'O.J. Simpson ran for 2,000 yards in 14 games. E.D. did so in 15 games. No one talks about that'. We're paraphrasing slightly, but those were the words of Saquon Barkley following the Philadelphia Eagles' win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Saquon Barkley is a lifelong football fan who greatly respects the game. His reasoning behind bringing this up wasn't to be disrespectful to anyone. He brought this up to answer the questions about '17 games vs. 16' and his amazement at what O.J. had done.
We bring this up for another reason entirely, the sole purpose of finally ending these attempts to diminish Saquon's achievements.
Some has said Saquon Barkley's rushing record should have an asterisk attached if he accomplishes the feat. Those theories have missed a few details.
Here we sit. It has been a few minutes since Saquon Barkley addressed the media after joining the 2,000-yard club. Thinking about what he said gave birth to other thoughts. One of which is something we have thought about since this 'run at history' initially became a conversation.
How come no one ever says it took an additional game for Eric Dickerson to pass O.J. on history's ladder? Have you ever thought of that? So, what if it did take Saquon Barkley 17 games to pass Dickerson? Why on Earth should he apologize?
O.J. Simpson stacked 2,003 rushing yards during a 14-game season in 1973. Eric Dickerson ran for 2,105 yards in 16 games, but it took 15 to break the record.
Dickerson had run for 2,007 big ones after 15 games following a 215-yard outburst vs. the Houston Oilers on December 9, 1984. Another 98 yards during the regular-season finale pushed his mark to 2,105, and that benchmark has been the standard ever since.
Eight NFL players had run for 2,000 yards during a single season before Saquon joined the fraternity: O.J. (1973), Erick Dickerson (1984), Barry Sanders (1997), Terrell Davis (1998), Jamal Lewis (2003), Chris Johnson (2009), Adrian Peterson (2012), and Derrick Henry (2020).
Regardless of whether or not Saquon Barkley sets a new standard in Week 18 versus the Giants, every member of the 2,000-yard club should be celebrated. This is a phenomenal achievement.
Now, about that record. We appreciate Saquon for his humility. He admitted he'd be honored to set the record, and there's no shame in that. However, he also acknowledges there are more important goals to reach, and that's why he's become so popular in Philly and has done so quickly.
Oh, and one more thing. This should be noted. If we're going to discuss the amount of games played as a measuring stick, maybe we should also mention carries? Just a thought...
Dickerson toted the rock 379 times in 1984. Saquon Barkley will enter Week 18 having only carried the ball 345 times, so if you think about things in that sense, Barkley still has a chance at surpassing the Hall of Famer having carried the ball fewer times.
The next time someone brings up an asterisk, mention that nugget for us.