Player Spotlight: Tiki Barber (1 Viewer)

[Provy Wit]

If Barber is overvalued at #5, what RB is the correct value with the 5th pick without taking a risk?????

When you answer me that question with any conviction I will be more than happy to focus my attentions to that back

My vote for the lowest risk back after the top four is Rudi Johnson. My full reasoning is in that thread.http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...howtopic=250984

Problem with Rudi which in no way makes me take him over Tiki is that he doesnt catch any passes from the backfield. Barber could collapse this year and hes still going to eclpise 1400 yds

A healthy Rudi will RUSH for 1400 yds, book it.

|          Rushing         |        Receiving        |+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+| Year  TM |   G |   Att  Yards    Y/A   TD |   Rec  Yards   Y/R   TD |+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+| 2002 cin |   7 |    17     67    3.9    0 |     6     34   5.7    0 || 2003 cin |  13 |   215    957    4.5    9 |    21    146   7.0    0 || 2004 cin |  16 |   361   1454    4.0   12 |    15     84   5.6    0 || 2005 cin |  16 |   337   1458    4.3   12 |    23     90   3.9    0 |+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+|  TOTAL   |  52 |   930   3936    4.2   33 |    65    354   5.4    0

I'm not seeing the problem here.

90 recieving yards for the 5th pick in the draft is unacceptable. Even though I dont play in a points per recpetion league, I would never take Rudi that high. I agree that Rudi is a damn good running back, but as I do agree in some of the warning signs with Tiki, the guy is going to have more combined yards than Rudi Johnson. Tiki is the focal point of the Giants offense, the same cant be said for Rudi in Cincy. How you can justify a top 5 back with less than 100 receiving yards is beyond me. Just my two cents though.

 

[Snotbubbles]

A healthy Tiki good for 1600 total yards, you can book that:Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+| 1997 nyg | 12 | 136 511 3.8 3 | 34 299 8.8 1 || 1998 nyg | 16 | 52 166 3.2 0 | 42 348 8.3 3 || 1999 nyg | 16 | 62 258 4.2 0 | 66 609 9.2 2 || 2000 nyg | 16 | 213 1006 4.7 8 | 70 719 10.3 1 || 2001 nyg | 14 | 166 865 5.2 4 | 72 577 8.0 0 || 2002 nyg | 16 | 303 1386 4.6 11 | 69 597 8.7 0 || 2003 nyg | 16 | 278 1216 4.4 2 | 69 461 6.7 1 || 2004 nyg | 16 | 322 1518 4.7 13 | 52 578 11.1 2 || 2005 nyg | 16 | 357 1860 5.2 9 | 54 530 9.8 2 |+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+| TOTAL | 138 | 1889 8786 4.7 50 | 528 4718 8.9 12 |I don't see how anyone could prefer Rudi Johnson over Tiki Barber for this year.

Right now Tiki is being ranked in the top 4 RB this year. He is 31 years old and FBG did an article in 2004 stating that no player 31 or older (since 1993) has finished in the top 5 in RB. Not only that, but he is coming off a career year and no player seems to repeat that especially when they are 31. And, the giants are supposed to have a really tough schedule this year. Also, Not that you can predict injuries, but when a RB his 31 things start to break. and they start to really slow down. just ask holmes or faulk.

There is no direct correlation between age and risk of injury. Tiki Barber played 16 games last year yet younger players such as Deuce McCallister, Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown, Brian Westbrook, Dom Davis, Lamont Jordan, Chris Brown, DeShaun Foster, Julius Jones, Kevin Jones, and Stephen Jackson all missed time, some with significant injuries.

 

[Musesboy]

90 recieving yards for the 5th pick in the draft is unacceptable. Even though I dont play in a points per recpetion league, I would never take Rudi that high. I agree that Rudi is a damn good running back, but as I do agree in some of the warning signs with Tiki, the guy is going to have more combined yards than Rudi Johnson. Tiki is the focal point of the Giants offense, the same cant be said for Rudi in Cincy. How you can justify a top 5 back with less than 100 receiving yards is beyond me. Just my two cents though.

In leagues without PPR, I think Johnson is the safer pick. There are none of the age concerns or historial trends to overcome.My projection for Johnson:

360 carries 1580 yards 15 TDs

18 receptions 90 yards 0 TDs

And for Barber:

320 carries 1500 yards 7 TDs

50 receptions 440 yards 2 TDs

So I have Johnson at 270 yards less and 6 TDs more, so slightly ahead in most scoring formats that don't have PPR.

I don't think it's a huge stretch. I would certainly rather trade down three spots to get Johnson than take Barber, as I think he will finish marginally ahead of Barber in any case.

