Tiki Barber to Come Out of Retirement.
Tiki returning to NFL
Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber has filed papers to come out of retirement and try to revive his NFL career, his agent Mark Lepselter confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
Barber, who turns 36 in April, hasn’t played since the 2006 season with the Giants, where he spent his entire 10-year career. Most recently he had been a correspondent for “The Today Show” and “Sunday Night Football” on NBC before the network did not renew his
Where Do We Go from Here?
The New York Giants are in the midst of a critical offseason. Currently they are on the fringe of being a Super Bowl contender, yet still missing crucial elements to regain their status among the league’s elite. The 2009 season was generally a disappointing one, but certain aspects of the team grew – specifically the passing game. If the defense can regain its aggressive form under new coordinator Perry Fewell then a return to contenderdom is only a few Jerry Reese maneuvers away.
The lack of a salary cap in 2010 could provide the Giants a competitive advantage. Like their in-city counterparts in the Yankees and Mets, the Giants could take advantage of their financial superiority to purchase crucial assets. Reese, the Giants’ GM whose first draft class fueled the team to their Super Bowl victory, has already come out and said the team will remain fiscally responsible. The Giants’ first offseason move validates his statement as today they cut MLB and de facto defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce. Pierce was entering the last year of a $26 MM deal signed in 2005 and returning from a herniated disk injury in his neck that caused him to miss the final seven games of the season. The move illustrates the team will not retain expensive players who, even with the potential to help the team immensely, will probably not live up to their salaries.
Especially after the recent release of Pierce, help up the middle of the defense is the Giants’ main priority. They obviously need a middle linebacker, but could also use help at the defensive tackle and safety positions. The team did receive good news when Kenny Phillips, the team’s stud safety who will be entering his third year in the league, announced he is ahead of schedule in his rehab and that his knee injury would not be career threatening. Still, Phillips could use a counterpart in the last line of defense as Michael Johnson, a key part of the 2007 run as a seventh-round rookie, regressed in his third year. I would use the draft to solve this problem by selecting Texas product Earl Thomas in the first round. With the only concern about him being his small frame, Thomas is a big-hitting, ball-hawking free-safety stud that would look great in blue.
To fill the whole caused by cutting Pierce, I would replace him with an instinctive yet cerebral rookie in Florida’s Brandon Spikes. Originally thought to be a first round pick, Spikes has and will continue to fall due to his lack of athleticism. Still, he is a player who produced throughout his college career and at 6-3 258 lbs he has the size to handle an NFL season.
To fill their final gap on defense the Giants must bolster the inside of their defensive line. Hopefully this begins with a healthy Chris Canty. Last year’s big offseason purchase, Canty was not able to remain healthy and did not fulfill any of the great expectations envisioned before the season began. The return of Jay Alford from a season long injury should help as well. Still, if the Giants were to spend big-money on a free agent, I would do it here. Richard Seymour would be a great target if he and Canty, both former 3-4 DEs could coexist as 4-3 DTs.
Finally, the Giants must find a tackle to play across from last year’s second round pick William Beatty. I would be surprised if the Giants do not take the opportunity presented by the uncapped season to let RT Kareem McKenzie go without taking a hit. Further, incumbent left tackle David Diehl should move back to the left guard position and replace Richard Seubert who has become ineffective. If Diehl does move back inside then I must admit I am clueless as to how to fill Eli’s protector of the blind side. Beatty may be the man, but may lack the experience for the job seeing as he only converted to tackle late in his college career. Otherwise, the Giants could keep Diehl at tackle and draft a guard somewhere past round two.
The Giants look to remain talented on the offensive skill positions. Eli looks to fully establish himself as a top-tier QB, while Brandon Jacobs will hopefully be healthy and Ahmad Bradshaw will hopefully stay out of trouble. A young WR corps led by Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham returns hopefully supplemented by 6-6 Ramses Barden. On defense the team will be set at CB with Corey Webster, Terrell Thomas and Aaron Ross. The team also has three pass rushing DEs in Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Mathias Kiwanuka. Hopefully, Clint Sintim gain take over at one outside linebacker position, while Michael Boley can play more consistently at the other.
