# Tiki Barber wants back in the NFL **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 9, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074 "2011-03-09T18:49:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/1 "2011-03-09T18:49:08Z")
I’m sure you’ve all seen this by now but if not, story [here](http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Jay-Glazer-Tiki-Barber-come-out-of-retirement-return-to-NFL-030811). 36 years old and out of football for 5 years, is he out of his mind?! Maybe he can hook up with Jeff George and they can sign somewhere as the “WAY Over the Hill” package deal. Seriously, is there any real possibility that someone would consider signing him? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/2 "2011-03-09T18:54:26Z")
Depends on what he’s got left in the tank. If he looks like he’s got something left, I can see him maybe getting a shot somewhere. Got to admit I’m pretty dubious about whether he can still go at the NFL level… ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/3 "2011-03-09T19:00:22Z")
Thats what trying out walk ons is all about. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/4 "2011-03-09T19:26:21Z")
The Redskins’ll sign him. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/5 "2011-03-09T19:27:05Z")
According to the [SI.com story](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/nfl/03/08/tiki-barber-unretires/index.html?eref=sihp) on the topic, Tiki is apparently broke. He lost his (undoubtedly lucrative) NBC jobs after leaving his pregnant wife (who then divorced him) for an NBC intern. I strongly suspect that money is a big part of the motivation. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/6 "2011-03-09T19:28:06Z")
> [@soulmurk](#): > > The Redskins’ll sign him. Was having a conversation yesterday with a friend who’s a Redskins fan about Barber; he said the same thing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/7 "2011-03-09T19:30:22Z")
Maybe he sees the strike as a good thing and wants to be the best replacement player ever. Either that or his child support payments are killing him. It takes a special kind of classy to ditch your still-pregnant wife for an intern. At least Tom Brady did it for a supermodel. ETA: Sniped by kenobi! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/8 "2011-03-09T19:32:02Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > According to the [SI.com story](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/nfl/03/08/tiki-barber-unretires/index.html?eref=sihp) on the topic, Tiki is apparently broke. He lost his (undoubtedly lucrative) NBC jobs after leaving his pregnant wife (who then divorced him) for an NBC intern. I strongly suspect that money is a big part of the motivation. I forgot about the divorce but I had a feeling he must be having money problems. He’s been through too many jobs since he retired. ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/9 "2011-03-09T19:42:48Z")
Of course everyone has doubts that Tiki could even play anymore, as well they should, but I think people forget that Tiki retired when he was still really good and really productive. Even with diminished skills he could be productive as a backup if he kept himself in shape. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/10 "2011-03-09T19:44:50Z")
As you’d expect, Football Outsiders [has an article on this](http://footballoutsiders.com/extra-points/2011/tiki-barber-plans-return). Their prognosis for his performance is not good. Below are their cited best seasons ever by a RB older than 36: > [@](#): > > Marcus Allen: 830 yards, 1996 > John Riggins: 677 yards, 1985 > Marcus Allen: 505 yards, 1997 > MacArthur Lane: 277 yards, 1978 Considering Tiki’s vet minimum with all his years of service will be, IIRC, ~$860k, good luck getting on somewhere… Was he even that good of a teammate that you could justify burning the money to have him as a mentor to younger players/veteran leadership? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/11 "2011-03-09T20:02:08Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > According to the [SI.com story](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/nfl/03/08/tiki-barber-unretires/index.html?eref=sihp) on the topic, Tiki is apparently broke. He lost his (undoubtedly lucrative) NBC jobs after leaving his pregnant wife (who then divorced him) for an NBC intern. I strongly suspect that money is a big part of the motivation. I figured it HAD to be something like that. A guy doesn’t try to make a comeback after 5 years away unless he’s desperate. Tiki MAY have had another decent year or two left when he retired, but running backs are rarely very productive after age 30, and it’s a safe bet he hasn’t gotten faster or stronger after 5 years in the studio. This is just sad. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/12 "2011-03-09T20:09:35Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Was having a conversation yesterday with a friend who’s a Redskins fan about Barber; he said the same thing. 😃 Last year their backfield at the beginning of the season was Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson and Willie Parker. They even went with Joey Galloway as a third WR until it became painfully obvious even to them that the guy couldn’t play any longer. They love washed up stars, and they love to overpay for them. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/13 "2011-03-09T22:14:01Z")
I thought washed-up running backs always went to the Cardinals. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/14 "2011-03-09T22:25:45Z")
> [@soulmurk](#): > > Last year their backfield at the beginning of the season was Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson and Willie Parker. They even went with Joey Galloway as a third WR until it became painfully obvious even to them that the guy couldn’t play any longer. > > They love washed up stars, and they love to overpay for them. Maybe Snyder will lure Riggins out of the radio booth and into a uniform. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/15 "2011-03-10T04:48:51Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Tiki MAY have had another decent year or two left when he retired, but running backs are rarely very productive after age 30, and it’s a safe bet he hasn’t gotten faster or stronger after 5 years in the studio. On the plus side, he hasn’t taken a pounding for the past 5 years (which was often pointed to as part of the reason why Marcus Allen stayed productive for so long – he was underused during the latter part of his Raiders career). But, as you note, he’s likely not worked out at anything approaching his prior levels over the past few years, and 5 more years under his belt won’t have made him any faster. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/16 "2011-03-10T13:42:06Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Maybe Snyder will lure Riggins out of the radio booth and into a uniform. Riggins has been very vocally critical of Danny Boy. The only thing Snyder could lure him to do is punch him in his mouth. Unless the money were right. Everyone has his price. Just thing, a backfield of John Riggins and Tiki Barber! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/17 "2011-03-10T16:06:12Z")
> [@soulmurk](#): > > Riggins has been very vocally critical of Danny Boy. The only thing Snyder could lure him to do is punch him in his mouth. I, for one, would pay to see this. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/18 "2011-03-10T16:12:29Z")
Tiki just can’t get enough humble pie. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/19 "2011-03-10T22:16:31Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m sure you’ve all seen this by now but if not, story [here](http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Jay-Glazer-Tiki-Barber-come-out-of-retirement-return-to-NFL-030811). > > 36 years old and out of football for 5 years, is he out of his mind?! Maybe he can hook up with Jeff George and they can sign somewhere as the “WAY Over the Hill” package deal. > > Seriously, is there any real possibility that someone would consider signing him? One slight difference: Jeff George sucked when he was YOUNG. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiki-barber-wants-back-in-the-nfl/574074/20 "2011-03-10T23:57:20Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I, for one, would pay to see this. 😃 My thoughts EXACTLY!