Saquon Barkley is on the verge of making NFL history. The Philadelphia Eagles running back is potentially on track to break Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards. With two games remaining in the regular season, Barkley needs 268 yards to eclipse the former RB.
The Eagles athlete is also 162 yards away from joining the exclusive 2,000-yard club, but not everyone is thrilled about this possibility.
Eric Dickerson Doesn’t Want Saquon Barkley To Surpass Him
Dickerson has weighed in on Barkley’s pursuit, stating, “I don’t think he’ll break it. But if he breaks it, he breaks it. Do I want him to break it? Absolutely not.”
He also addressed that Barkley has 17 games to achieve the record compared to his 16, saying, “He had 17 games to do it? Hey, football is football. That’s the way I look at it. If he’s fortunate to get over 2,000 yards and get the record, it’s a great record to have.”
His remarks on Barkley’s potential achievement brought a fiery response from former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, who blasted Dickerson on X (formerly known as Twitter), saying, “Damn if this ain’t some hating old head sh….. I can’t imagine at 60 hating on young players grandpa we you hating so hard.”
Damn if this ain’t some hating old head sh….. I can’t imagine at 60 hating on young players 😂😂😂 grandpa we you hating so hard https://t.co/jAX9Ve59RP
— LeSean Shady Mccoy (@CutonDime25) December 27, 2024
Apart from hoping that he still has the edge over Barkley after this season, Dickerson also discussed other aspects of the record and Barkley’s career. He noted O.J. Simpson’s 2,000-yard season came in just 14 games and mentioned his rookie record of 1,808 yards.
He also commented on Barkley’s playing style: “I like him. But I tend to like big backs. He’s not a big back like I was. He’s elusive, he’s tough, he runs hard, he can catch the ball out of the backfield. I think he’s a great player.”
Dickerson believes Barkley was held back by playing for the New York Giants, stating, “I always felt like he’d never reach his potential when he was in New York.”
He is facing a dilemma of whether or not to watch the Eagles RB break his record. “I don’t sit down and watch games, except the [Los Angeles] Rams, and I work for the team. But I’ll have no choice but to keep up with it because I get so many text messages. People blowing up my phone like, ‘Man, it’s not fair. He gets 17 games,’ or, ‘We’re going to put a hex on him,'” Dickerson said.
The 64-year-old even commented on the irony of Barkley potentially breaking the record against the Giants, the team that let him go over the 2024 offseason.