2024-09-27 16:10:03
There is a viewing schedule for fans and often it does not sync up with the viewing schedule players carry into a season.
Fans will often stay up, too late, to watch the end of a riveting game.
Players?
They might try to keep awake but often nod off because they are so tired from the game or practice session they went through, knowing they must get up early the next morning to get to the team facility and go at it again.
Devin Singletary and the Giants played a Sunday afternoon game in Landover, Md., in Week 2, losing to the Commanders, 21-18.
The quick trip back — no flight needed — meant players could be home and get a good night’s sleep in their own beds.
The next night, Singletary intended to stay up and watch the “Monday Night Football’’ game between the Eagles and Falcons.
His intentions did not exactly work out the way he planned.
“I watched most of it but I fell asleep,’’ Singletary told The Post. “I think I fell asleep in like the third quarter. I was mad that I fell asleep. I woke up at like 1 [a.m.] and was like ‘What happened?’ So I went and I saw what happened.’’
What happened, and what Singletary missed seeing live, was an Eagles collapse lowlighted by Saquon Barkley dropping an easy third-down swing pass from Jalen Hurts that glanced off his hands with 1:46 remaining, stopping the clock.
If Barkley makes the routine grab, the Eagles win.
Instead, they settled for a field goal to take a 21-15 lead.
The Falcons, with no timeouts, then drove 70 yards in only six plays before Kirk Cousins hit Drake London with a touchdown pass with 34 seconds left to beat the Eagles, 22-21, stunning the crowd in Philadelphia.
Singletary, signed by the Giants immediately after Barkley officially agreed to terms with the Eagles, was particularly interested in the play that opened the door for the Falcons.
In his brief time with the Giants, Singletary has repeatedly praised Barkley’s talents and avoided any direct comparisons, as far as what he can provide to the Giants offense.
“It’s tough,’’ Singletary said of Barkley’s costly dropped pass. “It’s football, it happens. He’s a great player. On a day-to-day basis, that’s a routine play he makes. He just dropped the ball but usually he makes that play.
“It just happened to be in that moment so it gets magnified. With that situation for him, it goes for anything, it goes for if you rush for 200 [yards], you don’t want to be too high and he dropped the ball, that’s a real low. You don’t want to be too low. You want to stay right there in the middle.’’
Of course, Barkley was criticized for the drop. He was hard on himself about it and others on the outside were hard on him, as well.
“It goes hand in hand,’’ Singletary said. “I feel that’s going to happen, if something doesn’t work it’s always going to be this, that or the third. If it worked it doesn’t even get talked about.’’
Through three games, Singletary has provided the Giants with what they expected from him — other than two lost fumbles, an area he needs to clean up.
He led the team with 42 rushing attempts, 197 yards and if he can keep up his 4.7-yard average, the Giants will be ecstatic.
General manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll worked with Singletary with the Bills and they expected that they could count on the diminutive running back everyone calls “Motor.’’
Schoen and Daboll also knew there would be frequent comparisons between Singletary and Barkley and that Barkley was likely to thrive running behind the formidable Eagles offensive line, with Hurts’ run-pass option threat opening lanes for Barkley.
Three games into the season, Barkley, 27, led the NFL in rushing with 351 yards, averaging 5.6 yards per attempt.
He has four rushing touchdowns.
Stream the game live on Thursday night on Amazon Prime Video
At this pace, Barkley would run for 1,989 yards and 23 touchdowns, which would shatter the career bests he established with the Giants — 1,312 yards in 2022 and 11 rushing touchdowns as a rookie in 2018.
Singletary, 27, has never reached 1,000 yards in any of his six NFL seasons and he is not in the conversation when it comes to hearing his name included during “best backs in the NFL’’ discussions.
He is a pleasant personality in the locker room, not seeking attention but willing to chat whenever he is approached.
He did not shy away from keeping the No. 26 jersey he has worn in his career, knowing that was Barkley’s number with the Giants and now with the Eagles.
The game after his dropped pass, Barkley saved the day for the Eagles, running for fourth-quarter touchdowns of 65 and 4 yards to pave the way for a 15-12 victory over the Saints.
It was a resounding bounce back after letting his team down the previous week.
“When things like that happen, everyone thinks the world’s ending, but it really doesn’t matter what the outside world thinks,” Barkley said.
Sounds like advice Singletary would have provided.
