It hasn't been a secret that the Philadelphia Eagles' run game has been a consistent source of frustration. Far too often this season, fans have seen Saquon Barkley stopped at the line of scrimmage or hit for a loss. The level of explosive runs from a season ago is simply missing. This has led to both fan and player frustration with The Athletic's Zach Berman reporting Barkley's predictably self-aware comments on the mounting frustrations.
""I need to do a better job of not taking negative runs. I keep saying that — I know I sound like a broken record — but it's something I got to do. I own it. But at the end of the day, we won the football game.""Saquon Barkley
This is a level of self-awareness and a lack of blame deflecting when it would be easy to throw a number of pieces under the bus. Barkley could've easily opted to point to the fact that new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has been incredibly predictable in how he manages the run game. Or the fact that the offensive line isn't getting the same push or opening holes as they did a season ago. Instead, Barkley is taking it on the chin and pointing out that even in a win, he understands the need for continual improvement.
Eagles Star Saquon Barkley Continues Owning Early-Season Struggles
It is good to see the back able to admit how he is hurting the offense and opt to take it on the chin when it would be incredibly easy to deflect. This speaks to Barkley's football character and why he remains such an incredibly pivotal piece of the Philly offense. Even as the struggles running the ball have continued, there is no question that Barkley demands attention the second he steps onto the field.
In many ways, the lack of production this season has been due to just how dominant the playmaker was a season ago. Saquon is a victim of his own success in the fact that he is the sole focus of the opposing defense coming in. Resulting in frustrating runs and lost yardage that were rarely present a season ago.
This has set up Barkley to take accountability and point out the obvious ways he needs to improve in the coming weeks. For a team that is often simplistically focused on being satisfied with doing whatever it takes to win, it is a nice change of pace to see Barkley noting the win while also talking about a need for improvement.
For the Eagles, this should serve as a wakeup call of just how much potential you're wasting for the ultimate team player. Philly must lean on the passing attack far earlier, using it to set up the run game and offering Barkley less predictable carries, helping push the star out of his recent struggles.