 

[Musesboy]

A healthy Tiki good for 1600 total yards, you can book that:

Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |

+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+

| 1997 nyg | 12 | 136 511 3.8 3 | 34 299 8.8 1 |

| 1998 nyg | 16 | 52 166 3.2 0 | 42 348 8.3 3 |

| 1999 nyg | 16 | 62 258 4.2 0 | 66 609 9.2 2 |

| 2000 nyg | 16 | 213 1006 4.7 8 | 70 719 10.3 1 |

| 2001 nyg | 14 | 166 865 5.2 4 | 72 577 8.0 0 |

| 2002 nyg | 16 | 303 1386 4.6 11 | 69 597 8.7 0 |

| 2003 nyg | 16 | 278 1216 4.4 2 | 69 461 6.7 1 |

| 2004 nyg | 16 | 322 1518 4.7 13 | 52 578 11.1 2 |

| 2005 nyg | 16 | 357 1860 5.2 9 | 54 530 9.8 2 |

+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+

| TOTAL | 138 | 1889 8786 4.7 50 | 528 4718 8.9 12 |

I don't see how anyone could prefer Rudi Johnson over Tiki Barber for this year.

Right now Tiki is being ranked in the top 4 RB this year. He is 31 years old and FBG did an article in 2004 stating that no player 31 or older (since 1993) has finished in the top 5 in RB.

Not only that, but he is coming off a career year and no player seems to repeat that especially when they are 31. And, the giants are supposed to have a really tough schedule this year.

Also, Not that you can predict injuries, but when a RB his 31 things start to break. and they start to really slow down. just ask holmes or faulk.

There is no direct correlation between age and risk of injury. Tiki Barber played 16 games last year yet younger players such as Deuce McCallister, Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown, Brian Westbrook, Dom Davis, Lamont Jordan, Chris Brown, DeShaun Foster, Julius Jones, Kevin Jones, and Stephen Jackson all missed time, some with significant injuries.

I also agree that Barber will get 1600+ total yards. But Rudi has only been about 60 yards below that for the last two seasons. That means that if Johnson scores one extra TD over Barber, they would be equal. I have him scoring six more. I don't think it's impossible that Johnson finishes ahead of Barber.

 

[Provy Wit]

90 recieving yards for the 5th pick in the draft is unacceptable. Even though I dont play in a points per recpetion league, I would never take Rudi that high. I agree that Rudi is a damn good running back, but as I do agree in some of the warning signs with Tiki, the guy is going to have more combined yards than Rudi Johnson. Tiki is the focal point of the Giants offense, the same cant be said for Rudi in Cincy. How you can justify a top 5 back with less than 100 receiving yards is beyond me. Just my two cents though.

In leagues without PPR, I think Johnson is the safer pick. There are none of the age concerns or historial trends to overcome.My projection for Johnson:

360 carries 1580 yards 15 TDs

18 receptions 90 yards 0 TDs

And for Barber:

320 carries 1500 yards 7 TDs

50 receptions 440 yards 2 TDs

So I have Johnson at 270 yards less and 6 TDs more, so slightly ahead in most scoring formats that don't have PPR.

I don't think it's a huge stretch. I would certainly rather trade down three spots to get Johnson than take Barber, as I think he will finish marginally ahead of Barber in any case.

I dont see Rudi running for 1600 yds on a team where he is not the go to guy, and Carson is coming off major surgery, they are going to dare Palmer to throw early in the season. Rudi is borderline 1st rd talent, defeinetly not top 5. I would take Ronnie Brown before I took Rudi Johnson

 

[jurb26]

A healthy Tiki good for 1600 total yards, you can book that:

Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |

+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+

| 1997 nyg | 12 | 136 511 3.8 3 | 34 299 8.8 1 |

| 1998 nyg | 16 | 52 166 3.2 0 | 42 348 8.3 3 |

| 1999 nyg | 16 | 62 258 4.2 0 | 66 609 9.2 2 |

| 2000 nyg | 16 | 213 1006 4.7 8 | 70 719 10.3 1 |

| 2001 nyg | 14 | 166 865 5.2 4 | 72 577 8.0 0 |

| 2002 nyg | 16 | 303 1386 4.6 11 | 69 597 8.7 0 |

| 2003 nyg | 16 | 278 1216 4.4 2 | 69 461 6.7 1 |

| 2004 nyg | 16 | 322 1518 4.7 13 | 52 578 11.1 2 |

| 2005 nyg | 16 | 357 1860 5.2 9 | 54 530 9.8 2 |

+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+

| TOTAL | 138 | 1889 8786 4.7 50 | 528 4718 8.9 12 |

I don't see how anyone could prefer Rudi Johnson over Tiki Barber for this year.

