On the heels of Tiki Barber's startling announcement that he is planning to retire after the season, Giants GM Ernie Accorsi said something that made me laugh.
For those of you who missed it, Accorsi said, "You do not replace Tiki Barber, he's a Hall of Famer. You have to go beyond the statistics to completely appreciate him, but I think he qualifies on numbers alone."
Tiki Barber has been one of the top backs in the NFL the past two seasons, and this season he leads the NFL in rushing yards heading into week seven. But if he weren't playing in New York, nobody would even consider Tiki Barber for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I will give you five solid reasons why Tiki shouldn't make it to Canton.
Entering 2000, Tiki's fourth year in the league, the Giants were so excited about the prospect of having Tiki Barber be their starting tailback that they used their first round selection, the 11th overall, on running back Ron Dayne. Would a team with a Hall of Fame running back use a top-15 selection on another running back? No, they wouldn't.
During Tiki's 10-year career, he has never been considered the best back in the NFL, outside of New York. From Marshall Faulk to Priest Holmes to LaDainian Tomlinson, there have always been running backs in the NFL who were better than Barber, which brings me to my next point.
Tiki Barber has dominated the NFL so thoroughly that he has been elected to two Pro Bowls. He has never won an MVP award or even an NFL rushing title. Last season, he did have more total yards from scrimmage than MVP Shaun Alexander, but Alexander had 17 more touchdowns.
Would a team with a Hall of Fame running back use a top-15 selection on another running back? No, they wouldn't.
Barber's illustrious ability to fumble the football is the fourth reason he doesn't deserve to be enshrined in Canton. During his career, Tiki has had three seasons where he has fumbled more times than he has run for a touchdown and that's not including this season, where he has one fumble and no touchdowns.
The last reason Barber doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame is that he has never won a Super Bowl. In Tiki's only appearance in 2001, the Giants were annihilated by the Ravens, 34-7.
If Tiki Barber played several more seasons, he would have a much stronger case for induction. Of running backs who have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame over the past 15 years, only three have made it that played 10 or fewer seasons. Those three are Barry Sanders, Eric Dickerson and Earl Campbell. Tiki Barber does not come close to matching the statistics or overall ability of any of those three backs.
The interesting thing about the Pro Football Hall of Fame is that the people inducted don't need the Hall to be immortal. The next generation of football fans will know about Barry Sanders' legendary elusiveness or Earl Campbell's sheer power. But, aside from a few die-hard Giants fans, Tiki Barber will fade from public memory as time passes.
