Tiki Barber Praises Tom Coughlin

Too little to late.

So I'm not really sure he's "sucking up" to anybody.

but something tells me many here disagree.

In comment 12582647 AP in Halfmoon said:

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but something tells me many here disagree.

I don't. I share his view.

is Giant fans are upset about with him because he said something about Eli Manning (that was probably true at the time) but not because he cheated on his pregnant wife.

What Tiki said is accurate, doubt even Schwartz knew that would be the headline because there's no editorialization within the copy itself.

compare the 2007 team to the 2011 team. most felt the 07 team wasn't that good, and that the 11 team may've been the least talented to ever win a Super Bowl.

well - compare the current team to the 2011 team. the 11 team looks like a Pro Bowl roster compared to now

Tom. I don't think Tom has spoken to him since Tiki retired.

First, he is one of the greatest Giant running backs of all time.

Second, he may be critical at times of Eli or Coughlin, but in this case, is complementary of both. Maybe he was wrong in one instance or another, maybe he was right all along ad Coughlin and Eli have had ups and downs in their careers. Maybe he was just (gasp!) speaking his mind.

Third, 50% or so of marriages end in divorce. It is never clean, or easy. So Tiki may have been a complete dick to his wife, or not. We can't know and it is none of our business. The fact that he had an affair says nothing about what he says about football.

All jokes aside, I agree with what he said.

criticized for it.

If he says that Coughlin should be fired then he's a douchebag.

If he says that Coughlin is great then he's sucking up.

Give the guy a break.

In comment 12582694 DonQuixote said:

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First, he is one of the greatest Giant running backs of all time. Second, he may be critical at times of Eli or Coughlin, but in this case, is complementary of both. Maybe he was wrong in one instance or another, maybe he was right all along ad Coughlin and Eli have had ups and downs in their careers. Maybe he was just (gasp!) speaking his mind. Third, 50% or so of marriages end in divorce. It is never clean, or easy. So Tiki may have been a complete dick to his wife, or not. We can't know and it is none of our business. The fact that he had an affair says nothing about what he says about football.

He said that Eli's leadership was comical and that everybody hated Tom Coughlin immediately after leaving the team.

That's pretty bad stuff to air out in the media, for a QB in his third year who is trying to learn how to lead and a Coach who's trying to build a certain type of lockerroom.

And really, neither were true, as evident by the end of the season that he said it.

Don't care about his personal life, that's his business, but it just happened all around the same time so it was fuel to the fire.

I've forgiven him, but it was pretty lame that he did that, especially saying that Eli's attempts in the huddle to lead were being laughed at.

In comment 12582664 Old Dirty Beckham said:

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is Giant fans are upset about with him because he said something about Eli Manning (that was probably true at the time) but not because he cheated on his pregnant wife.

Since when have fans cared about off field issues unless it involved violence or abuse (other people hurt), or if it puts the player's ability to play in jeopardy (Plax, JPP).

I'm pretty sure a lot of players cheat... young, famous, plenty of money and free time. Is it right? No. Do I care... probably not either. Let not ignore there's a good chance that a lot of those players partners are probably with them for the money in the first place.

Ball, ball, ball!

In comment 12582638 PatersonPlank said:

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Too little to late.

So every time he is interviewed or talks he's gonna get slammed for "trying to be relevant".

Tikis been a horses ass in the past, but no need to judge him through that lense here

In comment 12582727 Britt in VA said:

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In comment 12582694 DonQuixote said: Quote: First, he is one of the greatest Giant running backs of all time. Second, he may be critical at times of Eli or Coughlin, but in this case, is complementary of both. Maybe he was wrong in one instance or another, maybe he was right all along ad Coughlin and Eli have had ups and downs in their careers. Maybe he was just (gasp!) speaking his mind. Third, 50% or so of marriages end in divorce. It is never clean, or easy. So Tiki may have been a complete dick to his wife, or not. We can't know and it is none of our business. The fact that he had an affair says nothing about what he says about football. He said that Eli's leadership was comical and that everybody hated Tom Coughlin immediately after leaving the team. That's pretty bad stuff to air out in the media, for a QB in his third year who is trying to learn how to lead and a Coach who's trying to build a certain type of lockerroom. And really, neither were true, as evident by the end of the season that he said it. Don't care about his personal life, that's his business, but it just happened all around the same time so it was fuel to the fire. I've forgiven him, but it was pretty lame that he did that, especially saying that Eli's attempts in the huddle to lead were being laughed at.

