“You Broke OJ’s Record in 16 Games”: Shannon Sharpe Reacts as Eric Dickerson Roots Against Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley has moved closer to Eric Dickerson’s rushing yards record for a single season. While many are rooting for him to script history, the record holder himself is neither eager, nor impressed. Dickerson stated that if Barkley overtakes his mark, it would be because NFL seasons are much longer now. To Shannon Sharpe, that sounds like unnecessary nitpicking.

Sharpe pointed out that Dickerson had also enjoyed the advantage of playing two more games to break the record previously held by OJ Simpson.

“ED, you do realize you broke O.J’s record in 16 games and OJ went to 2000 in fourteen. What are we talking about here?” said Shannon on Nightcap.

Simpson’s record of 2003 yards was broken by Dickerson in 1984, who amassed a total of 2105 yards. While OJ did it in 14 games, the former Rams RB did it in 16.

Dickerson, who said he doesn’t want to see his record broken, had downplayed Barkley’s chances though he just needs 101 yards in the final game.

“I don’t think he’ll break it. But if he breaks it, he breaks it,” Dickerson told The Los Angeles Times. “Do I want him to break it? Absolutely not. I don’t pull no punches on that. But I’m not whining about it. He had 17 games to do it? Hey, football is football.”

The NFL has evolved over the years, expanding from 12 to 14 games, then to 16, and now 17 games. With an 18-game season likely on the horizon, records once thought untouchable could get broken. Shannon believes that it is not just Dickerson’s mark, but someone will likely break even Jerry Rice’s record of over 20k receiving yards, or Bruce Smith’s sack record of 200.

Sharpe emphasized that if Barkley breaks the record, he deserves full recognition and credit. The expanded league calendar should not be cited to diminish the achievement since every era comes with its own challenges and opportunities.

And Barkley is truly on the cusp. Sunday’s game proved extra beneficial for the Philadelphia Eagles RB, who carried the ball an astonishing 31 times against the Dallas Cowboys. He rushed for 167 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. With his performance, he entered the 2000-yard club, becoming its ninth member.

In a post-game interview, Barkley expressed his happiness about achieving that milestone, saying, “I’m not gonna lie. Just being a fan of the game and the running back position, to reach a milestone, and put myself up there with eight other backs that I respect and some of them I grew up watching, definitely means a lot.”

He also stated that he’d “love” to break Dickerson’s record, but at the end of the day, he thinks it’s HC Nick Sirianni’s decision to let him take the field in the season finale.

Barkley now has 2005 yards for the season. Dickerson had carried the ball 379 times, averaging 5.6 yards per carry in his record-breaking year. Barkley, until now, has 345 carries and is averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

Knowing how his season has gone so far, and the fact the Giants struggle against the run, the record seems Barkley’s for the taking.