Right now Tiki is being ranked in the top 4 RB this year. He is 31 years old and FBG did an article in 2004 stating that no player 31 or older (since 1993) has finished in the top 5 in RB.

Not only that, but he is coming off a career year and no player seems to repeat that especially when they are 31. And, the giants are supposed to have a really tough schedule this year.

Also, Not that you can predict injuries, but when a RB his 31 things start to break. and they start to really slow down. just ask holmes or faulk.

There is no direct correlation between age and risk of injury. Tiki Barber played 16 games last year yet younger players such as Deuce McCallister, Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown, Brian Westbrook, Dom Davis, Lamont Jordan, Chris Brown, DeShaun Foster, Julius Jones, Kevin Jones, and Stephen Jackson all missed time, some with significant injuries.

I also agree that Barber will get 1600+ total yards. But Rudi has only been about 60 yards below that for the last two seasons. That means that if Johnson scores one extra TD over Barber, they would be equal. I have him scoring six more. I don't think it's impossible that Johnson finishes ahead of Barber.

Exactly! Rudi will score double digit TD, you can book that just like you can book Barbers 1600 yds. On top of that, you can book Rudi for 1500+ yds. Rudi is a far safer pick IMO. The rec angle has been overused in Barber's favor if you ask me.

 

[Musesboy]

90 recieving yards for the 5th pick in the draft is unacceptable. Even though I dont play in a points per recpetion league, I would never take Rudi that high. I agree that Rudi is a damn good running back, but as I do agree in some of the warning signs with Tiki, the guy is going to have more combined yards than Rudi Johnson. Tiki is the focal point of the Giants offense, the same cant be said for Rudi in Cincy. How you can justify a top 5 back with less than 100 receiving yards is beyond me. Just my two cents though.

In leagues without PPR, I think Johnson is the safer pick. There are none of the age concerns or historial trends to overcome.My projection for Johnson:

360 carries 1580 yards 15 TDs

18 receptions 90 yards 0 TDs

And for Barber:

320 carries 1500 yards 7 TDs

50 receptions 440 yards 2 TDs

So I have Johnson at 270 yards less and 6 TDs more, so slightly ahead in most scoring formats that don't have PPR.

I don't think it's a huge stretch. I would certainly rather trade down three spots to get Johnson than take Barber, as I think he will finish marginally ahead of Barber in any case.

I dont see Rudi running for 1600 yds on a team where he is not the go to guy, and Carson is coming off major surgery, they are going to dare Palmer to throw early in the season. Rudi is borderline 1st rd talent, defeinetly not top 5. I would take Ronnie Brown before I took Rudi Johnson

My full thoughts are in the Rudi Johnson thread, but he has had around 1540 combined yards for each of the last two years so 60 extra yards is only 1 extra TD.http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...howtopic=250984

You may be right about Brown but he will be entering unknown territory as he has never been asked to carry the full load before.

As a combination of proven production, age and risk, I like Johnson over Brown or Barber. It's close however.

 

[Provy Wit]

90 recieving yards for the 5th pick in the draft is unacceptable. Even though I dont play in a points per recpetion league, I would never take Rudi that high. I agree that Rudi is a damn good running back, but as I do agree in some of the warning signs with Tiki, the guy is going to have more combined yards than Rudi Johnson. Tiki is the focal point of the Giants offense, the same cant be said for Rudi in Cincy. How you can justify a top 5 back with less than 100 receiving yards is beyond me. Just my two cents though.

In leagues without PPR, I think Johnson is the safer pick. There are none of the age concerns or historial trends to overcome.My projection for Johnson:

360 carries 1580 yards 15 TDs

18 receptions 90 yards 0 TDs

And for Barber:

320 carries 1500 yards 7 TDs

50 receptions 440 yards 2 TDs

So I have Johnson at 270 yards less and 6 TDs more, so slightly ahead in most scoring formats that don't have PPR.

I don't think it's a huge stretch. I would certainly rather trade down three spots to get Johnson than take Barber, as I think he will finish marginally ahead of Barber in any case.

I dont see Rudi running for 1600 yds on a team where he is not the go to guy, and Carson is coming off major surgery, they are going to dare Palmer to throw early in the season. Rudi is borderline 1st rd talent, defeinetly not top 5. I would take Ronnie Brown before I took Rudi Johnson

My full thoughts are in the Rudi Johnson thread, but he has had around 1540 combined yards for each of the last two years so 60 extra yards is only 1 extra TD.http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...howtopic=250984

You may be right about Brown but he will be entering unknown territory as he has never been asked to carry the full load before.

