Tag: Tiki Barber

Sean Payton had this kind of player with Saints — will he add one with Broncos?

Sean Payton had ‘Joker-type’ players in Jeremy Shockey and Jimmy Graham earlier in his career. Will he now add one to the Broncos’ offense?

During his time with the New Orleans Saints — and during previous stops with other NFL teams — Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has had what he describes as a “Joker” in his offense.

Following the conclusion of the team’s 2024 season, Payton was asked if he has a “Joker” with the Broncos, and if not, will he add one this offseason?

“Fair question,” Payton said on Jan. 15. “I know how much it can help. It’s not until you don’t have them [that you notice]. I’ve said this before — early on as a coach, when you’re just coaching and you have your players, I remember the selection of Reggie Bush and the owner asking me, ‘Well we already have Deuce McAllister,’ who was a real good running back. I said, ‘Mr. Benson — the late Mr. Benson — this running back’s different. He can do these things.’ We talked about it. It was a good question, but that was the first exposure at this level for me as a head coach.

“We had Tiki Barber when I was at the Giants, he was a Joker-type player. Jeremy Shockey was a Joker-type player. Jason Witten was a Joker-type player early in his career. Then pretty soon, we had Shockey and then Jimmy Graham, and then Darren Sproles, then [Alvin] Kamara, then… I didn’t really appreciate it at the time, but in that stretch, we went through a stretch of 15 or 16 seasons with real, real high-end offenses that maybe didn’t have a receiver get to a Pro Bowl, but those other spots did.

“I think in our league when you look around and you reference… Just take some of the top teams… You’ll always remember [Travis] Kelce with the Chiefs. I don’t know that you’ll remember the receivers sometimes. Maybe through that Super Bowl run, maybe so. Do I think we have some candidates? Yes. That inner triangle of attacking a defense is really important.”

Jaleel McLaughlin might be the closest thing the Broncos currently have to a “Joker,” a versatile player who can line up at multiple spots and make an impact as a receiver, but he’s not at the level of the other players Payton mentioned. Denver could add one during the NFL draft this spring, perhaps with a dynamic running back or a tight end like Penn State’s Tyler Warren.

The Broncos need to add more juice to the offense in 2025, surrounding young quarterback Bo Nix with playmakers in his second season. Perhaps a “Joker” will be added to the squad this spring.

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Tiki Barber cautions Tom Brady against mentioning Giants during Super Bowl broadcast

Tiki Barber feels the ongoing potshots at the New York Giants are played out and says Tom Brady would be “tone-deaf” if he kept it up.

During last Sunday’s broadcast of the NFC Championship Game between the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles, Tom Brady simply couldn’t resist poking fun at the New York Giants.

As former Giants running back Saquon Barkley went off, Brady felt it appropriate to rub salt in the wounds.

“Giant mistake letting him go,” Brady said to broadcast partner Kevin Burkhardt after Barkley scored his third touchdown in Philly’s 55-23 rout of Washington.

Barkley’s defection to Philadelphia has obviously been a sore spot for Giants co-owner John Mara and the team’s fans, but the commentary has become something of a broken record. And hearing it from Brady’s mouth just screams sour grapes.

Brady has never shied away from his disdain for the Giants after they cost him two Super Bowl titles, including a perfect season in 2007. Needless to say, more Giants digs are expected during the Super Bowl LIX broadcast.

But retired Giants running back Tiki Barber believes Brady should consider pumping the brakes this time around.

“None,” Barber said when asked how many times the Giants would be referenced during the game. “I think it’s been played out and if they are anything other than tone-deaf, they will get it.”

The entire NFL world continues to throw haymakers and take potshots at the Giants over Barkley, so there’s no reason to believe it will end now — especially with Brady and Burkhardt, an Eagles fan, calling the game.

But Barber is right. It’s been played out and hearing it from that duo would be tone-deaf.

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Tiki Barber: Giants should sign QB Sam Darnold to short-term deal

Former New York Giants great Tiki Barber believes the team should bring in impending free agent QB Sam Darnold on a short-term deal.

The New York Giants are in the market for a starting quarterback this offseason. There are a few avenues they will go down in their efforts to find one.

They have the 2025 NFL draft, free agency, and the trade market to explore in able to find some stability under center. One main candidate is Sam Darnold, the former Jets flameout who rejuvenated his career with the Minnesota Vikings this season.

WFAN host Evan Roberts said on the air on Tuesday that Darnold, after turning in consecutive clunkers the past two weeks in the spotlight, shouldn’t be considered by the Giants or the Jets this offseason.

