PRO FOOTBALL; A Sibling Rivalry Can Wait No Longer

Tiki Barber knows that the moment will come on Sunday, a moment he has been anticipating since he was a child. He will catch a pass out of the backfield, turn and see a mirror image of himself, except that the image will be wearing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform and the eyes will be tightly focused on causing damage.

Barber will come head to head with Ronde Barber, his twin, who is a defensive back for the Buccaneers. It will be a first, since the two played together at Cave Spring High School in Roanoke, Va., then again at the University of Virginia. Even though one was on offense and the other on defense, Tiki still never took a hit from Ronde in practice, thanks to team rules not to hit Tiki, the star running back.

''He hasn't hit me since we were in the living room breaking couches and jumping off the turnbuckles like we were wrestling,'' Tiki said. ''We used to fight all the time when we were little. We'd start fights for no reason, like I took his lollipop or something. But we've never been in an extreme physical confrontation like there is in professional football.

''It'll happen. We're excited about it. It took awhile, but we knew it was going to happen. I've never played against him in an organized game. My mom would never have it. We always had to be on the same team because she wasn't traveling to two different places to drop us off and see us play.''

The brothers came out of college together last year, with Tiki drafted in the second round by the Giants and Ronde drafted in the third round by the Buccaneers. The first meeting on the field could have come last season when the Bucs beat the Giants, 20-8, but Ronde was inactive, as he was for all but one game.

This season, though, Ronde has advanced into a role as the nickel back for the Bucs. His ascent has coincided with a down time in Tiki's career. After beginning the season as the starting halfback, he has been replaced in that role by Gary Brown, a declaration that Coach Jim Fassel made on Wednesday.

Tiki's role has been reduced to that of a third-down back, which coincidentally means that he will be in the lineup at the same time as Ronde, since the nickel back plays in passing situations.

After rushing for a total of 69 yards on 25 carries in the first two games, Tiki carried the ball just three times in each of the last two games. ''When I was in there, it didn't click for us,'' he said. ''I'm not bitter about it. I wish I knew why. I don't know. It's something we have to get done. We have to find a formula to win. This is the formula Coach Fassel is going with.

''There were a couple games in there that I got only three carries. We just weren't there offensively for me to get going. I think if Gary was in, it wouldn't have been any different. We just weren't doing things offensively. I don't look at it as a personal failing. I think it was a team failing. I think any of the other guys would tell you the same thing. We weren't cohesive as a team, and you can't win that way.''

Tiki said that he would focus on his role as third-down back now, trying to improve an area that the Giants have been struggling through, converting just 13 of 61 attempts.

And he knows that at least one of the Bucs' defenders will be rooting for him. Last year, it was Tiki raising Ronde's spirits. At dinner on Saturday night in Tampa, it will be Ronde's responsibility to keep Tiki up.

''I think we're as close as any two people can be,'' Tiki said. ''I think a lot of it has to do with when we were little, we were really shy. We didn't like to meet other people. Everything we did was together. We hung out together. We went into sports together. Wherever we went we were together, and we developed a bond that remains very close.''

Their mother, Geraldine, will be in the stands in neutral colors.

''I think it's going to be real special,'' Tiki said.

EXTRA POINTS

KENT GRAHAM took the majority of snaps during Thursday's practice as JIM FASSEL rested DANNY KANELL in the windy conditions at the Meadowlands. . . . The starting twosome of SAM GARNES and TITO WOOTEN returned to practice, joining PERCY ELLSWORTH, BRANDON SANDERS and the recently re-signed RODNEY YOUNG at safety. SHAUN WILLIAMS, JESSIE ARMSTEAD and SCOTT GALYON did not practice because of injuries.