Cue David Attenborough.
In three, two, one …
“Return with me to a long-lost time when the landscape was far different than it is today. One species in particular thrived in any conditions — cold, heat, rain, mud, snow or ice. In an era where survival was of utmost importance, this prehistoric creature displayed great agility as well as power and grace. Often impervious to predators, it enjoyed a long reign atop the food chain.
“Journey back with us as we return to a bygone era and study an ancient and feared genus: Behold the once-mighty Running Back.’’
Remember them?
“It was once a glamorous position,’’ Rodney Hampton said.
What is the opposite of glamorous?
Whatever it is, that is the state of the least-popular position on the field for NFL teams, many of which are steadfast in espousing the cliché that they must establish a running game while at the same time devaluing the players that get paid (not enough) to make the running game go.
Running backs are not extinct, of course, but they are underappreciated and cast aside as soon as a team determines there is a replacement that is younger and cheaper.
On Monday, Hampton, 54, stood on the side of a field at the start of a Giants training camp practice, taking in the entire two-hour session before his scheduled autograph-signing appearance with the fans who came out that morning.
You could almost hear parents tell their kids, “That’s Rodney Hampton. He played at a time when running backs mattered.’’
Oh, Hampton mattered. His football lifespan with the Giants stretched from 1990-97, and he ran for more than 1,000 yards in five consecutive seasons. When he came into the league (as the No. 24 overall draft pick in 1990), the running backs were stars: Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Thurman Thomas.
Hampton’s other notable contemporaries included Earnest Byner, the powerful Christian Okoye and Barry Foster. There was “The Bus” Jerome Bettis and Terrell Davis and Eddie George, and later Curtis Martin and the intimidating-sounding Natrone Means.
It was a time when no one ever questioned the value of paying a running back.
It was a Time Before Saquon [Barkley].
“Right now we’re moving to a passing, fun offense, and, to me, they aren’t putting any value in running backs,’’ Hampton told Sports+. “But you still got people like Barkley and [Christian] McCaffrey and other guys putting up the numbers, and also they’re catching out of the backfield. It seems that should be an extra reward for them.
“I know [for a lot of teams] it’s a running back by committee, but a certain guy like Barkley, McCaffrey, the other top five guys in the league, they’re special individuals, so they shouldn’t be shorted. I just hope they get it right.’’
There is no doubt that when Hampton came into the league there was far more of an emphasis on running the ball.
“Run and control the clock,’’ he said.
Of course, there was plenty of passing, but not nearly the fixation with shotgun snaps and empty backfields and players put in all sorts of motion and the four-yard pass almost serving as a running play.
Every serious team needed a serious running back.
“We didn’t feel like we were underpaid because as a running back we got paid pretty good at that time,’’ Hampton said. “Up front, the guys take care of you … my hat always goes off to offensive linemen, because without them I wouldn’t have had the success I had. I only know one person [who could] have success without their offensive linemen, and that’s Barry Sanders.’’
NFL teams have no problem paying offensive linemen, reasoning they can last longer and have more staying power than running backs. The better the offensive line, the less important these teams believe it is to take a running back high in the draft or pay one big in free agency.
It is safe to say this current Giants regime, led by general manager Joe Schoen, would not have taken a running back with the No. 2 overall pick in any draft. That the Giants, under then-GM Dave Gettlemen, did that with Barkley as recently as 2018 was polarizing back then and even more so today: Running back is the only position to see the salary for a franchise-tagged player decrease in the last five years, which is astounding.
The Giants went only so far with Barkley in negotiating a multi-year extension that both sides wanted to see come to fruition. The final offer that included $23 million in guaranteed money was rejected by Barkley, leading to what looked to be a holdout.
It came as a surprise when Barkley signed his one-year deal worth the $10.1 million franchise tag — with another $900,000 available in statistical incentives that only will be triggered if the Giants make the playoffs in 2023 — and reported to camp on time.
There is no debate that Barkley means a great deal to the Giants and that they need health and production — he gave them both, in abundance, in 2022 — from him to qualify for the playoffs for a second consecutive season, a feat they haven’t accomplished since the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
There also is no debate that the running back market has tanked, and the Giants saw no reason to buck the trend, even for an athlete and high-level-character individual such as Barkley.
“Barkley, I feel like he should have got paid more than that,’’ Hampton said. “He’s your workhorse.’’
