Barber Won’t Let Injuries Sideline Him

Tiki Barber vowed Wednesday to be in the New York Giants’ lineup Jan. 7 for the NFC semifinal despite having a broken left arm and sprained big toe on his right foot.

“It’s football, you play with injuries, you play when you are sick,” said Barber, who wore a brace on his arm Wednesday. “We don’t take days off for little things. This is just another example of that.”

Barber, who has been the most valuable player in the Giant offense, broke a small bone in his arm in the fourth quarter of New York’s 17-13 win over Dallas on Dec. 17 when he was hit by former teammate Phillippi Sparks. Initially, the injury was thought to be a bruise.

The break wasn’t discovered until after the Giants nailed down the home-field advantage and a first-round bye in the playoffs by beating Jacksonville on Saturday. Barber sprained his toe in the fourth quarter of the Jaguar game.

“Neither one is a concern,” Barber insisted. “The good thing about having a bye week is I can take a couple of days off and can get healthy.”

The Giants (12-4) would face a problem if Barber aggravated either injury in the conference semifinal.

That would force Coach Jim Fassel to make Ron Dayne the featured back. The Heisman Trophy winner and first-round draft choice has struggled in recent weeks, gaining only 42 yards in 22 carries in the last three games.

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Which Denver quarterback will the Baltimore Ravens face in Sunday’s wild-card playoff game?

Super secretive Bronco Coach Mike Shanahan is refusing to tip his hand, closing practices to the media and suggesting he might not settle on a starter until after Friday’s practice.

Brian Griese, who separated his throwing shoulder against Oakland on Nov. 13 and missed the next five games, returned to the lineup but reinjured his shoulder in the regular-season finale Saturday.

Griese, the NFL’s top-rated passer, threw the ball during a walkthrough Wednesday morning and again at the regular practice several hours later.

If Griese is not close to 100%, the Broncos will go with Gus Frerotte, who played most of the San Francisco game and went 4-2 as a starter for Denver this season.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers fired offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride because Coach Bill Cowher wasn’t happy with the progress in the passing game.

“I just wasn’t comfortable with the direction we were heading in the passing game,” Cowher said. “We were 29th in the league in passing when he got here and we were 29th in the league this season.”

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An MRI did not reveal any structural damage to Derrick Brooks’ right shoulder, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneer running back practiced Wednesday and is listed as probable to play against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Brooks, playing in pain for weeks, left the field during the second quarter Sunday in the Buccaneers’ 17-14 overtime loss to Green Bay when he aggravated the injury.

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Carolina assistant coach Tony Wise, whose offensive line yielded the most sacks in the NFL, chose not to renew his contract with the Panthers. . . . Miami Dolphin wide receiver Leslie Shepherd, cornerback Terrance Shaw and fullback Rob Konrad are listed as questionable for Saturday’s playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts because of injuries. . . . Three days after the fact, Kurt Warner’s concussion is old news. The St. Louis Ram quarterback said he has been headache-free for two days and would start Saturday’s wild-card playoff game against the New Orleans Saints.