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No one ever rushed for more yards in a Giants uniform than Tiki Barber, but his shaky relationship with coach Tom Coughlin sparked an uncomfortable vibe whenever the former running back made appearances in Giants-related environments. For all he accomplished as a player, he was often booed when introduced. Coughlin has been gone for a few years, and the new regime is more welcoming — so welcoming, in fact, that new coach Pat Shurmur, not long after he was hired, included Barber when he reached out to several erstwhile Giants. Two weeks ago Barber was cheered when his name blared through the speakers at Landon Collins’ celebrity softball game. “He should be cheered,’’ Shaun O’Hara, who blocked for Barber, told The Post. “Tiki, he’s one of the best running backs to ever play for the New York Giants. I think it’s a shame he doesn’t get that affection in crowds like that and in situations like that. He certainly deserves it. He’s a big boy and he can handle it, and I know he knows we all appreciate him and he knows how much he’s valued. Love that guy and hope to see him around the Giants a lot more.’’ |
I do however like the idea of mending fences with Tiki and bringing him back. I think he’s been punished enough.
I hope he makes it into the HOF. He's 13th all time in yards from scrimmage. If he played as long as most of the guys ahead of him he'd be in the top 5. All he needed was 3 more years and he'd most likely be over 20k yards from scrimmage and in 4th place all time.
I hope he makes it into the HOF. He's 13th all time in yards from scrimmage. If he played as long as most of the guys ahead of him he'd be in the top 5. All he needed was 3 more years and he'd most likely be over 20k yards from scrimmage and in 4th place all time.
I think its great that he and the Giants are reconciling. Players in Big Blue have done much worse in their lives and are still revered among Giant fans.
But lets be real. What he said was shitty. Whether it was true or not was not the point.
Glad they are all finally able to move past it though.
I was distressed with his comments and the whole business with his ex-wife. But what do I know about what is going on behind the public scenes?
The only thing I do know first hand is he was one of the nicest and most accessible Giants in Albany.
Everyone knows the comments about Eli, the retirement announcement mid-year, etc. I don't like (doesn't mean I hate him) the man because of what he did to his wife. Don't talk the talk of your family being everything and hating your own father for leaving your mother then turn around and leave your pregnant wife, with twins, for a younger piece.
https://nypost.com/2010/04/07/tiki-barber-dumps-pregnant-wife-for-hot-blonde/ - ( New Window )
...the opinions on BBI shift over time.
Right after the 2008 Super Bowl win, Tiki couldn't be elected dog-catcher on this site.
That sentiment lasted for several years.
I know Tiki committed the Cardinal Sin of bad-mouthing Coughlin and Eli, and his personal life got a little messy, but I just never could understand the sheer, outright hate for this guy on this site.
Oh, well... times they are a-changing, and now Tiki is slowly working his way back into the hearts of Giants fans.
And maybe that's the way it ought to be for the greatest running back in Giants history!
Just a reminder.
Guy was a great Giants, time for him to be honoried as one.
As big a fan of Eli as I have been, I find myself getting annoyed with some of the Eli can do no wrong rhetoric.
Tiki was one of the greatest players to ever wear this uniform. He shouldn't be remembered for a few moronic comments over that.
He also shit on his former mates and tends to comes off as fake.
I think they are all true, but you are right arc that the former should not be ignored or downplayed.
I think it has just reached a point amongst most Giants fans where that is what they remember Tiki for... not the tremendous talent he was on the field and the way he carried this offense at times.
He was incredible at his peak and walked away from the game too soon. Sometimes I almost feel like how good he actually was gets forgotten. Mostly because we won the Super Bowl the year after he left and because of the things he said when he did.
...be the first to cast a stone.
John 8:7
He’s not a favorite of mine, but, truly, what is there to forgive ? Tiki is a prick . His broadcasting fantasies are in tatters . He never became the next Dan Rather, which he thought he would achieve in about 45 minutes, apparently . But he was a great running back, who over the course of 2 - 3 seasons was as good as anybody in the league .
