Giants’ Saquon Barkley: I didn’t deserve a Pro Bowl nod

Some things seemed like a given after Saquon Barkley was named 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

An annual spot in the Pro Bowl, for starters.

But Barkley was not selected this week when the voting by players, fans and coaches was tabulated. He is a fourth alternate who could be invited later based on need created by injury and the NFC’s Super Bowl representative.

The Giants and Dolphins were the only teams with no players selected. Giants punter Riley Dixon is a second alternate.

“The Pro Bowl is dope,” Barkley said. “I went there last year. It’s an awesome experience. It’s not the end-all be-all. I don’t think that I was even anywhere close or deserved to being in the Pro Bowl. Not shocked at that.”

With two games to go (after missing three with a high ankle sprain), Barkley has rushed 178 times for 722 yards, or 4.1 yards per carry. That’s down from his average of 5.0 yards last season. He has five touchdowns, down from 15 last season.

The 22-year-old running back said he doesn’t feel snubbed by not making the Pro Bowl, and that he doesn’t need a perceived snub for motivation when the Giants are 8-21 since his arrival.

“What motivates me is that we’re going home in two weeks,” Barkley said. “That’s the only motivation that I have. We’re not in the playoff run. We’re not having the chance of the playoffs. That’s going to be my motivation this offseason.”

Barkley broke a streak of eight straight games with fewer than 100 rushing yards last week in a win against the Dolphins. He was especially excited by a cut to force a missed tackle because it showed the restored health of his ankle.

“Yeah, I made a good little move there. You can feel it, but when you actually go back and see it, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s a nice cut,’ ” Barkley said. “The cornerback, he made some good plays on me, too. … That’s the beauty of football. That’s my job: I’ve got to make those one-on-ones happen more often than not.”

Antoine Bethea missed a second straight practice after he returned home to be with his wife for the birth of a child. Cornerback Antonio Hamilton also missed practice for personal reasons. … OG Kevin Zeitler (ankle) remains limited and TE Rhett Ellison (concussion) was limited after full participation Wednesday.

Daniel Jones showed no ill effects of his first full practice returning from two games missed with a high ankle sprain. He took the first-team reps at quarterback and is going to start against the Redskins, barring the unforeseen.

“He feels good,” coach Pat Shurmur said, “so we’ll just try to ramp him up and keep him going.”

Giants rookies have played the most snaps in the NFL this season. The next to debut could be undrafted receiver David Sills, who was added to the 53-man roster this week.

“We’ll see what he can do,” special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said. “He’s a talented kid. Just his tenacity. He’s long, he can run, and he plays extremely hard. And it’s everything that you want to see in a young guy.”

For more on the Giants, listen to the latest episode of the “Blue Rush” podcast:

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