Hampton was a workhorse in his day, averaging 282 carries over a six-year span. Barkley reached 282 rushing attempts only once in his five seasons; in 2022, he ran the ball 295 times.
But this is now a quarterback-driven league and most offenses are pass-first. The Giants, under the direction of head coach Brian Daboll, are no exception. They gave Daniel Jones a four-year contract worth $160 million.
Barkley will get his touches, though.
“I like him, I like everything about him,’’ Hampton said. “He knows what to do. He’s a running back, he’s born to run. I’ll just tell him good luck and I like what he’s doing, keep it up.
“It shows a lot about Barkley coming in, showing up, wanting to be a football player and wanting to play,” Hampton said. “Trust me, he’ll get the money.’’
That sounds like an outdated assurance from a running back who played long ago, when running backs ruled the field.
Want to catch a game? The Giants schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.
Wanna bet?
The Giants have extremely high expectations for Darren Waller, the tight end they acquired from the Raiders in exchange for a third-round draft pick. The 6-foot-6 veteran figures to be the No. 1 target in the passing game for Jones. During the first week of training camp, teammates gushed non-stop about Waller, calling him “a freak” based on his size, speed and athletic ability.
It looks as if the expectations for Waller outside the Giants building are extremely high, as well. Only four tight ends in the NFL were assigned higher prop-bet figures by BetOnline.
The over-under betting numbers for Waller’s stats are 60.5 receptions, 700.5 receiving yards and 4.5 touchdown catches. Those numbers do not come close to the output Waller gave the Raiders in 2019 and 2020, when he averaged 98.5 receptions, 1,170 yards and six touchdowns in those two seasons. But injuries severely cut into his production in 2021 and especially in 2022, which is why he became available.
The tight ends in the league with higher over-under numbers than Waller for this season:
Receptions
Travis Kelce (Chiefs): 98.5
T.J. Hockenson (Vikings): 75.5
Mark Andrews (Ravens): 70.5
Evan Engram (Jaguars): 62.5
Waller: 60.5
Receiving yards
Kelce: 1,100.5
Andrews: 800.5
Hockenson: 775.5
Kyle Pitts (Falcons): 750.5
Waller: 700.5
Receiving touchdowns
Kelce: 9.5
Andrew: 6.5
George Kittle (49ers): 5.5
Hockenson: 5.5
Waller: 4.5
Asked and answered
Here are two questions that have come up recently that we will attempt to answer as accurately as possible:
How have the crowds been so far in training camp?
Quite large, actually. The Giants have done a better job of making their offseason and regular-season practice facility look and feel like a training camp experience.
The bleachers they put up on two sides of the fields they use are all covered, and the shade provided welcome relief from the sun beating down during the practices that start at 10 a.m.
The sightlines for the fans are more than decent, and there are autograph sessions after every practice.
Players often acknowledge the fans when they shout their names, though screaming for an autograph when a player is on the field engaged in a drill is not going to achieve the desired result.
The vibe is certainly not like it was for all those years when the Giants held their camp at the University of Albany. There is nothing like being on a college campus to create a more relaxed and freewheeling atmosphere.
The black asphalt parking lots that surround the Giants’ current camp environs are not exactly an idyllic scene. It does seem, though, that most fans enjoy their day watching their team on the practice field.
How excited should we be seeing all these highlights of wide receivers making plays downfield in the early stages of camp?
Well, there is no reason not to be excited by these video clips — which are furnished by the team, by the way (media members are not allowed to record any real football action on the field).
There is no doubt the Giants are trying to evolve into a more explosive, big-play passing offense — they were last in the NFL in 2022 in pass completions of 20 or more yards. There also is no doubt there is an emphasis in camp on throwing the ball downfield.
So far, so good.
Jones always has thrown a strong and accurate deep ball, and with the increased speed at wide receiver, the early returns are encouraging.
Newcomer Parris Campbell can get deep. We are well-aware of what Darius Slayton can do in getting behind the defense. And it looks as if rookie Jalin Hyatt’s reputed speed is legit. He repeatedly ran past defenders and showed an ability to run a vertical route and make the catch.
Hyatt would not be the first rookie to soar in the summer and then get grounded once the real season begins. But as long as he stays healthy, he will be an interesting prospect to monitor in his first year.