Both those things could have easily been true at that time. And once he left the Giants, it isn't his responsibility to help them win a championship.

didn't have that much talent either if I recall correctly:

Strahan
Eli
Tiki
Toomer
Shockey
Osi

Hamilton?
Sehorn?

Good lord, people act like Tiki pulled that comment completely out of his ass. Strahan admitted the same thing later on. Toomer admitted the same thing later on. That's why he famously changed how he handled the team in 2007, remember?

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

on his exit, he put himself above the team and bashed and aired dirty laundry in the media in an attempt to boost his post-football career. And, rather than recognize and make amends he would up the ante. Multiple bad moves, all selfish in nature, so I understand the anger towards him.

he's on target.

In comment 12582764 Sonic Youth said:

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In comment 12582727 Britt in VA said: Quote: In comment 12582694 DonQuixote said: Quote: First, he is one of the greatest Giant running backs of all time. Second, he may be critical at times of Eli or Coughlin, but in this case, is complementary of both. Maybe he was wrong in one instance or another, maybe he was right all along ad Coughlin and Eli have had ups and downs in their careers. Maybe he was just (gasp!) speaking his mind. Third, 50% or so of marriages end in divorce. It is never clean, or easy. So Tiki may have been a complete dick to his wife, or not. We can't know and it is none of our business. The fact that he had an affair says nothing about what he says about football. He said that Eli's leadership was comical and that everybody hated Tom Coughlin immediately after leaving the team. That's pretty bad stuff to air out in the media, for a QB in his third year who is trying to learn how to lead and a Coach who's trying to build a certain type of lockerroom. And really, neither were true, as evident by the end of the season that he said it. Don't care about his personal life, that's his business, but it just happened all around the same time so it was fuel to the fire. I've forgiven him, but it was pretty lame that he did that, especially saying that Eli's attempts in the huddle to lead were being laughed at. Both those things could have easily been true at that time. And once he left the Giants, it isn't his responsibility to help them win a championship.

That's true, but that doesn't mean that Giants fans, and Tom and Eli, couldn't be mad about it, which they were.

He burned bridges. That's his right to do it, but he burned bridges.

In comment 12582781 JonC said:

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on his exit, he put himself above the team and bashed and aired dirty laundry in the media in an attempt to boost his post-football career. And, rather than recognize and make amends he would up the ante. Multiple bad moves, all selfish in nature, so I understand the anger towards him.

Exactly, I don't know what's so hard to understand about it.

Perfectly within his right, but also perfectly within the right of Giants fans to hate him for it.

Burned all his NYG bridges, and tried desperately to be a media darling by airing dirty laundry and trying to be an edgy analyst, then a mainstream personality, and it backfired.

He could have been included in the discussion of all time NYG greats, now he is a pariah.

Funny how Strahan became what Tiki wanted to be.

In comment 12582793 GiantsRage2007 said:

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Burned all his NYG bridges, and tried desperately to be a media darling by airing dirty laundry and trying to be an edgy analyst, then a mainstream personality, and it backfired. He could have been included in the discussion of all time NYG greats, now he is a pariah. Funny how Strahan became what Tiki wanted to be.

I've always found your last line to be so ironic, considering how Tiki publicly criticized Strahan for how he was handling his contract situation, leading to a feud between the two while they were playing.

it was clear to me Tiki was tired of the physical aspect of football, but it sure sounded like he blamed TC for his own decision to retire at the same time.

In a nutshell, Tiki put the blowtorch up on his exit. These were not the actions that a well-meaning, self-aware, responsible for his own actions person puts forth.

i thought about starting a thread asking if it was OK to stop being mad at Tiki?

He was a great Giant. I have booed him in the past.

