Wednesday Whammies: The Bad Boys Of Free Agency

Now, how could we forget about our beloved Tiki Barber? Once considered to be one of the elite running backs in the NFL, and by far the best RB that the New York Giants ever had, Tiki finds himself on the “should we or shouldn’t we pick this guy up” list. If he had come out of retirement in 2008 or even 2009 I have no doubt that he would be grabbed up in a heart beat.

Professionally speaking, the only downside to his career was the fact that he had suffered from the “butterfingers syndrome.” In the 2002 and 2003 seasons, Tiki fumbled the ball 9 times. However, he managed to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of those years. Go figure. He tallied up 10,449 rushing yards in his career and another 5,183 receiving yards in just 10 seasons. That’s pretty impressive.

Again, we find another athlete who had off field problems, albeit personal ones, and diarrhea of the mouth. Tiki was very outspoken in his last season with the New York Giants and more so as a reporter in his NFL retirement. Regardless, the Giants organization inducted Tiki into their Ring Of Honor. Clearly, they hold him in high regard. While Barber’s comments were mostly limited to his time as a reporter, it still leaves Giants fans with a bad taste in their mouths. The fct is, Tiki has kept himself in tip-top shape. David Diehl has nothing but glowing things to say about Tiki and his comeback. Even though he is on our bad boy list, Tiki is probably the best of this bunch.