Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber has never shied away from controversy. In 2002, Barber was entering his sixth season in the NFL and criticized a teammate—siding with the team—regarding the teammate’s contract.
That player was future Hall of Famer Michael Strahan. Needless to say, Strahan was not happy, and neither were others around the league. It’s one thing to say that as a media member, but not as a current player, much less a teammate.
It’s no surprise that Barber would join the media after his career. So would Strahan, who is in a different stratosphere as co-host of the Fox NFL pregame show and “Good Morning America.”
These days, Barber co-hosts a daily radio show, “Evan & Tiki,” on WFAN Sports Radio in New York. This week, Barber made some headlines by criticizing current Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler.
Why would Barber criticize Ekeler, one of the league’s good guys?
A few weeks ago, Ekeler was a guest on “Up & Adams” with Kay Adams when he spoke of why he was no longer with the Los Angeles Chargers.
“They went out and drafted a tackle in the first round, brought in some bigger backs over from Baltimore,” Ekeler said. “They want a guy that can hand the ball off to 200-300 times a year, and look, I haven’t had the capacity to do that; that’s not my game. That’s not how Austin Ekeler is going to be best on the field. There was a misalignment there, no harm, no foul. I will go find somewhere else where I can add value, where Austin can be the best version of myself out there.”
From the sounds of it, Ekeler was being honest. As a running back entering his eighth NFL season, Ekeler understands better than anyone what he can best give a team at this stage of his career. The Commanders agreed, signing Ekeler to a two-year contract early in free agency, where he is expected to be a focal point of new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s offense.
“Austin Ekeler said something the other day; it was so discouraging,” Barber began. “So discouraging. It had nothing to do with anything. He was asked about why the Jim Harbaugh-led Chargers weren’t ideal for him or why they moved on from him. And you know what his answer was? They want a guy who can run the ball 300 times per season.”
“So, in other words, Ekeler was saying he can’t do that,” his co-host asked Barber.
.@TikiBarber's got some beef with Austin Ekeler about his comments on not returning to the Chargers? pic.twitter.com/9cxXOdVunv
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) July 3, 2024
“Yes,” Barber said. “Go look at how many times I ran the ball 300 times a year,” he said. “He’s just saying, ‘It’s not my game.’ Dude, you couldn’t get me off the field.”
Next, they debated about running back pay and how much Christian McCaffrey carries the football, with Barber noting how many “100-percent participation games” McCaffrey has had in his career.
In his 10-year career, Barber carried the football 300 times or more four different times. He was also a solid receiver out of the backfield. However, his argument here holds no weight. The NFL has determined the value for every running back not named McCaffrey. He’s different from everyone else, much like Patrick Mahomes was different from the rest of the league’s quarterbacks.
Ekeler attempted to get an extension with the Chargers before last season. They weren’t budging. When Harbaugh took over, he runs a completely different offense and Ekeler was not a fit. In today’s NFL, Ekeler does fit a number of teams. One of those teams is Washington. Barber’s Giants were reportedly even considering Ekeler before they lost Saquon Barkley.
Perhaps this was an opportunity for Barber to talk about himself and his playing career. Otherwise, his comments are meaningless.
