Why I'm Thankful the Eagles Are Resting Saquon Barkley ...

by Julian Spivey

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According to Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, running back Saquon Barkley is one of the Philadelphia Eagles starting players listed as doubtful for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the New York Giants.

The Eagles (13-3) have already clinched the NFC East and the No. 2 seed in the conference and have little to nothing to play for in the season finale.

Barkley, however, did have something to play for. He is 101 yards shy of breaking the NFL single-season rushing record, set by Eric Dickerson with the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
Sirianni told the press: “It wasn’t the easiest decision to go through.”

It’s likely a tough decision for Barkley, but it's wise for the organization to ensure the health of its best player going into a postseason in which the team has a good chance of winning the second Super Bowl in franchise history.  

I’m thankful the Eagles have made this decision because the idea of Barkley breaking Dickerson’s record in one extra game—the league now plays 17 games a season, compared to the 16 in Dickerson’s era—didn’t sit well with me.

I hate to be that curmudgeon, but I prefer things to be fair and equal, and having an extra game to accomplish something doesn’t fit those parameters. It’s not Barkley’s fault, but it doesn’t mean I have to sit back and root for the record to be broken.

Many will tell you that records are meant to be broken, and I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment when things are equal. But I believe in the sanctity of sports records and Barkley breaking the record, which he very likely would do if he played on Sunday – he’s averaged 125 yards per game this season, and the Giants are one of the worst teams in the league – wouldn’t feel much like a record merely an athlete who benefited from a different set of rules.

Barkley’s 2,005 yards and eighth place all-time in a single season in NFL history feels like his rightful place.

I know everybody reading this is thinking: “O.J. Simpson rushed for 2,003 yards in a 14-game season in 1973.” Yes, and that’s a valid point. If you want to claim that Simpson is the true single-season rushing king, I don’t know that I have much of a leg to stand on in arguing against it.

My biggest issue is with the NFL and other sports leagues. The changes they make for money or to build an audience have major impacts on the history of sports. Because of this, records could become extinct in pro sports. Eventually, all NFL records will likely be broken because of the extra games players today and in the future will have over those in the past.

And the NFL isn’t even the most significant issue. Other sports, like Major League Baseball and the NBA, are considering the prospect of shortening seasons, ensuring that no single-season records are ever broken again (and would make career records hard to achieve).

Times change. There’s no denying that. But one of the most incredible things about sports is being able to watch the pursuit of records – both in a single season and all-time. I worry that those times are coming to an end. So, for now, I’ll be glad to see Dickerson hold on to one of the most outstanding records in sports for at least another year.