As a combination of proven production, age and risk, I like Johnson over Brown or Barber. It's close however.

I respect your opinion on Rudi and I read your thread, I just cant get on this bandwagon, if your the fifth pick in the draft you have to be doing better than 90 reciving yards. Touchdowns are hard to predict, he can have 8 TD's or 13. Barber although he wont be in the 2300 yds area, I can safely say he will bring in 1800 yds barring injury.

 

[Musesboy]

I respect your opinion on Rudi and I read your thread, I just cant get on this bandwagon, if your the fifth pick in the draft you have to be doing better than 90 reciving yards. Touchdowns are hard to predict, he can have 8 TD's or 13. Barber although he wont be in the 2300 yds area, I can safely say he will bring in 1800 yds barring injury.

I respect your opinion too and I have Barber projected to finish with over 1900 total yards.It's certainly tough to have top five value with 90 yards receiving although Alexander only had 78 last year. His TD spike made up for it of course.

 

[Keys Myaths]

I'll admit it. Tiki COULD rush for 1800 yards again. He could somehow find the end zone 10 times again, even though he's not a red zone back.

Here's my problem.

Tiki has the biggest chance, by far, of being a bust out of the first 5 picks.

Repeat that.

Tiki has the biggest chance, by far, of being a bust out of the first 5 picks.

Am I saying he's GOING to be a bust? Nope. But he has the biggest chance, and I think the projections need to weigh that into consideration.

His last three years, he's rushed for 1200, then 1500, then 1850 yards. He's going to come down sometime...and people who have him over 1900 (sorry Musesboy), are asking for a bit much.

I'm tempering him from 2004, even.

305 rushes, 1370 yards, 5 rushing TDs. 56 catches, 540 yards, 2 receiving TDs.

Yes, you're going to scream and holler. "But he COULD rush for 1800 again!"

Sure he could.

But Curtis Martin, circa 2005, scares the CRAP out of me.

 

[H.K.]

Bad News for Tiki

The Situation Is This: Jacobs Wants the Football

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By JOHN BRANCH

Published: August 29, 2006

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Aug. 28 — Brandon Jacobs felt what it was like to be Tiki Barber, if only briefly. And he wants to be him again.

The best game Jacobs played in his short career at Auburn was against Mississippi State in 2003. A bullish running back, he gained 182 yards on 31 carries in a 45-13 victory.

He was not the star of the game. Another running back, Carnell Williams, better known now as Cadillac Williams of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, scored a school-record six touchdowns.

On a second-quarter drive, Jacobs carried the ball 10 times for 58 yards. He was removed when the ball was at the 2-yard line, and Williams scored the touchdown.

“Every time we get down there, they take me out,” Jacobs said, the memory fresh enough to warrant the present tense.

Now with the Giants, Jacobs is trying to bring his young career full circle. He is halfway there now, his role opposite from what it was that October day in 2003. Instead of getting the yards but not the touchdown, he does the reverse for the Giants.

Stopping the 6-foot-4, 265-pound Jacobs is akin to trying to tackle a bag of cement thrown your direction.

As a rookie last season, he carried the ball mostly when the Giants did not need Barber’s flash, just a yard or two for a first down or a score. Jacobs averaged a little more than two carries a game but scored seven touchdowns, two fewer than Barber, the Pro Bowl back who led the N.F.L. in yards from scrimmage.

With Barber suggesting he may retire after this season, and with the Giants hoping to conserve Barber’s energy, Jacobs is getting consideration as something more than a situational bulldozer.

“Brandon’s done a good job with our short yardage and our goal line, and when he’s run the ball, he’s run the ball effectively,” Coach Tom Coughlin said. “From a confidence standpoint, there’s no doubt that he’s improved. I watched him pass-protect today and he did a nice job with that, so I’m very confident that he is much further along than he was a year ago and can handle more parts of the offense.”

Through three preseason games, Jacobs leads the Giants in carries (26) and yards (87), and has scored the team’s only three rushing touchdowns — all, predictably, from the 1-yard line.

Most telling is that Jacobs has been playing with the first-team offense in practice, something that did not happen last year. Jacobs hopes it is a sign of the season to come.

“I just want to get out and play more and show other teams that I’m not just used for short yardage, so they won’t be able to key on me in short yardage and goal line when I’m in games,” Jacobs said. “I want it to be so that when No. 27 is out there, they don’t know what’s going on because I do it all.”