With a few vital offseason additions and the majority of the roster playing up to their potential, the Giants can look forward to a successful 2010 season.
Where Religion and Fandom Meet
I am not a very religious man. I went to a private Jewish school through eighth grade. At thirteen, as is Jewish tradition, I was bar-mitzvahed, thus becoming a man in the eyes of my religion. Since then, my relationship with the Big Guy (or Gal) has mostly been via sports.
I just finished a great book called The Spartacus War by Barry Strauss (aside: If you ever want a perfect example on how to write then read this book. Really, it is worth its price just to have the honor of reading the man’s prose. No wasted words and he paints an incredibly vivid picture of a story that leaves behind murky evidence at best.) In it, he writes of the various societies’ and tribes’ relationships with the different gods. Often, warriors would make sacrifices to the gods and look for signs before battle that might hint towards the outcome of the day. My religious tendencies are analogous to these warriors. Except instead of sacrificing animals I fold my towels a certain way and instead of checking my chicken coop to see if they are vibrantly eating I check my RSS feed to see the opinions of many writers (usually hoping they are picking against my team…It’s weird, I know). And the big difference: I do not do these things for personal glory on the battlefield – I do them hoping the football gods will lead the Giants to victory on Sundays.
Now, to many people I may seem clinically insane. But I know there is some outside force that controls these things. My affirmation came on December 13, 1998. The Giants were playing the previously undefeated Denver Broncos. The 5-8 Big Blue stood little chance against the 13-0 team from the Mile High City. Until something very small, but very important happened. December thirteenth is also my birthday and 1998 was the rare year I could have my birthday party on my actual birthday. I still remember that day at the local Y, a sports themed party where first we played football and basketball before eating pizza and cake. And with a cake comes candles, and with candles come a wish. My just turned eleven year old self – always the diehard sports fan – had one wish and one wish only: a Giants’ victory. (Another aside: Not to toot my own horn – ok, maybe to toot my own horn just a bit – but what devotion for an eleven year old kid who could wish for anything from a new SEGA game to world peace, to instead wish for a team with no playoff hopes to beat a team that probably had clinched a bye and home field advantage already. That is a true fan.)
What happened that day? As Ralph Vacchiano wrote two years ago when reminiscing about that game,
But Graham, out of nowhere, outdueled John Elway, playing the game of his life as he completed 21 of 33 passes for 265 yards. And with Giants trailing in the final minutes, Graham engineered an Elway-like drive, marching the Giants 86 yards to set up a game-winning 37-yard touchdown pass to Toomer with 48 seconds remaining.
The Giants won and an eleven year old kid was given a reason to have faith. To this day I have that faith. While I do not get birthday wishes every Sunday, I do my part not to upset the gods. I avoid stepping on cracks on the street, if any female watches with me they must sit in a certain seat on the couch (last aside: The role of woman as religious figures throughout history is incredibly interesting.), and certain jerseys are worn on certain days until proven ineffective. Some may call this superstition, but I believe it is where religion and fandom meet.
Now more than ever is the time where Giants fans must keep the football gods happy. Needing two victories in their final two games, and at least one loss from either the Packers or the Cowboys (Really, New Orleans…sticking to the theme, the Saints of all teams keep the Giants needing help.). Have the Giants shown any consistency at all this year to make me believe they can hold up their end of the bargain? No. Do I have any hope that Seattle, a team who just lost to Tampa by 17, will beat Green Bay or Washington, a team whose coach has literally given up, will beat Dallas this weekend? No. So my hopes reside in Week 17. The Giants must beat a Minnesota team fighting for a playoff bye, while Green Bay must lose to Arizona or Dallas must fall to Philly.
Possible? Very.
Probable? Not so much.
This is why we must keep faith.
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A Giants Sighting
They had been lost and could not be found. Fans had filed missing persons reports with police forces around the tri-state area. But finally on December 6th, eight weeks after they had gone AWOL, there was a Giants sighting at the Meadowlands. It is still unknown if the team has actually been found – the authorities say they will know after next Sunday night.
