Dear Tiki,

I'm writing this open letter to you, just to say I'm sorry.

I'm sorry for ever doubting you, as I did back in the days when you fumbled the ball six times a game. I'm sorry that, like many of my fellow Giants fans, I got too easily distracted by the flashy, young, flavor-of-the month, new star at quarterback. I'm sorry that I ever had the nerve to even, for a second, think that the Giants should've actually thrown the ball more. What was I thinking?

You see, I should've realized, Mr. Barber, that my team's offense begins and ends with you. You are the reason that the New York football Giants are worth a damn this season. You are the reason they can actually get to a Super Bowl this season, as unrealistic as that may have sounded just a few weeks ago. You, Tiki, are not only the latest in a long line of great Giants running backs, you are the greatest of them all.

It wasn't too long ago that I demeaned not just you, but all of your fellow NFL running backs. I said you guys were easily replacable. I said that the difference between the pro bowl and the taxi squad was negligible. I said that you guys are never a good long-term investment. And that NFL teams would be wise to just keep wheeling in fourth round picks every few years, seeing as we've seen so many succeed in the past few years.

That I could make these statements after having watched, for the most part, your every play over the last few years, is a complete disgrace. I, like many other Giants fans, have been spoiled by your brilliance. We see that your offensive line isn't all that good. We all see that you are a playmaker. You're not running through truck-size holes, by any stretch of the imagination. You're earning every yard. We can see that plain as day.

This past Saturday, you ran through the Kansas City Chiefs like they were standing still (okay, in some cases they were standing still. Nevertheless...) . It was one of the greatest offensive football games any New York Giant ever played. And yet it was, only by a slim margin, your best game of the season (your 200 yard tribute to late owner Wellington Mara was truly touching).

I stated in this space a few weeks back that the Giants would go as far as their defense would take them. I must amend that statement to include you. You're a terrific player Tiki, I'm sorry that I ever doubted you.

A grateful fan,

jdeppa