Dolphins Work Out Tiki Barber

Dolphins take a look at the unretired controversy-generating RB

Now that Channing Crowder is no longer on the team, the Miami Dolphins find themselves with a shortage of controversial players who are lightning rods for criticism.

Their solution to this problem? The team worked out recently unretired running back Tiki Barber.

Fox Sports reported Wednesday Barber worked out for the Dolphins on Tuesday, his first audition since announcing in March he would attempt a comeback to the NFL.

According to Fox's sources, Barber "looked good in the workout," but the Dolphins want to wait and see how rookie Daniel Thomas and new acquisition Reggie Bush fare in training camp before moving to acquire Barber or another veteran free agent back.

Still, the move is puzzling for a few reasons. Barber has not played a down since the 2006 season, when he retired after 10 seasons in the NFL, all with the New York Giants.

But with Ricky Williams still a free agent, what would Barber bring to the Dolphins that Williams cannot provide?

Sure, Barber may have fresher legs than Williams, but Ricky has shown he can be an effective back even in his 30s, rushing for 1,121 yards in 2009 after starter Ronnie Brown was lost for the season to injury.

Barber does not have a great locker room reputation, either. In his final season with the Giants, he called quarterback Eli Manning's leadership into question and publicly feuded with head coach Tom Coughlin and defensive captain Michael Strahan.

The Giants won a Super Bowl  the year after Barber retired, suggesting it was he, and not Manning, Coughlin, or Strahan, who was the problem.

Meanwhile, Williams has become a model football citizen following his own brief retirement and struggles with social anxiety disorder. Plus, Williams helped Brandon Marshall get diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and come to grips with his own mental illness struggle.

You'd think the team would prefer Williams, an ally to their talented star receiver, over Barber, who has been followed by accusations of selfishness wherever he goes.

But then again, the Dolphins don't always take the most logical path when it comes to player acquisitions.

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