Witnesses claim to have seen a balanced offense (26 dropbacks to 23 rushes), a hard-noised runner (Brandon Jacobs 13 carries for 39 yards including a TD where he bounced off the initial contact that came behind the line), big plays (Hixon’s punt return, Jacobs’ 74-yard TD catch, and Bradshaw’s 29-yard solo reverse), and a hounding defense (2 sacks, 7 QB hits, 8 TFLs, and a fumble recovery). Also being reported, a rare good decision by defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, placing Mathias Kiwanuka, Chris Canty, and Jonathon Goff into the starting lineup. Unfortunately, Sheridan resorted to his passive and random playcalling tendencies, but did show several confusing looks with no defenders putting their hands down — if only he realized that confusing the quarterback is a good thing.
Still missing: a full 60 minute effort. The Giants took the first quarter off and allowed an easy touchdown on Dallas’s last possession. Newly lost: Eli Manning’s decision making. Forgetting that Plaxico is sitting in a 8′x8′ cell at Ulster Correctional Facility, Eli threw the ball up for grabs between Mike Jenkins and Mario Manningham – needless to say that My Main Man did not come down with it. Spottily seen: Steve Smith’s hands. Six catches for 110 yards seems like a good line until you see he dropped three balls including an easy touchdown. Also gone awry: Bruce Johnson’s coverage ability. Perhaps the league has caught up to the undrafted rookie, but he has been taken advantage of the last several weeks including by Dallas, specifically on long plays to Jason Witten and Roy Williams.
Fans were happy to spot their beloved Giants. Some (including this guy) have new false hope that a postseason berth may be in line. As the Five-Oh remarked, the fate of this Giants team will be better known after next Sunday night’s game against Philly. A win would land the Giants, at minimum, in second place in the NFC East and possessing tiebreakers over both Dallas and Philly – and might turn that false hope into the actual thing.
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A Sports Emotion: Numbness
You wonder why you put yourself through it. The pain. The misery. The anger. Then finally just the numbness. You still watch the games and every so often that feeling that raises hairs on your back and makes your gut a little queezy comes. You want to get excited for a play, you really do. Then your team doesn’t come through and you don’t feel that misery or anger anymore because you’re just numb to it all. You knew way deep down they weren’t going to come through – and when they didn’t it’s almost OK because you were prepared all along. I imagine this is the perpetual feeling of a Clippers or Browns or Pirates fan. And sadly, just a year and a half after winning the Super Bowl, I – a diehard Giants’ fan – have reached the state of numbness.
This team is 6-5 on talent and easy scheduling alone. They play with no heart and have been horribly coached all year. Osi Umenyiora may have gone off on the sideline, but he did so about a month too late. He could not overcome a defensive coordinator who drops into a Cover 2 with no blitz on 3rd and 6, essentially allowing a seven yard button hook to the receiver of the quarterback’s liking. He cannot force an offensive coordinator to realize he only has one lineman who can get a push. I wish he would show Kevin Gilbride Football Outsiders adjusted line yards by run direction to explain that runs behind Chris Snee average over a half yard more than any other direction. Oh Osi you tried…you yelled and screamed and kicked and moaned…but nothing came of it. The Giants were butchered by the Broncos on Thanksgiving and now see their playoff hopes on life support.
So where do they go from here?
They will play three division games, host Carolina before finishing on the road in Minnesota. Realistically the Giants would need to win four out of five to grab a wild card or win out to finish as division champs. Can anyone see any of that happening? Not with the defense allowing teams to move up and down the field as they please with runners getting four yards before they are even touched. Not with the offense in the middle of an identity crisis, Brandon Jacobs trying to run like he is a 195 pound scatback, and a line that cannot run nor pass block. Not with a kick coverage unit who believes it is a success to stop the opposing teams’ kick returners at the thirty-five. Not with coaches who have no idea what they are doing. Not if a guy whose closest credential to being an NFL coach is playing Madden for fifteen years can determine the playcall eighty percent of the time based on the down, distance, formation, and motion. Not with a defensive coordinator who randomly calls plays as if he was picking them out of a hat.