It's not just "Eli apologists" but rather people who were sympathetic to an awkward kid trying to find his voice, being mocked by a former teammate.
BTW, if there's ever a definitive biography of Eli it should be called "America's kid brother".
He was a great RB though.
I will keep booing him ....
That doesn't mean that Coughlin drilling Tiki to carry the ball high & tight didn't jump Tiki from a good back to a HOF back it did. But Tiki did all the work and trained like a mad man to become that HOF back.
Post football Tiki created his own problems. It would be nice to have him an alumni in good standing at this point but it's really up to him if that's the case.
...and you're are all Harper Valley hypocrites.
No, I wouldn't put you on because it really did it happened just this way.
The day my mama socked it to the Harper Valley PTA!
ðŸ‘
Barber resented the temerity of his HC daring to criticize him even behind closed doors , which is the proper way of doing things .
Then , following his stupid premature retirement , he used his spot on the Sun Night crew to basically trash Manning and Coughlin . He was awful as an analyst . That gig dissolved like a seltzer tablet.
His ill-fated comeback with the Dolphins again caused him to direct his wrath toward Coughlin . You can’t make this shit up. In essence he said he was a victim of the Old White Boy coaching network that conspired against him. In fact he was always ready to go Black-White on a moment’s notice .
He’s back in with an organization that resembles a Potemkin Village edition of what it used to be, so I guess it’s fitting . The guy’s actions were deplorable .
I have never booed Tiki and I am fine with him being more involved with the team. Still... the guy is an asshole. I would rather have a beer with his brother.
What Barber said after he left really is meaningless. He owed nothing to the team once he wasn't any longer on the team. It was the unrest and locker room cancer that he was while he was still playing for the Giants that is unforgivable in my eyes.
Jints Central needs to wake the f-ck up and reconcile with this great player. Enough of this idiocy...
It's not important.. it just seems petty to still hold this grudge more than a decade after the fact.
This should be the point where the whole jilted ex act kinda fades away. We've won two championships since he left, including the very next year, so he certainly didn't prevent us from winning anything by calling it a career.
I don't know. I guess I just routinely feel like the amount of hatred for this guy doesn't quite match up with the dumb comments he made relative to the player he was on the field. Yeah, he's done some other dumb shit too. All fair game to mention. Not saying he should be some beloved figure. But at some point, the guy should be able to walk back into the stadium without being booed
He's the all-time rushing leader for this franchise and it's really not close. And this is with him walking away from the game at his peak.
Just seems really under-appreciated.
Then to thank him he quit halfway through a season and did a farewell tour which involved a lupica interview where he trashed the team he was still playing for.
All the while he was leveraging inside information to various outlets about the team as an anonymous source to further the media career he thought he was going to slide into.
Then after retiring he trashed Eli nd the coavh who saved his career every chance he got.
You can't now pretend you didn't do any of those things.
Ridiculous revisionist history.
Three 1k yard seasons in the four seasons before Coughlin arrived - 16 yards short of a 2k yards from scrimmage season in 2002.
This is exactly the type of shit I'm talking about. People hate the guy so much that they just completely discredit everything he did on the football field or give Tom Coughlin credit for all of it.
Barber broke out in 2000 and was very good from then on. Yes, he peaked when TC was here, but to say he was on the verge of being out of the league before that is fucking laughable.
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Other than wearing that Giant helmet on Sundays...he isn't a good guy.
It's not important.. it just seems petty to still hold this grudge more than a decade after the fact.
Its not holding a grudge. What I meant was we liked Tiki when he wore the helmet and it doesn't matter anytime else.
If he wanted to be liked without the helmet, he had an odd way of showing it. If he actually was likable without the helmet, then I missed it...
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In comment 13998893 Jimmy Googs said:
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Other than wearing that Giant helmet on Sundays...he isn't a good guy.
