Retired New York Giants running back Tiki Barber was at American Dream Mall this past Friday to support the New Jersey Lottery’s second annual Rock, Paper, Scissors Throwdown. The former All-Pro helped kick off the event, which included 384 participants competing over a three-day span for a grand prize of $10,000.
Before going head-to-head against fans in Rock, Paper, Scissors, Barber spoke to a live audience, discussing some of the hot topics surrounding the Giants.
After battling fans in the classic game, Barber spoke with Giants Wire about the event, as well as answering questions about his former team.
On the Giants competing under John Harbaugh this season:
“I think this is a winning team. I think they started the process a year ago, even though they lost a lot of those games—tight games. There’s a culture that you can see building internally with the players who are here,” Barber said. “I think bringing in guys like Tremaine Edmonds, they’re making sure they re-signed Jermaine Eluemunor to keep our core together, and you’re going to accent it with the draft. And you have a great coaching staff that has years of consistent competency under its belt.”
On Cam Skattebo’s rookie season:
“His intensity. I always have this thing on Evan and Tiki; they have a drop of me saying, ‘I hate rookies.’ And the reason is because most rookies don’t get it,” Barber said. “Like, there is a business to the success of finding success, and being happy to be here is not gonna help the people from the team be successful, which ultimately isn’t gonna cost people their jobs. And so, Jeremy Shockey, as a rookie, you knew it Day 1. You knew he understood it. Cam Skattebo, Day 1, you knew he understood it. And so I appreciate that.”
On Tyrone Tracy Jr. flying under the radar:
“He has, but of the skilled position players over the last two years—and that’s his class—he’s the only one that’s got over 1,000 yards in both of those years, and there are some really good players in that class. He’s in an odd position. But I don’t think it’s a bad one,” Barber said.
“I remember early in my career, and they kept—I kept almost getting replaced. But all it did was motivate me to be better, to find ways to improve my game, to get stronger, all those things. And ultimately, it took me a few years, but I turned into the player that everybody remembers. I think Tyrone Tracy has a way to follow a similar path. He’s still learning how to be a running back, but he has really good instincts—just sort of innate instincts to be a back.”
On the potential of the Giants selecting Jeremiah Love in the NFL draft:
“Jeremiah Love is special. He’s a special player. He’s smart as a runner. He’s got a high football IQ. His physical tools,” Barber said. “And if you could get a game-changing running back—’cause there aren’t a ton of them in the league. Christian McCaffrey, Saquon, Derrick Henry, and then that’s really kind of about it. Like, if you could get somebody who could change the game with 20 touches a game, you can’t pass that up.
“And I know why people have this—we always say on Evan and Tiki, ‘post-traumatic Saquon Barkley,’ right? But it’s a completely different situation. The Giants don’t need anything. I love what they’ve done on defense, but I also have seen, over the last two years, the need for a great running game, and by that I mean a running back, has started to become more apparent.”
On how Patrick Ricard is going to help Jaxson Dart:
“Yeah, well, it’s pass blocking. I think one of the hardest things for a running back to do is think about everything you need to do as a runner, then as a receiver, and now as a pass blocker. Because 70 percent of the time, you’re pass blocking or in a position to help pass block,” Barber said. “And when you have somebody who just is innately—role one is to do that—then it just creates comfort in the pocket.
“Look, we have good tackles. Andrew Thomas, one of the best in the league when he’s healthy. Jermaine Eluemunor is a veteran, savvy. And so now you put a Patrick Ricard in there, who is not looking to catch 60 passes a year or be, you know, Travis Kelce. He’s looking to be whatever I need to do to help this team win. And then also take the hits from my running back. That’s valuable. We’ve lost that little piece of the game. I lived by this. Right? Greg Camarillo, Jim Finn—without those dudes, I don’t have the career that I had. So I love to see this.”
On how the offense will look under Matt Nagy:
“I think there’s going to be a lot more consistency in what we’re doing and not guessing. Like, I have a gut that this is what we’re going to do. Matt Nagy, for whatever reason, was paying a penalty a decade ago with his success and that lack of success from Mitchell Trubisky in Chicago,” Barber said. “He never really got another opportunity, even when he went back to Kansas City. We all know that Andy was calling the plays, so… you know, like, seething to get that next chance. And I think it’s an opportunity for us to take advantage of all he’s learned.”
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Tiki Barber breaks down Giants’ RB room and how Jeremiyah Love could add to it
Reporting by Tyler Henry, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
