SAQUON BARKLEY GOT the phone number through a friend.

It was a few months ago, after his season to end all seasons: The Hurdle; the Eagles' Super Bowl romp; those 2,504 yards, the most in NFL history when you account for playoff games. Fresh off a run of ridiculous feats, he tried his hand at one more. Barkley sent a prayer of a text to the man whose name is synonymous with chasing historic excellence.

He reached out to Tiger.

Barkley laughs in the retelling, as he stands in the hallway of the team's practice facility, still in a uniform that sports some light grass stains from training camp earlier this August day. He didn't actually expect to hear back from Tiger Woods . But here went Barkley's logic: Woods played some excellent golf in 1999. He won a record eight PGA Tour events

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