I am over his comments and I think that every other Giant fan should get over them as well. A few stupid words shouldnt forever taint the years of greatness that he had with the Giants. Enough is enough.

through a lens of slobbering hero-worship of Tom Coughlin.

That's the job of many of you on here...

I was referring to the torches and pitchforks mob who can't let a single reference to Tiki Barber pass without blathering about how much they hate him.

In comment 12582774 Greg from LI said:

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Good lord, people act like Tiki pulled that comment completely out of his ass. Strahan admitted the same thing later on. Toomer admitted the same thing later on. That's why he famously changed how he handled the team in 2007, remember? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

That was never an issue with me..He changed the way he related to his players and the media, all for the good..But none of the players mentioned or alluded to said what he said outside the lockerroom after they retired..And as JonC said, proceeded to up the ante..

In comment 12582808 Greg from LI said:

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through a lens of slobbering hero-worship of Tom Coughlin.

You're being obtuse.

Tiki had a right to say what he did, and just for the sake of argument, perhaps it was accurate information.

So does that mean Giants fans didn't have a right to be pissed that he was airing dirty laundry?

You decide what people can be mad about?

In comment 12582774 Greg from LI said:

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I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

Look at the bright side..they seem to be effective.

In comment 12582812 Greg from LI said:

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I was referring to the torches and pitchforks mob who can't let a single reference to Tiki Barber pass without blathering about how much they hate him.

Gotcha, either way my point remains.

Tiki was perfectly within his rights to say what he said.

Everybody that was mad about it was perfectly within their rights as well.

In comment 12582727 Britt in VA said:

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In comment 12582694 DonQuixote said: Quote: First, he is one of the greatest Giant running backs of all time. Second, he may be critical at times of Eli or Coughlin, but in this case, is complementary of both. Maybe he was wrong in one instance or another, maybe he was right all along ad Coughlin and Eli have had ups and downs in their careers. Maybe he was just (gasp!) speaking his mind. Third, 50% or so of marriages end in divorce. It is never clean, or easy. So Tiki may have been a complete dick to his wife, or not. We can't know and it is none of our business. The fact that he had an affair says nothing about what he says about football. He said that Eli's leadership was comical and that everybody hated Tom Coughlin immediately after leaving the team. That's pretty bad stuff to air out in the media, for a QB in his third year who is trying to learn how to lead and a Coach who's trying to build a certain type of lockerroom. And really, neither were true, as evident by the end of the season that he said it. Don't care about his personal life, that's his business, but it just happened all around the same time so it was fuel to the fire. I've forgiven him, but it was pretty lame that he did that, especially saying that Eli's attempts in the huddle to lead were being laughed at.

He may have been correct, or mistaken. If he was correct, great for him, if he was mistaken, people have to deal with how much that matters. It doesn't matter that much to me because I make mistakes all the time.

Tiki is the (Greatest RB) in Giants history,and it's not even close.
Had he stuck around a few more years under caughlin,he would have been recognized as one of the greatest RB's in NFL history. He probably still should be now given his total yards stats he racked up over his career. Returning kicks,Punts,rushing and receiving. 17,357 yards is a pretty stellar career in 10 years,especially if you consider he did most of that damage in a 7 year period.
I dare anyone to put his stats up to any great running back over there best 7 or 8 years and find one that's better.
Tiki Barber was a great player and for his time under caughlin he was the best RB in the league.
I dn't even lime to think about what might have been!?! It's to upsetting.
But then again,had Tiki been there maybe they hand the ball off in shotgun instead of Manning to Tyree. Who knows!?
What I do know is that it's easy for people on here to talk shit about everyone and everything because you're anonymous and it makes people feel better about there sad pathetic lives.

so much so that I sort of felt sorry for him.

He retires and rips the team, they go on to win the Superbowl.

His media career flounders, Strahan's soars to levels he only dreamed of.

In comment 12582781 JonC said:

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on his exit, he put himself above the team and bashed and aired dirty laundry in the media in an attempt to boost his post-football career. And, rather than recognize and make amends he would up the ante. Multiple bad moves, all selfish in nature, so I understand the anger towards him.

