Monday, September 5, 2011

Poor Tiki

In an interview with Sports Illustrated yesterday Tiki Barber’s agent, Mark Lepselter, said that he is surprised that no NFL teams gave Tiki a shot this off season. He went on to say "We are flabbergasted that Tiki has not had an opportunity with any team, especially when rosters were at 90 players this year, I certainly thought some team would be intrigued to see what he had left in the tank.''

 Maybe it could have something to do with your client being 36 years old in a world where 29 is pretty much the cut-off age for running backs. It could be that when Tiki retired he went out if his way to back stab almost every player and coach he played with in New York or it could be just that Tiki is a complete asshole. My guess is it is all three, no team wants a player (who may have ended his career on top) but has been out of the league for 5 years add to it that he would probably be considered a cancer to any locker room and he is dragging some serious personal baggage now. Any team that signed him was going to be turned in to a media circus and owners are already sucking wind after the lockout.

 I think had he not ripped the Giants when he retired some teams may have given him a second look even with his personal life in shambles. A perfect consideration would have been Tampa, besides his brother being a cornerstone on the defense for the past 15 years; the team lost Cadillac Williams to free agency. They do have a solid starter in Blount but the backup, Kregg Lumpkin, has played in 13 games since 2008 and has all of 2 carries for 19 yard and 4 receptions for 34 yards. I am pretty sure Tiki could have easily earned the #2 spot just by putting on a Bucs jersey. The Dolphins, who was the only team to even talk to him, would also be a consideration. They are known for taking on “expired” running backs and recently signed Reggie Bush after losing both Ronnie Brown and Rickey Williams to free agency. Bush’s backups are a rookie and a second-year guy with no carries. Again, Tiki could have picked up the backup position by showing up.

 This shows that teams are willing to overlook personal problems and even criminal charges or prison time but if you bad mouth the league you are going to be blackballed.

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