Yet Another Reason to Hate the Steelers

[Hostile]

Report: Tiki Barber likely to land in Pittsburgh

6/20/2011 7:24:02 AM

According to Peter King of SI.com, former Giants' running back Tiki Barber will likely land in Pittsburgh when he tries to return to football.

The Steelers have a head coach the Barber family knows well -- Mike Tomlin is close to twin Ronde Barber after coaching him in Tampa from 2001 to 2005 and also knows Tiki. Tomlin wouldn't be afraid of the sideshow Tiki Barber might create, nor would he be shy about pulling the plug if the 36-year-old back couldn't beat out the likes of Mewelde Moore.

The Steelers have a core of veteran stars; Tiki Barber would fit right in.

The Steelers have a good back, Rashard Mendenhall, but no back-of-the-future type who Barber would be robbing playing time from. And one NFL source tells me Barber really wants a shot to play in Pittsburgh. I'm also told that wherever he goes, Barber won't be content to be a mopup guy or insurance policy; he wants to play a lot. We'll see where he ends up this summer, if and when football happens, but Pittsburgh's my guess.

98k

 

[Fletch]

Now I have something to laugh about right in front of Squeelers' fans. Talk about a boring offseason up to this point.

 

[Stautner]

Just as long as he doesn't come to the Giants or another NFC East team. I think the odds of him having much success at this point are very small, but if he surprises me and can play at 75-80% of the level he was at when he retired i would rather him play in another division.

 

[Reality]

It's very obvious what Barber is doing .. he publicly stated he suffered from depression after he retired and I bet the Giants winning the Super Bowl right after that added to it. He's likely going to try to tag along for a Super Bowl ring because a lot of the guys in broadcasting have rings and he doesn't.

-Reality

 

[The30YardSlant]

Barber is 36, hasnt played in five years and was never a physical freak to begin with

There is no chance that this ends well for him. He's more likely to suffer a serious injury than he is actually helping a team win.

 

[Stautner]

It's very obvious what Barber is doing .. he publicly stated he suffered from depression after he retired and I bet the Giants winning the Super Bowl right after that added to it. He's likely going to try to tag along for a Super Bowl ring because a lot of the guys in broadcasting have rings and he doesn't.

-Reality

I think that's looking too hard for something negative to pin on him. I don't for a second think it has anything to do with trying to gain credibility as a broadcaster or feeling inferior to broadcasters who have rings. Hell, his media career isn't just wrapped up sports anyway.

I think it has to do with feeling unfulfilled - his endeavors after football probably haven't filled the void the way he thought they would, and he may not be finding they are as financially rewarding as he thought they would be. After his wife left him he may need some jack to fill the war chest a little.

 

[dmq]

I remember when he retired, his reasoning was that he ran into Curtis Martin and he couldn't believe how banged up he was from a very long NFL career. He wanted to get out while his body still felt good. A year from now he'll be even more depressed because he won't be much richer and his body is going to take a beating. Stupid move IMHO.

 

[Reality]

I think that's looking too hard for something negative to pin on him. I don't for a second think it has anything to do with trying to gain credibility as a broadcaster or feeling inferior to broadcasters who have rings. Hell, his media career isn't just wrapped up sports anyway.

I think it has to do with feeling unfulfilled - his endeavors after football probably haven't filled the void the way he thought they would, and he may not be finding they are as financially rewarding as he thought they would be. After his wife left him he may need some jack to fill the war chest a little.

I am not saying that because other broadcasters have rings, he must have them. I'm saying that combined with him retiring (quitting) on the Giants and then seeing them win the Super Bowl one year later and then having to see and hear about all of the Super Bowl wins and stories from his fellow broadcasters afterwards added to his depression.

He obviously feels that he needs a Super Bowl win to validate himself if to no one else other than himself which is why I said it is also obvious that he is going to try to tag along with a Super Bowl contending team in hopes of getting one.

Do I like him? Not really and not because he was a New York Giant. I lost respect for him when he quit on his team after whining about his team for the 1-2 years leading up to it as well as his post-retirement comments about the Giants. He could have taken the high road but he chose differently.

Those are just my feelings and everyone is entitled to their own .. in this case, I see a guy who quit on his team because he didn't like the coaches and some of his teammates and now regrets it.

If he would own up to it and how poorly he handled everything, he would have my respect. Unfortunately, quitters like him never do.

-Reality

 

[SkinsFan28]

but why is this another reason to hate the Steelers? Did you want Tiki on your team?

 

[Stautner]

but why is this another reason to hate the Steelers? Did you want Tiki on your team?

Some have a severe dislike of Tiki, so putting a player they dont like on a team they don't like is another reason to dislike the team.

 

[YosemiteSam]

It's very obvious what Barber is doing .. he publicly stated he suffered from depression after he retired and I bet the Giants winning the Super Bowl right after that added to it. He's likely going to try to tag along for a Super Bowl ring because a lot of the guys in broadcasting have rings and he doesn't.

-Reality

Not only that, he needs a job since his media career floundered like Michael Jordan's baseball career.

 

[Muhast]

If they sign him and cut Jonathan Dwyer, i'd love to pick him up.

 

[Fletch]

but why is this another reason to hate the Steelers? Did you want Tiki on your team?

We need no reasons to hate your team. So don't feel left out.

 

[SkinsFan28]

Some have a severe dislike of Tiki, so putting a player they dont like on a team they don't like is another reason to dislike the team.

Gotcha, just didn't understand the correlation. Thank you.

 

[Jimz31]

Barber or not, never could stand them. But yep, just another reason.

 

[Stautner]

Not only that, he needs a job since his media career floundered like Michael Jordan's baseball career.

I think your explaination is more plausible.

 

[big dog cowboy]

We need no reasons to hate your team. So don't feel left out.

:laugh2: