New York Giants running back Tiki Barber should be the winner of this year’s NFL Most Valuable Player Award. As a matter of fact, for those of us who have watched him over the past several seasons, Barber should have won the MVP award at least once between the 2002 and 2004 seasons as well.
There is not a tougher back in the league. There is not a better, all-around back in the league. He certainly can run and he is a threat as a receiver out of the backfield. You can’t talk “all-around” unless you include blocking in the mix. For as great as LaDanian Tomlinson is for the Chargers, or Edgerrin James is for the Colts, and for as good as Shaun Alexander, Larry Johnson and Warrick Dunn are, none of these guys block as well as Barber.
And for those who need to see glitzy stats, going into this weekend’s NFL action Barber leads the league in yards from scrimmage. His effort versus the Chiefs on Saturday didn’t hurt his cause at all, as he rushed for a Giants franchise record 220 yards, and almost single-handedly willed the Giants to the team’s big win.
What makes Barber’s achievements so noteworthy is that at five foot 10 inches tall and about 200 pounds, he is considered to be way undersized to be an effective, every down running back in the NFL. Yet every year he gets his yards both inside and outside the tackles.
Barber works hard off and on the field, and the standard that he has set has been instrumental in whatever success the Giants have enjoyed during his career as a full time player.
No player is more responsible for his team’s success, especially this season, than Tiki Barber.
Article comments
1 - Tan The Man
Tiki has been underrated for many years...
2 - gonzo marx
Tiki rules, others drool
simplicity itself
he has shown more heart and a harder work ethic than most in the NFL...but the bottom line are the numbers he has put up there
this year has been pretty damn special, but even last years were awesome
so yes, yer beloved gonzo also voted Tiki fer MVP
nuff said?
Excelsior!
3 - Matthew T. Sussman
My knock on Tiki was his penchant for not holding on to the ball.
This year: 1 fumble. Much better.
My vote is probably for Panthers WR Steve Smith, who leads the universe in catches and yards. His absence last year was painfully felt. The defending NFC-crown-bearing Panthers went 7-9.
Still two more weeks to go.
4 - RJ Elliott
What about Shaun Alexander? Does anyone think the Seahawks would be even close to 12-2 without him?
5 - T Superior
I think Alexander and Barber are both on the same level of productivity (LT has the most talent and press but not driving his team as the first two). Where Alexander leads in rushing yards Barber more than makes up for in his ability to catch the ball, shed tackles, and block in the pocket. He is the best "all-around" back in the league right now, and dont talk to me about fumbles, he fixed that last year by simply changing the way he holds the ball and since then only Rudi Johnson has fumbled less.
6 - T Superior
I think Alexander and Barber are both on the same level of productivity (LT has the most talent and press but not driving his team as the first two). Where Alexander leads in rushing yards Barber more than makes up for in his ability to catch the ball, shed tackles, and block in the pocket. He is the best "all-around" back in the league right now, and dont talk to me about fumbles, he fixed that last year by simply changing the way he holds the ball and since then only Rudi Johnson has fumbled less.
7 - Matthew T. Sussman
ESPN lists 12 candidates:
-Shaun Alexander
-Tiki Barber
-Tom Brady
-Matt Hasselbeck
-Edgerrin James
-Larry Johnson
-Rudi Johnson
-Peyton Manning
-Carson Palmer
-Steve Smith
-LaDainian Tomlinson
-Brian Urlacher
And fans can rank 'em.
8 - sal m
i don't think a wide receiver should ever be either the mvp or the number one pick in the draft. for that matter, i don't think that i'd use any high first round pick on a wideout...
9 - RJ Elliott
I gave it a little thought, and here's how I ranked them:
-Shaun Alexander 1
-Tiki Barber 6
-Tom Brady 4
-Matt Hasselbeck 10
-Edgerrin James 8
-Larry Johnson 11
-Rudi Johnson 12
-Peyton Manning 3
-Carson Palmer 2
-Steve Smith 5
-LaDainian Tomlinson 9
-Brian Urlacher 7
10 - sal m
i only venture to rank 5:
tiki 1
brady 2
peyton 3
urlacher 4
palmer 5
11 - sal m
by the way, i would never vote for alexander based on his behavior last year where he threw a hissy fit because he didn't win the rushing title...
12 - Temple Stark
Sal, you call that a reason not to vote?
:-)
Icould be construed as being somewhat biased on this (LOL), but Alexander didn't break team records like Barber this year - he broke NFL records.
If you lost the rushing title by one yard after being pulled early from a game I'm sure many would be forgiven for being a little hot under the collar about it. How has he comported himself this year?
Pretty well.
Alexander will win, unless it's just a small market thing ?????????????
13 - Eric Berlin
Tiki is, among his other attributes, a highly unusual back in that he's improved with age and is, at 30 (I believe), at the peak of his career. He erased significant troubles with fumbling and is running behind what can only be described as a bang up offensive line.
Plus... he's just a lot of fun to watch, isn't he? After *many* years of a tepid to worse offense, the New York Giants are a joy to behold week in and week out.
14 - sal m
with regards to not voting for alexander based on his behavior last year, i'll say that when you have a group of guys that are so close, especially the top 5, something like what he did last year definitely has a bearing on my opinion of a player. and when you consider that most of these guys are really team players, alexander falls out of the group.
having played a bit in college and currently being a high school coach i'm turned off big time to guys who act in this manner. but i'm just old school...
15 - Tim
Shaun Alexander will win the mvp hands down. He broke the TD record AND led the league in rushing yards. What more can you ask from a running back.
16 - gonzo marx
well, he only beat Tiki by a few yards for the rushing record...and Tiki SMOKES everyone for total yards from scrimmage
showing he is more than a one dimensional back
TD record is impressive...but does that alone make someone the Most "Valuable" Player?
to my way of thinking, pass protection...slipping into the flat as a check down....judicious blocks for other receivers/runners
all these things have to be considered...and add to it what kind of Leadership and "spark" does the PLayer bring?
Tiki wins, hands down...not even close
your mileage may vary
Excelsior!
17 - Matthew T. Sussman
It will be close, but those are the only two even close. Steve Smith is probably a distant third, making this an interesting race with no NFC quarterbacks in sight.
On the AFC, Larry Johnson would have won it had the Chiefs made the playoffs. Instead, Tom Brady kept the Patriots together when they were mercilessly injured.