Tiki Barber Jersey

Tiki Barber NFL career

Barber was drafted by the New York Giants in the 2nd round of the 1997 NFL Draft out of the University of Virginia. He was originally intended to be a third-down running back until Rodney Hampton had disappointing years in 1996 and 1997. Hampton retired after the 1997 season, giving Barber the starting nod. He began his career with an impressive rookie campaign in which he started at running back and ran for more than 500 yards and 3 touchdowns. He missed four games with a knee injury but returned to the starting lineup for the final two games of the year. In 1998, he was replaced as a starter and went through a disappointing year before rebounding in 1999 when he accumulated 1,639 all-purpose yards, utilizing his punt return and receiving skills.

But it was in 2000 when Barber enjoyed his breakout year as a NFL running back. The Giants drafted running back Ron Dayne, the 1999 Heisman Trophy winner, with the 11th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, but it was Barber who starred in New York's backfield. The duo would be known as "Thunder and Lightning." Tiki started 12 games, ran for more than 1,000 yards, and notched 2,000 all-purpose yards. The Giants represented the NFC in the Super Bowl but lost to the Baltimore Ravens. Established as a starter and playmaker, Barber was rewarded with a six-year contract from the Giants following the 2000 season. He was quoted following the contract saying, "I'm the happiest man in New York right now."

Over the next 4 years Barber would become an integral part of the Giants offense. In the last regular season game of 2002, Tiki exploded for 203 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles, at the time one of the league's best defenses. His performance helped the Giants clinch a playoff berth, but the team fell to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild card round. He ended the season with 1,984 yards from scrimmage.

The 2003 NFL season saw the Giants finish an abysmal 4-12. Barber had only three touchdowns on the season, but finished with an impressive 1,651 yards from scrimmage.

Barber finished the 2004 season with 15 touchdowns, 1,518 yards rushing and 578 yards receiving for 2,096 total yards from scrimmage. On January 2, 2005, Tiki broke Rodney Hampton's Giants' all-time rushing record and Joe Morris's single-season rushing record in the same game.

However, the team struggled once again and only notched six wins in the 2004 season. As he approached age 30, Barber's goal was not just to run for 1,500+ yards each year but to be part of a team that would win a Super Bowl title. He has impressed this message upon younger players who may not appreciate how rare are the opportunities to win a championship.

2006

Barber continued his fine play into his final season in the NFL. He rushed for 1,662 yards and five touchdowns. Tiki's best game in 2006 was at Washington D.C. in which he rushed for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Giants 34-28 victory against the Redskins. Barber's performance in what was his final regular season game was crucial to the Giants' playoff hopes. Despite some controversial comments in the media about how he is underuitilized at times, he continues to display team dedication as an example for the younger players. During week 14 at Carolina, Barber rushed for 112 yards to help the Giants end a four game losing skid. He also became only the 21st player in NFL history to rush for over 10,000 yards during his career. And Tiki also became the third player in NFL history to gain more than 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards in a NFL career, joining Marshall Faulk and Marcus Allen. Barber once again broke into the record books on December 30th 2006 when he rushed for 234 yards against the Washington Redskins setting a new team record for rushing yards in a single game. His total yardage on the season is also higher than any other running back in history in their last season. And Tiki Barber became the third active player in NFL history to have four 2,000 total yard seasons, joining Marshall Faulk and Dante Hall.

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It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tiki Barber".