Jacobs carries an understated moxie on his broad shoulders, an I’ll-show-you attitude built partly from his one season at Auburn.

He transferred there after two years at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, plowing into a depth chart that included Williams and Ronnie Brown, now with the Miami Dolphins. All three were juniors.

Behind Williams, Jacobs and Brown tied for second in rushing yards, with Jacobs doing it in 23 fewer carries.

But Jacobs scored only 3 of Auburn’s 32 rushing touchdowns. By the end of the regular season, he was spit from the rotation.

Auburn tried to convert Jacobs to linebacker, and he practiced there before the Music City Bowl, alongside Reggie Torbor, now a Giants linebacker.

“He looked funny out there,” Torbor said.

Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville suggested at the time that a position change might be Jacobs’s clearest route to the N.F.L. But Jacobs said he knew long before that — when he had only one carry in a loss at Louisiana State, near his hometown, Napoleonville, the week after his 182-yard performance — that he would transfer. He played his senior year at Southern Illinois, and was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2005 draft.

“Here I am as a running back, making a pretty good living, actually doing pretty good,” said Jacobs, still bothered by his time at Auburn. “Some coaches think they know everything, but they really don’t. They tell you what they think is best, but it’s really what’s best for them.”

The Giants are trying to decide what is best for them, too: to keep Jacobs as a one-trick wonder or unleash him as an all-around back. In their search for the next Tiki Barber, the Giants may have to rewind some three-year-old college tape.

I'll need to fully retract my previous position on Barber. I would expect some sort of 60/40 RBBC in New York this season, with Jacobs getting 80% or RB scores and a large portion of the receptions that Tiki once got.

 

[Tyrion]

Bad News for Tiki

The Situation Is This: Jacobs Wants the Football

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By JOHN BRANCH

Published: August 29, 2006

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Aug. 28 — Brandon Jacobs felt what it was like to be Tiki Barber, if only briefly. And he wants to be him again.

The best game Jacobs played in his short career at Auburn was against Mississippi State in 2003. A bullish running back, he gained 182 yards on 31 carries in a 45-13 victory.

He was not the star of the game. Another running back, Carnell Williams, better known now as Cadillac Williams of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, scored a school-record six touchdowns.

On a second-quarter drive, Jacobs carried the ball 10 times for 58 yards. He was removed when the ball was at the 2-yard line, and Williams scored the touchdown.

“Every time we get down there, they take me out,” Jacobs said, the memory fresh enough to warrant the present tense.

Now with the Giants, Jacobs is trying to bring his young career full circle. He is halfway there now, his role opposite from what it was that October day in 2003. Instead of getting the yards but not the touchdown, he does the reverse for the Giants.

Stopping the 6-foot-4, 265-pound Jacobs is akin to trying to tackle a bag of cement thrown your direction.

As a rookie last season, he carried the ball mostly when the Giants did not need Barber’s flash, just a yard or two for a first down or a score. Jacobs averaged a little more than two carries a game but scored seven touchdowns, two fewer than Barber, the Pro Bowl back who led the N.F.L. in yards from scrimmage.

With Barber suggesting he may retire after this season, and with the Giants hoping to conserve Barber’s energy, Jacobs is getting consideration as something more than a situational bulldozer.

“Brandon’s done a good job with our short yardage and our goal line, and when he’s run the ball, he’s run the ball effectively,” Coach Tom Coughlin said. “From a confidence standpoint, there’s no doubt that he’s improved. I watched him pass-protect today and he did a nice job with that, so I’m very confident that he is much further along than he was a year ago and can handle more parts of the offense.”

Through three preseason games, Jacobs leads the Giants in carries (26) and yards (87), and has scored the team’s only three rushing touchdowns — all, predictably, from the 1-yard line.

Most telling is that Jacobs has been playing with the first-team offense in practice, something that did not happen last year. Jacobs hopes it is a sign of the season to come.

“I just want to get out and play more and show other teams that I’m not just used for short yardage, so they won’t be able to key on me in short yardage and goal line when I’m in games,” Jacobs said. “I want it to be so that when No. 27 is out there, they don’t know what’s going on because I do it all.”

Jacobs carries an understated moxie on his broad shoulders, an I’ll-show-you attitude built partly from his one season at Auburn.

He transferred there after two years at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, plowing into a depth chart that included Williams and Ronnie Brown, now with the Miami Dolphins. All three were juniors.

Behind Williams, Jacobs and Brown tied for second in rushing yards, with Jacobs doing it in 23 fewer carries.

But Jacobs scored only 3 of Auburn’s 32 rushing touchdowns. By the end of the regular season, he was spit from the rotation.

Auburn tried to convert Jacobs to linebacker, and he practiced there before the Music City Bowl, alongside Reggie Torbor, now a Giants linebacker.

“He looked funny out there,” Torbor said.

Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville suggested at the time that a position change might be Jacobs’s clearest route to the N.F.L. But Jacobs said he knew long before that — when he had only one carry in a loss at Louisiana State, near his hometown, Napoleonville, the week after his 182-yard performance — that he would transfer. He played his senior year at Southern Illinois, and was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2005 draft.

“Here I am as a running back, making a pretty good living, actually doing pretty good,” said Jacobs, still bothered by his time at Auburn. “Some coaches think they know everything, but they really don’t. They tell you what they think is best, but it’s really what’s best for them.”

The Giants are trying to decide what is best for them, too: to keep Jacobs as a one-trick wonder or unleash him as an all-around back. In their search for the next Tiki Barber, the Giants may have to rewind some three-year-old college tape.

I'll need to fully retract my previous position on Barber. I would expect some sort of 60/40 RBBC in New York this season, with Jacobs getting 80% or RB scores and a large portion of the receptions that Tiki once got.

I will believe it when I see it. Tiki still looks damn good and better than Jacobs.

 

[RatMan]

Bad News for Tiki

The Situation Is This: Jacobs Wants the Football

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By JOHN BRANCH

Published: August 29, 2006

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Aug. 28 — Brandon Jacobs felt what it was like to be Tiki Barber, if only briefly. And he wants to be him again.

The best game Jacobs played in his short career at Auburn was against Mississippi State in 2003. A bullish running back, he gained 182 yards on 31 carries in a 45-13 victory.

He was not the star of the game. Another running back, Carnell Williams, better known now as Cadillac Williams of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, scored a school-record six touchdowns.

On a second-quarter drive, Jacobs carried the ball 10 times for 58 yards. He was removed when the ball was at the 2-yard line, and Williams scored the touchdown.

“Every time we get down there, they take me out,” Jacobs said, the memory fresh enough to warrant the present tense.

Now with the Giants, Jacobs is trying to bring his young career full circle. He is halfway there now, his role opposite from what it was that October day in 2003. Instead of getting the yards but not the touchdown, he does the reverse for the Giants.

Stopping the 6-foot-4, 265-pound Jacobs is akin to trying to tackle a bag of cement thrown your direction.

As a rookie last season, he carried the ball mostly when the Giants did not need Barber’s flash, just a yard or two for a first down or a score. Jacobs averaged a little more than two carries a game but scored seven touchdowns, two fewer than Barber, the Pro Bowl back who led the N.F.L. in yards from scrimmage.

With Barber suggesting he may retire after this season, and with the Giants hoping to conserve Barber’s energy, Jacobs is getting consideration as something more than a situational bulldozer.

“Brandon’s done a good job with our short yardage and our goal line, and when he’s run the ball, he’s run the ball effectively,” Coach Tom Coughlin said. “From a confidence standpoint, there’s no doubt that he’s improved. I watched him pass-protect today and he did a nice job with that, so I’m very confident that he is much further along than he was a year ago and can handle more parts of the offense.”

Through three preseason games, Jacobs leads the Giants in carries (26) and yards (87), and has scored the team’s only three rushing touchdowns — all, predictably, from the 1-yard line.

Most telling is that Jacobs has been playing with the first-team offense in practice, something that did not happen last year. Jacobs hopes it is a sign of the season to come.

“I just want to get out and play more and show other teams that I’m not just used for short yardage, so they won’t be able to key on me in short yardage and goal line when I’m in games,” Jacobs said. “I want it to be so that when No. 27 is out there, they don’t know what’s going on because I do it all.”

Jacobs carries an understated moxie on his broad shoulders, an I’ll-show-you attitude built partly from his one season at Auburn.

He transferred there after two years at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, plowing into a depth chart that included Williams and Ronnie Brown, now with the Miami Dolphins. All three were juniors.

Behind Williams, Jacobs and Brown tied for second in rushing yards, with Jacobs doing it in 23 fewer carries.

But Jacobs scored only 3 of Auburn’s 32 rushing touchdowns. By the end of the regular season, he was spit from the rotation.

Auburn tried to convert Jacobs to linebacker, and he practiced there before the Music City Bowl, alongside Reggie Torbor, now a Giants linebacker.

“He looked funny out there,” Torbor said.

Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville suggested at the time that a position change might be Jacobs’s clearest route to the N.F.L. But Jacobs said he knew long before that — when he had only one carry in a loss at Louisiana State, near his hometown, Napoleonville, the week after his 182-yard performance — that he would transfer. He played his senior year at Southern Illinois, and was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2005 draft.

“Here I am as a running back, making a pretty good living, actually doing pretty good,” said Jacobs, still bothered by his time at Auburn. “Some coaches think they know everything, but they really don’t. They tell you what they think is best, but it’s really what’s best for them.”

The Giants are trying to decide what is best for them, too: to keep Jacobs as a one-trick wonder or unleash him as an all-around back. In their search for the next Tiki Barber, the Giants may have to rewind some three-year-old college tape.

I'll need to fully retract my previous position on Barber. I would expect some sort of 60/40 RBBC in New York this season, with Jacobs getting 80% or RB scores and a large portion of the receptions that Tiki once got.

These types of stoires are written everywhere every preseason. Substitute in any starting and backup RB in your storyline. The bolded portion, in particular, is due primarily to the Giants wanting to keep Tiki--- who's key to them-- fresh and ready for the real season. Who knows about TDs, hard to predict, but Tiki will still rack up mega yards.

 

[H.K.]

These types of stoires are written everywhere every preseason. Substitute in any starting and backup RB in your storyline. The bolded portion, in particular, is due primarily to the Giants wanting to keep Tiki--- who's key to them-- fresh and ready for the real season. Who knows about TDs, hard to predict, but Tiki will still rack up mega yards.

This one is different. Barber was about to retire, this is probably his last year. He's done.I wish I knew this before my drafts. It will be statistically impossible for him to be Top 10 this year, let alone top 5 where most had him ranked. Here's to you, Tiki . Time to move on.

 

[RatMan]

These types of stoires are written everywhere every preseason. Substitute in any starting and backup RB in your storyline. The bolded portion, in particular, is due primarily to the Giants wanting to keep Tiki--- who's key to them-- fresh and ready for the real season. Who knows about TDs, hard to predict, but Tiki will still rack up mega yards.

This one is different. Barber was about to retire, this is probably his last year. He's done.I wish I knew this before my drafts. It will be statistically impossible for him to be Top 10 this year, let alone top 5 where most had him ranked. Here's to you, Tiki . Time to move on.

Yeah, he probably will retire after this season, but we're talking about what he will do during this season. Brandon Jacobs is good for lumbering for a yard or two. That's it. Tiki will still do everything else. But, hey, its your right to be influenced by preseason fluff articles. Hope it doesn't hurt you.

 

[Noahs Troopers]

Bad News for Tiki

The Situation Is This: Jacobs Wants the Football

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By JOHN BRANCH

Published: August 29, 2006

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Aug. 28 — Brandon Jacobs felt what it was like to be Tiki Barber, if only briefly. And he wants to be him again.

The best game Jacobs played in his short career at Auburn was against Mississippi State in 2003. A bullish running back, he gained 182 yards on 31 carries in a 45-13 victory.

He was not the star of the game. Another running back, Carnell Williams, better known now as Cadillac Williams of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, scored a school-record six touchdowns.

On a second-quarter drive, Jacobs carried the ball 10 times for 58 yards. He was removed when the ball was at the 2-yard line, and Williams scored the touchdown.

“Every time we get down there, they take me out,” Jacobs said, the memory fresh enough to warrant the present tense.

Now with the Giants, Jacobs is trying to bring his young career full circle. He is halfway there now, his role opposite from what it was that October day in 2003. Instead of getting the yards but not the touchdown, he does the reverse for the Giants.

Stopping the 6-foot-4, 265-pound Jacobs is akin to trying to tackle a bag of cement thrown your direction.

As a rookie last season, he carried the ball mostly when the Giants did not need Barber’s flash, just a yard or two for a first down or a score. Jacobs averaged a little more than two carries a game but scored seven touchdowns, two fewer than Barber, the Pro Bowl back who led the N.F.L. in yards from scrimmage.

With Barber suggesting he may retire after this season, and with the Giants hoping to conserve Barber’s energy, Jacobs is getting consideration as something more than a situational bulldozer.

“Brandon’s done a good job with our short yardage and our goal line, and when he’s run the ball, he’s run the ball effectively,” Coach Tom Coughlin said. “From a confidence standpoint, there’s no doubt that he’s improved. I watched him pass-protect today and he did a nice job with that, so I’m very confident that he is much further along than he was a year ago and can handle more parts of the offense.”

Through three preseason games, Jacobs leads the Giants in carries (26) and yards (87), and has scored the team’s only three rushing touchdowns — all, predictably, from the 1-yard line.

