Joe Morris, the legendary Giants running back, says Tiki Barber isn’t getting too old to carry the load for Big Blue anymore. But Morris did say that when the Giants begin to transition to a new running back, something they’ll eventually need to do, that Brandon Jacobs is the man for the job.
“Tiki needs a lot of work; that’s what makes him most effective,” Morris said yesterday at the ESPN Zone in Times Square, shrugging off the idea that Barber may be getting too old to be the Big Blue workhorse.
“I’m gonna tell you something: Tiki wants to compete. And Brandon Jacobs, if he keeps developing the way he is, then the transition’s made. It’s going to be like Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson. Or you could have a Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson.”
Barber is 31, which is an age that generally represents the twilight of an NFL running back’s career. However, he carried the ball 357 times last season for a career-best 1,860 yards.
“Is he at the point where he has to be replaced? No,” Morris said. “But Brandon Jacobs is a monster. Trust me.”
Last year, Jacobs, 24, ran for 99 yards and scored seven touchdowns as a short-yardage specialist. At 6-foot-4, 264 pounds, he is truly the thunder to Barber’s lightning, hitting the hole harder than Ron Dayne ever did.
Morris, who won a Super Bowl with the 1986 Giants, was in town to promote the a new partnership between his alma mater, Syracuse University, and ESPN Radio, which will air all Orange football and basketball games on 1050 AM.
“We have an opportunity to put our brand in New York City,” Morris said. “Syracuse has a very rich history that goes back to Jim Brown.”