Oh, this team is not going anywhere. They might get close in one game. They might even play a few down to the wire. I may need to stand up before a crucial 3rd and 2, hoping for the Giants to pound the ball for a first down. But with the defense showing eight in the box, inevitably a fade-back-shoulder will be called. And inevitably it will not work. I won’t even care. I’m numb to it all.
The Giants are my Novacaine.
**
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A Win Was Nice
“How could he be left that wide open!!!” For the first time in five weeks I wasn’t screaming that familiar comment at the Giants. Unfortunately, I was screaming it at the Knicks as they were in the midst of leaving Kevin Garnett wide open at the top of the key for a twenty-foot, buzzer-beating game-winner in overtime. Seconds later Matt Ryan hit Tony Gonzalez for an eleven yard touchdown to tie the score with twenty-eight ticks left. This was not going to be a good Sunday.
But then the Giants won a coin toss that may have saved their season. A nice thirty-three yard kickoff return, eight plays and forty-nine yards later, Lawrence Tynes kicked a game winning thirty-six yard field goal to move the Giants to 6-4 and keep their playoff hopes alive. Hopefully this game will prove to be a microcosm of their season: a fast start, shaky middle, before finishing strong.
There was a lot to like on Sunday. Eli threw for a career high 384 yards with three TDs and a pick, good for a 111.5 QB rating. Mario Manningham showed some excellent hands and footwork with six catches for 126 yards including a beautiful twenty-seven yard catch down the sideline on a perfect throw on a 3rd and one. Kevin Boss continued to play well scoring two touchdowns. The defensive ends finally showed up. Although they only had one sack (as a whole the Giants had two) it seemed Ryan was under constant pressure all game long. Not until the fourth quarter did he start to effectively move in the pocket. Clint Sintim brought some speed to the defense in his limited snaps at outside ‘backer. And Michael Boley showed why the Giants gave him $25 MM finishing with a game-high thirteen tackles (eleven solo), a sack, two TFLs, and two QB hits. As a team, the Giants showed glimpses of excellence.
Still, they showed many signs of a mediocre team, and continued to have the systematic problems that will lead to their downfall. The offensive line looked old. They did not get any push. Only Chris Snee can push someone directly in front of him off the line. The other linemen need a head of steam to be effective. This is evident in their 54% power success rate (Percentage of runs on third or fourth down, two yards or less to go, that achieved a first down or touchdown. Also includes runs on first-and-goal or second-and-goal from the two-yard line or closer — 25th in the league) and 18% stuffed rate (Percentage of runs where the runnning bacl is tackled at or behind the line of scrimmage — 13th). It may be time to get William Beatty some snaps at left tackle. This would allow the Giants to move David Diehl back to his natural guard spot and sit Rich Seubert because he, for lack of a more extraordinary word, sucks.
Bill Sheridan continues to amaze with his defensive playcalling…in a bad way. He is finally blitzing more, but he has no feel for the ebbs and flow for the game. His play-choices almost seem random. There are no in-game changes nor situational playcalls. I find myself amazed that he has the nickel and dime defenses in at the right times. Bruce Johnson, who had a terrible game, never received any extra help, which would have been a good thing considering Corey Webster was handling a nicked up Roddy White. Johnson was targeted all day by Atlanta including on Eric Weems’ four yard touchdown and Michael Jenkins end-zone drop. Chase Blackburn, God-bless him, tries really hard and supposedly is an incredibly smart player, but he should never be on the field in nickel situations. He was forced into a holding call simply because he cannot cover any back. Sheridan called slow developing blitzes down the stretch that allowed Matt Ryan to gather large chunks of yards. While I commend him for not calling a prevent defense, it would have been nice to see different types of blitzes.
Let’s face it. These Falcons were not very good. They were missing their Pro Bowl running back and his back-up. Their defense is miserable and gives up the most big plays in the NFL. Fortunately, there are probably only two teams in the NFC that the Giants will need to raise their game to beat: New Orleans and Minnesota. So at the end of the day the Giants did in fact win, but they did little to raise my expectations.
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