Saquon Barkley touchdown run Credit: Fox
By Drew Lerner on

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has had a banner year. But not even the biggest Birds fans could’ve expected what happened on their team’s first offensive play from scrimmage.

What began as a pretty standard toss play to Barkley turned into one of his signature explosive touchdown runs. And Fox announcers Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady could barely contain themselves during the 60-yard house call.

“Here’s Barkley, a little shovel,” Burkhardt began. “Looking for an edge, gets it. Saquon Barkley, first down! Barkley! OHHHH! Saquooooon! Touchdown!!”

The call perfectly encapsulated the run. Initially, it looked like Barkley would simply have a nice first down run. But then, his bounce off a would-be tackler and cut back inside turned the play into much more. Perhaps the best part of the call was Brady, whose excitement elevated the moment when he — almost simultaneously with Burkhardt — screamed “OHHHH!” when Barkley broke the tackle.

Then, Brady nicely broke down what happened on the run.

“They fake the jet sweep and run a toss crack. And Saquon in space, 13 yards downfield, Chinn can’t get him on the ground, Martin can’t get him on the ground.”

It was an exciting start for Burkhardt and Brady, who are calling their first NFC Championship game as a duo. Tom Brady, right in time for his impending Super Bowl call, seems to be coming into his own.

Exciting plays like Barkley’s certainly make those calls a bit easier.

About Drew Lerner

Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.

View all posts by Drew Lerner