“Ultimately, you’re not winning a damn thing with him,” Roberts said. “Is this guy ever gonna be able to get that level? He was in a perfect situation this year. He had Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Kevin O’Connell. But when it mattered most against the Lions in Week 18 and against the Rams in the playoffs, we saw ghost-fearing Sam Darnold.

“Isn’t a part of that him holding onto the football for too damn long? Isn’t part of it him being inaccurate? He wrote his own script.”

Roberts, a Jets fan who once partnered with another long-suffering Jets fan, Joe Benigno, isn’t falling for the national rhetoric that Darnold is over the woes that have turned him from a No. 3 overall pick to a journeyman backup-level quarterback.

“We saw him struggle for years. We saw it here in New York and as he bounced around the league,” Roberts continued. “He failed in the biggest moment twice. So if I were the Jets or Giants, I wouldn’t have a lot of interest in him.”

Roberts’ current radio partner, former Giants great Tiki Barber, says he would like to see his former team give Darnold a shot if no better options present themselves.

“Honestly, I would take him on the Giants, assuming the draft options are not available,” Barber said. “Sam Darnold would be someone I’d want, but not for $50 million. It’s a short-term deal, maybe mid $30s.”

Watching the way Darnold folded the past two weeks in big games should have turned everyone off. He clearly reverted back to his old self, and that is a player very few NFL teams wanted.

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The Giants immediately fumbled after Tiki Barber complimented them in the ultimate announcer jinx

He spoke too soon.

If there’s one thing anyone should know about the Giants, it’s that you may want to wait before dishing out a compliment. They had Tiki Barber speaking way too soon on Sunday.

The Giants — coming off their benching and releasing of Daniel Jones — went into the locker room against the Buccaneers down 23 points at halftime. The game was already a mess, but with the former Giants star on the broadcast, Barber was looking for encouraging signs out of the Tommy DeVito-led Giants.

So, when the Giants opened the second half with an eight-play drive deep into Bucs territory, Barber said that the drive was looking really good. He should have waited for that ninth play.

Right after Barber finished that sentence, Tyrone Tracy Jr. fumbled around the five-yard line. The Bucs recovered and scored on the ensuing drive.

What an announcer jinx. It was almost as if the Giants heard the compliment and chose to put an end to it.

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Giants greats Eli Manning, Tiki Barber advance in Hall of Fame voting

New York Giants greats, QB Eli Manning and RB Tiki Barber, have advanced in voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former New York Giants greats, quarterback Eli Manning and running back Tiki Barber, have advanced with 48 other modern-day players in the voting process for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 presented by Visual Edge IT.

The list will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in approximately four weeks with the Class of 2025 being announced at the NFL Honors in New Orleans, Louisiana, in February and enshrined in August in Canton.

Manning is the Giants’ all-time passing leader and holds most of the franchise’s passing records. He has also played the most seasons and the most games in a New York Giants uniform.

Barber is the Giants’ all-time leading rusher, is second to Hall of Famer Frank Gifford in touchdowns, and is fourth on the Giants’ all-time list in receiving yards.

This announcement comes on the heels of former head coach Tom Coughlin advancing to the next round in the coaches’ category and linebacker Carl Banks, running back Ottis Anderson, and quarterback Charlie Conerly making it to the next round in the senior’s category.

It would be fitting if Manning and Coughlin went into the Hall of Fame together. And it would be incredibly ironic if Barber joined them.

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Announcers set for Chargers vs. Broncos Week 6 game

Find out who will be calling the Week 6 game between the Chargers and Broncos.

The Chargers are back in action after their bye week and will face the Broncos on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 1:05 p.m. PT.

The Week 6 game will be televised on CBS. Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber and Jason McCourty will have the call.

After starting the season 2-0, the Chargers dropped their last two games. Injuries to key players hamstrung Los Angeles. But after the bye, they should be well-rested to try to get back over .500.

The Broncos, on the other hand, have won their last three contests. While they haven’t been very efficient on the offensive side of the ball, their defense, which ranks near the top of the league in various categories, has helped them have the success they’ve had.

Denver has defeated the Bolts in 10 of the last 11 meetings in Mile High City.

Ex-Giants, analysts continue to pile on embattled QB Daniel Jones

Several ex-New York Giants and a familiar analyst continue the pile on of embattled quarterback Daniel Jones.

The New York Giants are 1-3 to start the season following a Thursday night loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and quarterback Daniel Jones is not playing like a superstar.

Although Jones is performing at a higher level than he was a season ago, he has not quite returned to 2022 form and appears to have a sudden issue with underthrowing the football.