Yes, that was a mistake. If he had not said what was on his mind, but repeated the "any give sunday"pablum, everyone would still be in love with him.

He is a human being that is speaking his mind. If he is wrong, he is a bad analyst, there are many. But that is not what I am seeing here. What I see is that Tiki broke some code about what coach/teammates say to the media. Also, Tiki's marriage ended in divorce, so anything he says is wrong, or worse, speaks to him being an asshole. Not fair.

People need to grow up. Tiki Barber ws a great Giant. Like LT, I don't have to love everything or hate everything about him to see that.

As for me personally, what he said about his team those years ago were truths that people dont speak. So now he can compare himself with L. Bell or praise the current Giants, and I can see his point with all of that. He gets grief no matter what he says and I personally don't understand it, especially on a fan-site.

this team is lacking in talent,when does reese get some heat?

Tiki Barber, post-NFL, was a schmuck, who wouldn't "leave it alone." He kept exacerbating things, until and when he decided, "hey, this is not doing me any good" and now you're getting pieces like this coming out, even if what he says is hard to disagree with..

Strahan was far from a saint, but he knew to keep lockerroom stuff where it belonged..

That surely felt like a betrayal, and his media comments fueled the hate he received, not to mention the outrage he was cheating/leaving the pregnant wife, tripled down on the betrayal, in some perspectives.

People might not be able to separate football player from human being, that's for each to figure out on their own. It's much harder in this age to not hear about a man's mistakes. Even LT would lose love nowadays given his issues that were more easily swept under the rug in 1985.

Personally, I try to separate the football player from the man and treat accordingly, but that doesn't always feel true either.

above...perhaps that is true but, beyond anything else let's remember that in mid-2006 Tiki publicly announced his intention to retire at the end of the season. As I recall, the team took great offence to that and, by the team, I mean his brothers, his teammates.

Several including Antonio Pierce pointed out how it became all about him and, as I recall, that season spiralled downward as a result. Granted, he played a fantastic game against Washington in the season finale to get us into the playoffs but for a leader on the team to do that was just another example that it was all about Tiki.

Look, I make no bones about it...I have not forgiven Tiki just as I will never forgive Burress...both for being huge dumbasses. Not to mention for the first several years he was out of football he went out of his way to knock the Giants and TC in spite of the fact he had his three best seasons, and collected almost half his career rushing total, under Coughlin. Yes, Tom was a hardass from 2004-2006 but we needed that after Fassel.

The players learned, with a little softening, that TC was all about one thing and one thing only, WINNING. Can you honestly say that about Barber? Also, I concur with those who said I could care less about his personal life. Now, comparing him to LT, whose personal life was a mess, is totally and completely ridiculous. No player in Giant history, at least my 54 years of Giants history, ever wanted to win more than LT and his history of playing through injuries etc. is legendary.

Fact is Barber put himself before the team and then criticized the very person who helped to make him a great Giant because, without TC, Barber is just an afterthought.

In comment 12582689 That’s Gold, Jerry said:

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Tom. I don't think Tom has spoken to him since Tiki retired.

Any you know this how?

You mean the guy who was with Plax the night he shot himself? Now THAT'S leadership!

with the first part of his statement on the job TC is doing and how the team has responded. The secod part about winning the division is a bit of a reach at this point. About time he acknowledged ELI as well. But as a TIKI hater in the past, I give him his due on this long over due show of respect for Coughlin. Not easy for a guy like him to make this transition after the past.

In comment 12582884 That’s Gold, Jerry said:

