Every time Vikings running back Adrian Peterson drops a ball, one of the names most prominently uttered (after the Lord’s name is taken in vain a few times) is that of Tiki Barber.
Barber, a former star tailback with the Giants, overcame a fumbling problem with the help of coach Tom Coughlin. Barber changed his method of holding the ball, and the problem was solved.
In a Monday radio spot with Mike Francesca of WFAN (via SportsRadioInterviews.com), Tiki talked about the fumbling problems with which Peterson is now struggling.
“You know what, he’s becoming a liability for that team,” Barber said. “You look at that conference championship game. It’s all mechanics Mike. It’s the same thing I had to learn. You do something one way for so long, you get away with it and you don’t think it’s a problem. Once you get in the National Football League -- safeties, linebackers, defensive linemen -- they’re all taught to strip.
“If you have any kind of looseness in that football, it’s going to come out. For me, it was just keeping it next to my body at all times, no matter what it takes. Whether it’s down here close to your body, up at your chest close to your body, you have to keep it on your body so it can’t get knocked away. And then when you go in to contact, cover it with your other hand. It was simple. Most things that cause success are simple.
“I think with Adrian Peterson, he needs somebody with authority -- with a strong voice -- to tell him, ‘Look, as great as a player as you are, you’re a liability.’ And that’s what Tom Coughlin did with me. He said ‘Tiki, I love the way you play the game of football, but you fumble and you’re a liability.’ It hits your pride in a way that makes you want to correct it, and I don’t think anybody’s ever done that for Adrian Peterson yet.”
He’s right -- the Vikings and their fans tiptoe around Peterson. Until they put the tip of that toe somewhere else, Peterson will continue to fumble.
And it’s only going to get harder for Peterson. Teams are trying even harder to knock the ball out of Peterson’s hands, given that he hasn’t been able to protect it in the past.
