Tiki Barber is Coming Back, but Al Davis Still Waiting for Jim Brown

When news broke today that Tiki Barber is planning to return to the NFL, my first thought was that the former New York Giants running back must have become bored with his speaking/radio/TV gigs, or dissatisfied with his pay rate. My second thought was that, in his comeback attempt as in his active career, Barber is no Jim Brown.

Back in late 1983, Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers was rumbling through another standout season and toward a date with destiny, as it appeared a near sure thing that he would break Jim Brown's all-time record for rushing yards. Brown made no bones about the fact that he didn't like the way Harris played and considered him a "pansy" who would run for the sidelines in lieu of taking a hit and picking up a few more inches. As the season wore on, Harris apparently wore more and more on Brown, who eventually told the world that he was seriously considering a comeback. His planned destination was Al Davis' Los Angeles Raiders, and the match-up of the two huge personalities promised to deliver big fireworks. And, oh yeah, Brown was 47 years old.

I remember seeing the "Sports Illustrated" cover with Brown in a Raiders uniform and telling my dad how ancient Brown looked. My father proceeded to school me on the wonders of Brown's Browns wonder years and told me in no uncertain terms that no one since had been Brown's equal, including my own hero, Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears. I had apparently touched a sore spot.

Anyway, there were periodic reports from L.A. the following summer that Brown was in hard training for the upcoming season even as the 1984 Olympics were captivating a nation. For me, goaded by my dad's vivid stories of dust and glory, nothing was as exciting as maybe getting the chance to see an old man tear it up on the gridiron. Alas, Brown went into wait-and-see mode, Harris' career sputtered and stalled before he could catch immortality, and Sweetness nabbed the record on October 7. Brown apparently felt Payton to be a worthy heir and abandoned his comeback attempt.

Who knows? Maybe I'll finally get to see an old man tear it up on the field when Barber runs next fall. Of course, there is a good chance that it won't be the field that gets torn up. Either way, I'll bet Al Davis is drooling with Tiki fever right about now.