More than holding his own: Tiki Barber's focus on fixing his penchant for fumbles has helped him to a hot start for the surprising Giants

Sporting News, The, Oct 25, 2004 by Kara Yorio

Giants running back Tiki Barber can take a hit. He runs with balance and is difficult to bring down as he fights through that first tackle for second-effort yardage. Barber can hold his own. What he couldn't do last year was hold on to the ball.

"He got to the point where he became a marked man," says Giants running backs coach Jerald Ingram. "Defenses were coming after him saying, 'Hey, we're going after the ball. As fast as you can, get the hands on the ball; don't worry about tackling him; tackle the ball?"

Not anymore. Barber has a tight grip on not only the football but also the Giants' offense, which ranked 20th in the league a year ago but has risen to the top five this season. Quarterback Kurt Warner has proved he isn't washed up, and the much-maligned offensive line has performed better than anyone expected, but Barber has been the driving force behind the team's surprising 4-1 start and second-place standing in the NFC East.

The Giants were off last week, yet Barber leads the league in total yards from scrimmage with 817. Through the first five games of a season, only Jim Brown and O.J. Simpson ever had more. With 577 rushing yards, Barber already is almost halfway to his total from last season (1,216) and has rushed for more than 100 yards in four of the Giants' five games, tying his career high for 100-yard games. He has four touchdowns--to only three last season--and 19 catches for 240 yards.

The most important statistic for Barber, though, is a zero--as in zero fumbles. In both 2002 and 2003, Barber fumbled nine times and lost six of them. Something had to change.

When Ingram and new Giants coach Tom Coughlin first met with Barber, they talked to him about changing the way he held the ball. It's not as much about ball placement as elbow position. In the past, Barber ran with his elbow out, for balance, he says. But Ingram and Coughlin wanted Barber's elbow in, with the ball up against his chest. It wasn't comfortable at first, but Barber didn't argue. He held the ball that way when the team ran drills and when he ran on the treadmill, and eventually the new style became second nature. Meanwhile, Barber changed his mental approach, as well.

Ingram told him that second-effort plays are made with the legs, not the arms, so "take care of the ball and take care of the team." Barber calls it a new "consciousness."

"Everything in sports is half-physical, half-mental," he says. "This is no different. It's no different than dropping passes or missing assignments. That was the big focus this year. 'Tiki, you've got to find a way to play above the X's and O's, play above the regular call of duty.' It's helped a ton."

That was Ingram's focus. Coughlin had two goals for the running back: "He wanted to change the way I held the ball and lessen my workload," Barber says. "He's gotten half of those."

The other half may become a cause for concern for the Giants and Barber, who put on 12 pounds in the offseason but still is small (5-10, 200) and has a history of getting beat up. Ron Dayne was supposed to get the ball more to spare Barber's body, particularly in short-yardage and goal-line situations, but that hasn't happened. Dayne has only 31 carries. It's just too difficult to keep Barber on the sideline when he's doing so much for the team.

Eventually, the Giants will have to rest Barber, but that might not necessarily mean more touches for Dayne. "The real key for this team is that they do have ways to take pressure off Tiki," says one NFC director of pro player personnel. "Their skill players--Ike Hilliard, Jeremy Shockey, Amani Toomer--are outstanding. If their offensive line continues to settle, look for the Giants to really use these players even more."

Other than featuring him more, the Giants aren't using Barber any differently this year. Coughlin has done a good job of disguising plays--largely by running multiple plays from the same formation--which makes it harder for defenses to key on Barber.

But the Giants are pleased that when defenders do key on Barber, they're focusing on a 200-pound man, not a 15-ounce ball.

Back of burden

The Week 5 stats say it all. In a win against the
Cowboys, Tiki Barber got the ball on 47.5 percent
of the Giants' plays and gained 57.9 percent of
his team's total yards. His share of the offense
dipped slightly last season, but Barber is shouldering
more of the load than ever this year.

                      Total
         Barber's   offensive     Barber's
Season   touches      plays        share

2004 *     115         300      38.3 percent
2003       347        1003      34.6 percent
2002       373        1035      36.0 percent

* Through five games