It's not important.. it just seems petty to still hold this grudge more than a decade after the fact.
Its not holding a grudge. What I meant was we liked Tiki when he wore the helmet and it doesn't matter anytime else.
If he wanted to be liked without the helmet, he had an odd way of showing it. If he actually was likable without the helmet, then I missed it...
I know what you're saying - my point is that this grudge people hold against him totally overshadows everything he did on the field with the helmet on, which is a shame.
When fans say "Tiki was incredible at his peak, he was one of the most important players in our team's history, but I didn't like him as a person," I think that's fine and fair.
When people make up these insane narratives like saying he was on the verge of being out of the league at age 28 just because they didn't/don't like him, I think it's ridiculous.
It's a matter of separating the person and the player. The player was truly special. The person was an idiot on more than a few occasions.
I just think we're at a point where the on field stuff should mean more and that fans should maybe try to appreciate that. The relentless hatred and refusal to allow him to be a part of Giants history seems petty at this point - but that's just my opinion and I realize that everyone is equally entitled to their own.
Yet, when Tiki sets foot near the stadium, he's treated like a felon.
For me, it's just separating the player and the person. Taylor has done some really shitty things off the field and I don't support any of it. That said, I can't and will never ignore #56 on the football field because he literally changed the game. It would be crazy to take that away from him.
Barber wasn't quite as impactful on the other side of the ball - but at the end of the day, this is our franchises leading rusher and best RB ever. He should get some credit for that.
Yet, when Tiki sets foot near the stadium, he's treated like a felon.
For me, it's just separating the player and the person. Taylor has done some really shitty things off the field and I don't support any of it. That said, I can't and will never ignore #56 on the football field because he literally changed the game. It would be crazy to take that away from him.
Barber wasn't quite as impactful on the other side of the ball - but at the end of the day, this is our franchises leading rusher and best RB ever. He should get some credit for that.
Please don't compare LT to Tiki Barber. LT was arguably the greatest Giant of all time -- Tiki was a great RB -- but there were many great running backs on the Giants -- he was just one of them. LT never gave up the team -- none of the other great running backs gave up the team. No great Giant except for Tiki ever gave up the team. Tiki not only gave up the team, he tried to make a living off of pretty much mocking aspects of the team. The fact that he is such a self-serving little prick is well known in the circles that deal with him. I loved him as a player -- but his antics and blatant self-dealing offends me. I have a hard time reconciling the two, but what does it for me is - I am a rabid Giants fan and not only is he a prick but he tried to make the team look bad numerous times. Fuk him.
Ridiculous revisionist history.
Three 1k yard seasons in the four seasons before Coughlin arrived - 16 yards short of a 2k yards from scrimmage season in 2002.
This is exactly the type of shit I'm talking about. People hate the guy so much that they just completely discredit everything he did on the football field or give Tom Coughlin credit for all of it.
Barber broke out in 2000 and was very good from then on. Yes, he peaked when TC was here, but to say he was on the verge of being out of the league before that is fucking laughable.
You arent going to play in the NFL if you fumble 18 times in 2 years.
Go ahead and apologize for the guy but he wouldnt have played for much longer if his fumble problem.didnt get.fixed.
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We still celebrate Taylor for what he did on the field - because he was arguably the greatest defensive player to ever play football. But I think his off-field transgressions are worse than Barber's in the grand scheme of things.
Yet, when Tiki sets foot near the stadium, he's treated like a felon.
For me, it's just separating the player and the person. Taylor has done some really shitty things off the field and I don't support any of it. That said, I can't and will never ignore #56 on the football field because he literally changed the game. It would be crazy to take that away from him.
Barber wasn't quite as impactful on the other side of the ball - but at the end of the day, this is our franchises leading rusher and best RB ever. He should get some credit for that.
