Tampa Bay Buccaneers Would Be Foolish to Pursue Tiki Barber

Tiki Barber is looking to make a comeback this upcoming season, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the pleasure of being one of only two teams to make Tiki’s short list of desired landing spots.

Only problem, for those of you who are unaware, is that Tiki Barber has been out of football for nearly five years.

The 2006 version of Tiki Barber was fantastic, and a number of teams would had been chomping at the bit to land the star running back.

My, oh my, how times change.

Barber went on to retire after the 2006 campaign to pursue his broadcast career, but not before he burned every bridge he had with the New York Giants and throwing quarterback Eli Manning and head coach Tom Coughlin under the bus repeatedly.

Barber would go on to make his much-ballyhooed television debut on NBC’s oversized Football Night in America show and quickly flame out.

More trouble would arise for Barber as it was revealed that he had an affair with an NBC intern and would eventually divorce his pregnant wife.

Not a smart PR plan by Mr. Barber.

Early this past spring, Barber announced he was returning to the NFL amid speculation that he was bankrupt and behind on child support payments.

So Tiki Barber wants to play football again, and he thinks Tampa Bay would be a great place to call home.

The Buccaneers would be foolish to bring Barber in for a litany of reasons.

First and foremost, running back is not a pressing need for the team, as LeGarrette Blount begins the season as the unquestioned starter. The team also has the unselfish Earnest Graham under contract as well as the likelihood of re-signing former starter Cadillac Williams.

Secondly, the team doesn’t need the distractions of having Tiki Barber around. This is the same team that turned down an appearance on Hard Knocks—why would they want to deal with the circus that would come with signing Tiki Barber?

Lastly, this is Josh Freeman’s team now. He doesn’t need Tiki Barber’s poor attitude and big mouth trying to undermine what he and his teammates are trying to accomplish.

If we learned anything from Tiki’s time with the Giants, it's that he loves the spotlight and has no issues throwing teammates or coaches under the bus.

Sounds like someone I would want on my team.