can I be?” Barkley mused. “That’s not going to change.”

You can’t compliment Barkley. 

This reporter asked the superstar about his pass protection, something that is a bit of a lost art in the modern NFL among running backs and Barkley is good at. However, the Penn State product raced in the other direction at the 22 miles per hour his explosive TD runs can often reach.

“I gotta get a lot better at it,” said Barkley. “The last two years, I think I’ve been pretty good. This year, I think I lost two or three [reps] that come to mind. One that let up a sack. One could have been a bad play. 

“I gotta lock into my details a little more there, and deliver the punch, and not catch. I kind of got run over. But that’s part of it. You gotta take pride in it. I’m an every-down back. I’ve showed the big runs. I’ve showed the catches.”,

What he won’t be showing is the reverse hurdle again.

“I think it’s pretty cool, I can’t lie,” Barkley said of the viral moment that was added to the popular video game this week. “I’ve been a Madden fan for a long time. I probably don’t play as much Madden as I used to. But when I get a chance to do so, I do. 

“To be able to have the animation in there is pretty cool. I don’t plan on doing that anymore, so hopefully there’s another guy in the league that can make that move happen, so it can be used more than once.”

With Sunday night’s game against the 5-5 Rams looming, Barkley is focused on what’s ahead, not what’s been accomplished.

“The way our O-Line moves guys, the way I’ve been hitting the hole, getting downhill, you’d be dumb to come into a game not worrying about our run game and letting us do whatever we want,” Barkley said. “That’s the beauty of it. We have great coaches and adjust. … I think that’s why we’ve been having a lot of success in the second half, and later on in the game when we’re running the ball.”

For Barkley it’s not the games he’s already closed it’s about the next one he plans to put the punctuation on.

“As the game goes on, I should be getting stronger,” he said. “I should be able to impose my will on the defense. I’ve been training like that for a long time. It gets noticed a little more when your team is having more success.”