TEMPE, Ariz. – There are a number of credible reasons that explain why the Tiki Barber of 2001 has not been nearly as productive as the Tiki Barber of 2000: A broken wrist that caused him to miss all of training camp; a pulled hamstring that cost him two regular-season games; better defensive gameplans by the opposition; and the overall inconsistency of an offense that hasn’t controlled tempo or the clock the way it did last season.
“I haven’t had as many opportunities as I had last year,” Barber said recently. “It’s easy to say, ‘Tiki is not as good as he was last year.’ That’s the easy answer. I don’t know what it’s going to take to get to the productivity I had last year, but we’re always searching.”
That search needs to start finding success, beginning today against the Cardinals or the Giants won’t repeat their playoff success of a year ago. Without Barber being the Barber he was last year when he set a team record with 2,089 all-purpose yards, the Giants (4-4) will be as mediocre in the second half of the season as they were in the first half.
Heading into today’s game, Barber has just 624 all-purpose yards compared to 1,063 after eight games last year. He has only 190 yards rushing on 51 carries, along with 30 receptions for 251 yards. He has scored just one touchdown, after totaling 9 last season.
The media-savvy Barber can calmly explain his decline in productivity without frustration in his voice. There are still eight games to play and a playoff berth to capture. But if the Giants are to get better, Barber must get better.
It is not his personality to scream, “Give Me the Damn Ball!” But that’s just what the Giants need to do. He is their most dynamic player; their most dangerous player. Because Ron Dayne is still a work in progress, the Giants don’t win unless Barber becomes the Barber of 2000.
Giants coach Jim Fassel, aware his offense has punted on its first series 75 percent of the time this season, has been preaching the need for a fast start today. A good place to start would be Barber.
He averaged nearly 18 offensive touches (13 rushes and nearly 5 receptions) per game over the final eight games last season when the Giants went 6-2 and won the NFC East en route to the Super Bowl. This year, he’s getting the ball about 13 times a game, not counting punt returns.
More production from Barber takes pressure off quarterback Kerry Collins, who has been forced into too many turnovers (10 INTs, 4 fumbles) trying to make plays. A more productive Barber opens up the offense more for receivers Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard. A more productive Barber opens up the inside running game for Dayne.
“I don’t want to be a non-factor out there,” Barber said. ” I want to be the kind of guy that makes a difference in the outcome.”
The reasons for his decline in production during the first half of the season, shouldn’t hold up in the second half. If injuries and better defensive schemes were the reasons he has been kept quiet, only the latter can have merit now, and that’s a problem head coach Jim Fassel and offensive coordinator Sean Payton are paid to solve.
“It would be silly to think that [opponents] haven’t game-planned for me this year,” Barber said. “But that’s just a challenge for me and Sean and the other guys on the team to make what happened last year, happen again.”
Barber’s versatility is such that should the Giants’ running game continue to sputter as it has during the first half of the season, he can be utilized more on short passes that gain 5 or 6 yards. We saw a hint of that in Big Blue’s comeback over the Cowboys last week. We need to see more of it during the second half of the season.
“That’s what I want to see,” Fassel said. “I think Tiki’s ready to take off and be that kind of spark plug guy.”
Meanwhile, Barber has heard the whispers that his off-the-field activities – a weekly radio show along with numerous personal appearances – might be taking away from his play on the field. It’s a notion Barber rejects.
“I did much more (off the field) last year,” he said. “I certainly did a lot more than I’m doing this year. The difference is people care about it because I had a good season last year. I haven’t changed my routine as far as how much I study and how much time I put into preparing for each week. Everything I do now, people notice and care about because I’ve made a name for myself.”
But one good season does not a career make. Barber has too much talent to be a one-year wonder. But that’s what he’s been so far. That can change over these next eight games. Perhaps it starts today against the Cardinals