That has allowed Jones’ critics to resurface and attack, which they’ve done in spades over the past several days. The latest is FOX Sports radio host Colin Cowherd, who believes the Giants are a quarterback away from being Super Bowl contenders.

The piling on of Jones is the path of least resistance but the Giants are not just a quarterback away from being contenders. Even Cowherd doesn’t believe that, as he outlined in March but apparently forgot.

Jones may be an issue but he’s far from the only issue. The Giants lack depth at multiple positions, have problems at cornerback, are terrible on special teams, can’t handle personnel properly, and have concerns from the top to the bottom of their organization.

Still, it’s all DJ all the time. Retired Giants running back Tiki Barber has also returned to his criticism of Jones.

Even retired defensive lineman Dave Tollefson agrees.

What does all this commentary mean? Absolutely nothing. General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are committed to Jones for at least this season and are not even remotely close to moving off him. In fact, Daboll has publicly praised DJ for being “locked in.”

The criticism is easy clout and nothing more. Even those of us here at Giants Wire are guilty of it but the team has made their bed and now we all have to sleep in it.

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On WFAN, Tiki Barber believes that Davante Adams wants out from the Raiders

Tiki Barber sees why Davante Adams could want out from the Raiders.

Another day, another Davante Adams story linking him to the New York Jets.

On Thursday, former NFL running back Tiki Barber said on his WFAN show with Shaun Morash that he thinks there is some substance to the sizzle concerning the Jets targeting Adams. A recent appearance by Adams on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast has only added to the speculation that the All-Pro wide receiver could be moving to the Jets.

Barber, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, said that a young quarterback and a first-year head coach with the Las Vegas Raiders might lead Adams to want to leave the AFC West team and join an organization like the Jets.

“It doesn’t make sense from a Davante Adams legacy standpoint to ride out his career with the Raiders unless he is just happy with being OK,” Barber said on WFAN.

“To me if he wants to maximize his last three or four great years, he probably has to do that with a better quarterback.”

Adams this week made an appearance on a podcast hosted by Sharpe where he talked about potentially reuniting with Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

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Adams counted Rodgers as a teammate with the Green Bay Packers during the first eight years of his NFL career.

“I’ll answer like this, if I’m going to be reunited with anybody, it would be Aaron, okay? But or be, you know, relocated, and be anywhere it would be with Aaron,” Adams told Sharpe.

“There was a lot of that stuff going on last year in the media and them asking, you know, ‘What are you going to do about this? Are you thinking about going here?’ and they talk about whatever without me even being involved in [the conversation]. And it ended up getting all the way to the point where it got in the locker room, and people was thinking that it was, you know, I was putting it out there to force (a trade). And I’m like, ‘Y’all just don’t understand man.’ You know, I hate to say it like this because it makes me sound like I’m trying to put myself on a pedestal..but when you’re the level, a certain level of player, it don’t have to come from you. And most of the time it’s not coming from you.”

Adams is a six-time Pro Bowl selection who has been an All-Pro three times during his 10 years in the NFL.

Tiki Barber worried Giants’ Daniel Jones may not be ready to return

Retired New York Giants running back Tiki Barber is questioning whether Daniel Jones will be ready for the start of the season.

Last November, New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a torn ACL. He played in just six games in 2023 and was sacked 30 times. With an average of five sacks per game, Jones would have been sacked a record 85 times had he played a full season.

Recovery from a torn ACL is always lengthy, leaving some to question whether Jones will be ready for the start of the season.

One of those questioning Jones’ return is the Giants’ legendary running back Tiki Barber.

“I’m still worried that Daniel Jones might not be ready for the start of the regular season,” Barber said on Thursday, via WFAN Sports Radio. “Joe Schoen said it out loud (on Hard Knocks), ‘What if our quarterback isn’t ready for the start of the season?’

“I saw Daniel a couple of weeks ago… He looked great. Big, strong, strapping, running around, always working out. He looked good. But looking good in no pads is different than being on a football field and being aggressively pursued by defenders.

“I hope he’s ready. But in my mind, I can’t help but think that he might not be.”

The average amount of time a football player takes to fully recover from ACL surgery is nine months. Jones will hit that mark in August. Being ready for the start of the season isn’t out of the question, but it’s also possible we see Drew Lock lining up under center in Week 1.

Jones has yet to play a full 17-game season in the NFL. He could have in 2022 but was held out of the Week 17 game when the Giants already secured a playoff spot.

We’ll have a better idea of what Jones is ready for when training camp arrives later this month.

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Former Giants RB Tiki Barber critical of Commanders’ Austin Ekeler

Barber didn’t agree with Ekeler saying why he was no longer a Charger.

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.

“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.