One of the main takeaways for the NY Giants in their 14-3 preseason victory over the Lions had to be the strong ground game. Maybe life without Saquon Barkley won’t be so bad after all? Tyrone Tracy Jr. looked sharp, while Eric Gray rushed for two touchdowns.

Gray’s night was highlighted by a 48-yard score. Dante ‘Turbo’ Miller also looked solid with the ball in his hands. All in all, Daboll was happy with how his backs performed, crediting their decisiveness in running the football. At the same time, plenty of heads were turned when he said the RBs didn’t showcase much stutter-stepping. What were you trying to tell us at the end there, coach?

If you look on ‘X,’ everyone is convinced that Daboll was taking a bit of a shot at Barkley, who is now suiting up for the Philadelphia Eagles. Barkley was a two-time Pro Bowler for the Giants and he was easily the most explosive player on offense. However, there were also some runs where he would make people furious by dancing around a little instead of just going forward for more yards.

Saquon shade? https://t.co/OmlvMNxCB4

— GMEN HQ (@GMENHQ) August 9, 2024

In our humble opinion, Daboll isn’t trying to bring Barkley down here at all. Instead, he’s simply showing love to all three of his young running backs, who managed the load with Devin Singletary getting the night off.

The three speedsters combined for 141 yards on 21 carries. Tracy and Gray are in a pretty close battle for the RB2 job, while Miller is trying to win a spot on the 53-man roster, though he’ll likely start off the year on the practice squad.

The fanbase reads too much into everything & some are interpreting it as a shot on Saquon Barkley, but I don’t think that’s the case.
Barkley ran decisively under Daboll. The yards after contact plummeted & the breakaway runs dropped off (pretty significantly). #Giants https://t.co/Cm1CGBqYV2

— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) August 9, 2024

As for Barkley, he’s getting ready for life in Philly, which is still pretty strange for a lot of Big Blue supporters. Seeing him in a green jersey will never feel right, but hey, we wish him the best, just not when he’s playing the Giants. Daboll has said he wishes Barkley the best moving forward too.