Most telling is that Jacobs has been playing with the first-team offense in practice, something that did not happen last year. Jacobs hopes it is a sign of the season to come.

“I just want to get out and play more and show other teams that I’m not just used for short yardage, so they won’t be able to key on me in short yardage and goal line when I’m in games,” Jacobs said. “I want it to be so that when No. 27 is out there, they don’t know what’s going on because I do it all.”

Jacobs carries an understated moxie on his broad shoulders, an I’ll-show-you attitude built partly from his one season at Auburn.

He transferred there after two years at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, plowing into a depth chart that included Williams and Ronnie Brown, now with the Miami Dolphins. All three were juniors.

Behind Williams, Jacobs and Brown tied for second in rushing yards, with Jacobs doing it in 23 fewer carries.

But Jacobs scored only 3 of Auburn’s 32 rushing touchdowns. By the end of the regular season, he was spit from the rotation.

Auburn tried to convert Jacobs to linebacker, and he practiced there before the Music City Bowl, alongside Reggie Torbor, now a Giants linebacker.

“He looked funny out there,” Torbor said.

Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville suggested at the time that a position change might be Jacobs’s clearest route to the N.F.L. But Jacobs said he knew long before that — when he had only one carry in a loss at Louisiana State, near his hometown, Napoleonville, the week after his 182-yard performance — that he would transfer. He played his senior year at Southern Illinois, and was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2005 draft.

“Here I am as a running back, making a pretty good living, actually doing pretty good,” said Jacobs, still bothered by his time at Auburn. “Some coaches think they know everything, but they really don’t. They tell you what they think is best, but it’s really what’s best for them.”

The Giants are trying to decide what is best for them, too: to keep Jacobs as a one-trick wonder or unleash him as an all-around back. In their search for the next Tiki Barber, the Giants may have to rewind some three-year-old college tape.

I'll need to fully retract my previous position on Barber. I would expect some sort of 60/40 RBBC in New York this season, with Jacobs getting 80% or RB scores and a large portion of the receptions that Tiki once got.

FLUFF PIECE.

 

[4 - Digit Shark]

I'll need to fully retract my previous position on Barber. I would expect some sort of 60/40 RBBC in New York this season, with Jacobs getting 80% or RB scores and a large portion of the receptions that Tiki once got.

Let me guess. Your draft is tomorrow and you know all the guppies in the league are doing their research here tonight???Sure, their going to replace Tiki with Jacobs on passing downs. I guess they want to ease Tiki into retirement while allowing the offense to suffer this year. That makes sense.Tiki will get his 50+ receptions, 1700+ total yards and 6 - 10 TD's no matter what is said during the preseason. He'd hit those numbers even if Jacobs got 100 carries this year.

 

[Musesboy]

Predicted

320 carries 1500 yards 7 TDs

50 receptions 440 yards 2 TDs

Actual

327 carries 1662 yards 5 TDs

58 receptions 465 yards 0 TDs

I am very happy with this prediction. Under on the yards, over on the TDs (but closer than most) and very close on the fantasy points total for my scoring systems. His big week came one week late for most owners, but Barber proved that there can be life beyond 30 years of age for the elite running backs.

Tiki Barber has been one of the most undervalued fantasy players for several seasons. Some have pointed to his lack of goal line carries, others have claimed that his age will slow him down, and many thought that Eli Manning would be so ineffective last year that teams would be able to concentrate on stopping Barber. Wrong, wrong and wrong. Last year, Barber accumulated the second-highest number of yards of any RB in the history of the NFL with a total of 2390.

The only thing that can possibly cause Barber to drop in drafts yet again is his age: He is 31 years old. It is all too easy to cite examples showing how quickly RBs decline once they reach the age of 30.

Barber is coming off the best two seasons of his career. He certainly hasn't shown any signs that he is slowing down. In fact, his 5.2 yards per carry last year equaled his career best, and he carried more times than ever before. He is already lifting the maximum weight he achieved last year and says that he is 15% stronger at this stage of the preseason. That sounds like a man who is driven to succeed. There are exceptions to most rules, and I believe that Barber can defy the odds and have a very productive season. Priest Holmes didn't see a huge decline until he turned 32, and I think that Barber can play at a high level for one more season.

The passing game should continue to improve. Eli Manning is entering his third year as the starter and there is certainly still room for improvement. His completion percentage will almost certainly rise. Plaxico Burress will be more familiar with Manning and the system after playing in it last year. Those factors should help prevent defenses from focusing too much on stopping the run.

Prediction

320 carries 1500 yards 7 TDs

50 receptions 440 yards 2 TDs