Posted by Will BrinsonEver since depression chased running back Tiki Barber into the NFL spotlight again, he's managed to stay in the news cycle, largely in part to the unholy amount of interviews he's given in recent weeks.
But thus far, he's only dropped clues about what team he'll be gracing with his presence when the 2011 season fires up.
Until now, anyway; in his latest chat, this time with Tom Pedulla of USA Today, Tiki offered up his preference to play for either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"We're not looking to turn this into an auction," Tiki's agent Mark Lepselter said. "There are only a handful of coaches he would want to play for." There's just a couple of problems with this setup. First, Tiki is old, and that makes him the type of guy who won't be involved in an auction.
| Tiki Time |
|
Second, if he's narrowed down his list of choices to just two, he may find himself disappointed. That's because in order for his choices to matter, the Bucs and the Steelers have to also want Tiki.
Mike Freeman put it well in the Daily Shoutout today: "I don't think the Steelers and Bucs give a damn about Barber."
I'd agree. And I also think there are two pretty good pieces of evidence on hand as to why they don't care about Barber.
For the Steelers, Ryan Wilson's in-house breakdown of why Tiki to Pittsburgh doesn't make sense will suffice. (If you don't feel like reading: Barber's a bad fit, Mike Tomlin doesn't want the drama and Tiki's old.)
For Tampa, the biggest piece of evidence is something that's lacked: Ronde Barber's support.
This is, after all, Tiki's twin we're talking about, and he's yet to come out in support of his brother's return and/or the possibility of Tiki coming to Tampa Bay, even though he's found time to praise Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
So, yes, ironically enough, silence is the most damning evidence available for Tiki Barber.
For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsnfl on Twitter and subscribe to our RSS Feed.