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above...perhaps that is true but, beyond anything else let's remember that in mid-2006 Tiki publicly announced his intention to retire at the end of the season. As I recall, the team took great offence to that and, by the team, I mean his brothers, his teammates. Several including Antonio Pierce pointed out how it became all about him and, as I recall, that season spiralled downward as a result. Granted, he played a fantastic game against Washington in the season finale to get us into the playoffs but for a leader on the team to do that was just another example that it was all about Tiki. Look, I make no bones about it...I have not forgiven Tiki just as I will never forgive Burress...both for being huge dumbasses. Not to mention for the first several years he was out of football he went out of his way to knock the Giants and TC in spite of the fact he had his three best seasons, and collected almost half his career rushing total, under Coughlin. Yes, Tom was a hardass from 2004-2006 but we needed that after Fassel. The players learned, with a little softening, that TC was all about one thing and one thing only, WINNING. Can you honestly say that about Barber? Also, I concur with those who said I could care less about his personal life. Now, comparing him to LT, whose personal life was a mess, is totally and completely ridiculous. No player in Giant history, at least my 54 years of Giants history, ever wanted to win more than LT and his history of playing through injuries etc. is legendary. Fact is Barber put himself before the team and then criticized the very person who helped to make him a great Giant because, without TC, Barber is just an afterthought.

Excellent post. By announcing his retirement, was that putting himself above his team, or was he just being honest, or both?

MY comparison to LT was simply to say that fans forgive personal indiscretions a lot. So why cut one player a break and not another. In fact, if you are cutting one player a break because they have pro-bowl talent, but then send a player from the practice squad walking for the same offense, it is pretty clear where the priorities are.

and particularly like Don Quixote's post.

But please don't go overboard, while a case can be made that he was the Giant's greatest running back to say that it's clear cut is wrong. Frank Gifford won an MVP for the whole damn league as a Giant running back, you can't say he doesn't belong in the conversation.

In comment 12582664 Old Dirty Beckham said:

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is Giant fans are upset about with him because he said something about Eli Manning (that was probably true at the time) but not because he cheated on his pregnant wife.

Actually, I can't stand him for BOTH reasons.

all about winning? Show me one play in any game, in any season, that TIki took off? Find me one game where he didn't play his hardest or one season where his work ethic was questioned. Tiki left it all on the field every time he suited up.

Let's not revise history.

As to the idea that he announced mid-season, so what? Barry Sanders retired in the off-season and Lions fans turned on him for not giving advanced notice.

In comment 12582884 That’s Gold, Jerry said:

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above...perhaps that is true but, beyond anything else let's remember that in mid-2006 Tiki publicly announced his intention to retire at the end of the season. As I recall, the team took great offence to that and, by the team, I mean his brothers, his teammates. Several including Antonio Pierce pointed out how it became all about him and, as I recall, that season spiralled downward as a result. Granted, he played a fantastic game against Washington in the season finale to get us into the playoffs but for a leader on the team to do that was just another example that it was all about Tiki. Look, I make no bones about it...I have not forgiven Tiki just as I will never forgive Burress...both for being huge dumbasses. Not to mention for the first several years he was out of football he went out of his way to knock the Giants and TC in spite of the fact he had his three best seasons, and collected almost half his career rushing total, under Coughlin. Yes, Tom was a hardass from 2004-2006 but we needed that after Fassel. The players learned, with a little softening, that TC was all about one thing and one thing only, WINNING. Can you honestly say that about Barber? Also, I concur with those who said I could care less about his personal life. Now, comparing him to LT, whose personal life was a mess, is totally and completely ridiculous. No player in Giant history, at least my 54 years of Giants history, ever wanted to win more than LT and his history of playing through injuries etc. is legendary. Fact is Barber put himself before the team and then criticized the very person who helped to make him a great Giant because, without TC, Barber is just an afterthought.

If you haven't "forgiven" Tiki, you need to grow the fuck up. He did not himself in front of the team by announcing his retirement. That is not why the season spiraled downhill, and if that threw off a whole season for a team, that team wasn't going anywhere anyway. He also willed them to the playoffs himself (as you admitted).

Barber is also not an "afterthought" without Coughlin. Barber was a good back before Coughlin, but turned into a great one with him. Coughlin helped Tiki with the fumbling problems, and Tiki flourished in his offense, but the notion that Coughlin is somehow solely responsible for Tiki flourishing as he got older, and not his training regiment or own hard work, just isn't fair.

I absolutely do think Tiki cared about winning when he was on the field. He never half assed it and was our engine for years. To contend that Tiki didn't care about winning is stupid.

He left it all out on the field. Tiki is the man and deserves no disrespect for Giants fan, particularly disrespect while he compliments the fucking team.