Chucky, Bruce Almighty Tried To Sign Tiki Barber
June 22nd, 2011
When Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber’s twin, former Giants running back and NBC broadcaster Tiki Barber, recently announced he was returning to football, many pundits pointed to the Bucs as a landing spot as he would be reunited with Ronde Barber.
That nearly happened four years ago.
Barber left the Giants after much hyped tryouts to be a big shot reporter for FOX News and NBC, with NBC winning the tryouts. Barber was handed a plum gig with NBC but apparently didn’t succeed as his face time continued to diminish until his contract was not renewed.
Interestingly, his media career, short-lived as it may have been, nearly never got off the ground.
In a contentious interview today with WFAN-AM personality Mike Francesa, Tiki Barber’s agent, Mark Lepselter, who sat in on Barber’s interview with Francesa, let it slip that “in October of 2007,” he and Tiki Barber sat in a meeting with Chucky and Bruce Almighty where the Bucs dynamic duo tried to convince Tiki to ditch his gig working for the peacock network and instead play for the Bucs.
How much different today would the Bucs have been had Barber been lured to Tampa Bay? Would he still be on the Bucs roster? Would Cadillac Williams be on the roster… or LeGarrette Blount?
In a way, this doesn’t surprise Joe at all. Chucky and Bruce Almighty never met a retired NFL player they didn’t fall in love with whether it was Tiki Barber or Jake Plummer.
Joe wonders if those two characters ever tried to sign Jim Brown?
June 22nd, 2011 at 3:28 pm
My guess, Gaines Adams would have never been a Buc and we’d have Adrian Peterson. Barber was getting old for a RB and the Bucs would have waited a year to use high first rounder on a RB.
June 22nd, 2011 at 3:29 pm
UMMMMM…. Cadillac was drafted in the 2005 draft not sure how this makes sense “Interestingly, this was a year before the Bucs would spend a first round draft pick on Cadillac Williams.” when you’re speaking of this conversation which took place in 2007.
Solid Journalism.
June 22nd, 2011 at 3:31 pm
They only went after Tiki Barber when both Cadillac and Pittman had potential season ending injuries. I thought that was pretty common knowledge for any fan that is informed. Gruden even joked about going after Barry Sanders at that time. Graham ended up taking the starting role at RB and the Bucs also traded for Michael Bennett before the trade deadline. Signing Tiki would have been a great move at that time, but right now it doesn’t make any sense.
June 22nd, 2011 at 3:36 pm
With their superior eyes for talent, Chucky is now playing third fiddle to Terico and Jaws on MNF, and Allen is carrying water for another munchkin, Dan Snyder. So, I’d say it all worked out in the end.
June 22nd, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Thanks Travis.
Actually looked under the wrong category under Yahoo sports profile for Caddy. They only listed his last three seasons and Joe didn’t see the “full” option.
Joe thought that was fishy. Good reason.
June 22nd, 2011 at 3:41 pm
I, for one, would loved to have seen Tiki and/or Jake Plummer in a Bucs uniform back then! I’m still pissed at Denver and Mike “Ole Crazy Man” Shanahan, for tainting Plummer’s desire to still want to play football! He must have failed one of Shanahan’s lie-detectors? Oh well, such is life in the NFL(No Football Lingering…STILL)!
June 22nd, 2011 at 4:08 pm
SIGN Charlie Garner!!
June 22nd, 2011 at 4:19 pm
@ Blake
if this conversation took place in October 2007, it would have made no difference in regards to drafting Gaines Adams or Adrian Peterson. they were both drafted in April of 2007, so that was already set before this conversation took place, and couldn’t have been influenced by something which took place afterward.
June 22nd, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Tim Brown had been retired 4 years when we signed him. Its just that noone told him.
June 22nd, 2011 at 7:22 pm
I don’t think Chucky would have signed Tiki. He was too young and Chucky likes players that are in their 40’s or older. Barry Sanders or Marcus Allen would have fit that billet. I’m pretty sure that OJ Simpson was on Chucky’s radar in 2007.
June 22nd, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Jim Brown was such a Bad Man, I wouldn’t laugh about a signing! He is the one really old guy that could do it! If not, he’s the one old guy that would still kick your ass for laughing about!
Not me, Mr. Brown Sir! Nothing but respect . .
June 22nd, 2011 at 9:28 pm
Yet another example of the failed band aid mentality of the former regime. To many cases to even list but a few Charlile Garner, Todd Steussie, Luke Petitgout, ughhhhhhhh
YEA RAHEEM AND DOMINICK
June 23rd, 2011 at 8:28 am
BigMacAttack
LOL, that’s what I thought, wasn’t he a little too young back then for Gruden to want to sign?
June 23rd, 2011 at 4:14 pm
I actually think the Tiki signing would’ve worked out, unlike the Garner, Brown, Petitgout, and Steussie bust signings. Tiki was still playing very good football the year he retired and even though he was getting up there in age, he still had some gas left in him.
To be honest, it kinda would’ve been nice if they had drafted Adrian Peterson. lol
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:05 pm
I agree. Every time I watched Gaines play, I thought of Adrian Peterson.