Giants’ Barber rankled
A frustrated Tiki Barber criticized the New York Giants’ play calling on Wednesday, saying abandoning the running game against Jacksonville was a slap in his face and a sure way to lose more games.
The mild blowup from Barber came two days after the Giants called only 14 running plays in a 26-10 loss to the Jaguars.
Barber, whose 998 yards rushing are fourth in the NFL, got a season-low 10 carries for 27 yards. He spent most of the second half blocking as Eli Manning threw 27 of his 41 passes.
“We have to find a way to correct it,” Barber said. “That’s the bottom line. I talked about this earlier in the season; if you don’t have balance you can’t win in the NFL.”
Favre thinks he’ll play
Brett Favre isn’t used to telling his team that he can’t go back on the field. And 251 games into his consecutive starts streak, he doesn’t plan to make it a habit.
Favre said he isn’t “overly concerned” about not being able to make his next start after an elbow nerve injury kept him out of the second half of the Green Bay Packers’ 35-0 loss to the New England Patriots.
He ran plays in the “jog-through” portion of practice but didn’t participate in full-speed team drills.
Abraham may return
John Abraham, who has played only two games for the Atlanta Falcons because of a groin injury, returned to practice and may take the field Sunday for a crucial contest against the New Orleans Saints.
“It was a good day out there,” Abraham said. “The biggest thing for me was being back with my teammates on the field. I’ve been around them in the locker room for the longest time, and it’s kind of boring.”
Miscellany
Willis McGahee returned to practice, but it’s uncertain whether the Buffalo Bills running back is ready to play after missing two games with broken ribs. Also, Matt Murphy was signed by the Bills as the team bolstered its injury-depleted tight end corps. Murphy was released by Seattle before the start of the season. … Chicago Bears defensive back Ricky Manning Jr. was suspended one game by the NFL for his role in an restaurant altercation and will not play this week. The Bears signed defensive back Andre Lott to a one-year contract because of the suspension. … The Minnesota Vikings placed fullback Tony Richardson on injured reserve, two weeks after he broke his arm against Green Bay. … The Tennessee Titans placed tight end Ben Troupe on injured reserve with a broken right ankle, leaving the team without two of its top tight ends. … Carolina Panthers running back DeShaun Foster and cornerback Ken Lucas missed practice with injuries and are questionable for Sunday’s game at Washington. … Center Tom Nalen of the Denver Broncos has been fined $25,000 for a cut block on San Diego’s Igor Olshansky in the final minute of the Chargers’ win Sunday. … Quarterback Jeff Garcia will replace Donovan McNabb as Philadelphia Eagles starting night QB Sunday against Indianapolis. … The Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed defensive standout Simeon Rice on IR because of a shoulder injury.