Barber's Back

I'm going to be honest: The first thing I thought when I read (on Twitter) that former Giants running back Tiki Barber was coming out of retirement, I thought there was absolutely no way it was true. It was just a Twitter hoax like the deaths of Mick Jagger, Justin Beiber, or the the Sham-Wow guy... that was a hoax, right?

But then I found out it was true: Tiki Barber is back.

I know he's gotten a lot of criticism for it, and the comparisons to somebody named Brett have been abounding, even earning him the nickname "Tiki Farvber." This is totally uncalled for. I'm not a homer for Tiki, but if the man wants to come back after a three-year hiatus from the game, that's completely fine; there's nothing wrong with that. The only problem is that he's almost 35 years old, and he's a running back. The day most tailbacks turn 30 is the day that coaches and fans begin to question their worth and how much tread they have left on the tires.

Tiki's six years past that mark, what's worse is he's been out of the game for three years, and he didn't really pick the best time to enter the league... just saying.

So yes, this decision is kind of a puzzler. The kind of thing that would make you hashtag #smh on Twitter. But it was his decision to make, and he's not putting anyone through the drama that Favre did with his unretirement(s). You can bash on him all you want, but I say more power (and money) to him. If he does well, then great- he proved everyone wrong. But if he doesn't, which very well might be the case, then the embarrassment and humiliation of his failed attempt to come back to the league will be more than enough punishment.