Please don't compare LT to Tiki Barber. LT was arguably the greatest Giant of all time -- Tiki was a great RB -- but there were many great running backs on the Giants -- he was just one of them. LT never gave up the team -- none of the other great running backs gave up the team. No great Giant except for Tiki ever gave up the team. Tiki not only gave up the team, he tried to make a living off of pretty much mocking aspects of the team. The fact that he is such a self-serving little prick is well known in the circles that deal with him. I loved him as a player -- but his antics and blatant self-dealing offends me. I have a hard time reconciling the two, but what does it for me is - I am a rabid Giants fan and not only is he a prick but he tried to make the team look bad numerous times. Fuk him.
You're missing the point, gid.. and like most people who hate Barber, you're not being objective at all.
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LOL. He was never "on the verge of being out of the league" before Coughlin.
Ridiculous revisionist history.
Three 1k yard seasons in the four seasons before Coughlin arrived - 16 yards short of a 2k yards from scrimmage season in 2002.
This is exactly the type of shit I'm talking about. People hate the guy so much that they just completely discredit everything he did on the football field or give Tom Coughlin credit for all of it.
Barber broke out in 2000 and was very good from then on. Yes, he peaked when TC was here, but to say he was on the verge of being out of the league before that is fucking laughable.
You arent going to play in the NFL if you fumble 18 times in 2 years.
Go ahead and apologize for the guy but he wouldnt have played for much longer if his fumble problem.didnt get.fixed.
Show me one player in NFL history that wound up out of the league because of fumbling when he was producing like that otherwise.
From 2000-2003...
Barber had 4474 rush yards, averaged 4.7 YPC, had 280 receptions for 2354 yards, totaled 6828 yards from scrimmage and scored 27 times.
This is all before Tom Coughlin.
Please show me a single player in NFL history who had a stretch like that and was out of the league in the midst of it because of fumbling. Not because of injury or performance. Because of fumbling.
I'll wait.
I do know one thing, as far as how he treated fans in Albany, there wasn't a single guy on the team who was better to the fans than he was.
He did some things that he shouldn't have especially in the media, but I still appreciate what he did for the franchise, and every time I met him he could not have been any nicer.
surprised when he quit didn't make sense .
I forgot about what happened with his wife .
Time to move on once a Giant always a giant .
This. Fuck him. Whatever he did on the field will never change how he walked out of here. Like a little bitch.
RE: his marriage. Nobody's business.
RE: his marriage. Nobody's business.
Agree and by the way, Strahan's marriage was ugly at the end too. Who really cares about all of that?
RE: his marriage. Nobody's business.
Yet, TC was the best thing that happened to Tiki. He elevated him to elite, imv
It was a major issue and kept him from reaching his potential, and Coughlin and Ingram deserve a lot of credit for propelling Barber from good to great player.
The Manning comments were awkward and goofy, but nowhere near the tragedy Manning fans made it out to be.
The more shitty thing was the retirement charade and the bone he had with Coughlin.
Refer to photo for favorite Tike Barber moment.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qdxXNDcWI7U/hqdefault.jpg - ( New Window )
Coughlin demanded that Barber carry the ball high and tight, to the point where Barber held the ball just under his chin.
“It actually made me a better player,” Barber said. “It made me a non-liability as a fumbler. But it also shortened my stride length and made me stronger, more compact as a runner. And because of one little nuance, detail that Tom Coughlin was trying to drill into my head, I became a Pro Bowler. I became one of the elite players in the National Football League because Tom Coughlin was a pain int he ass.”
But why does the general sentiment of how much Tiki owes Coughlin only flow one way?
One could also argue that Coughlin should credit Barber for saving his job If it weren't for those monstrous performances in 2006 where he carried the offense, Coughlin likely would have been fired. In the last game of the season against Washington, they were 7-8. If they lose, there was chatter that Coughlin would have been fired. Instead, Tiki rushes for 234 yards with 3 TDs and the Giants win, go 8-8, and Coughlin keeps his job.
Not only that, John Mara asked Tiki after the season about his thoughts on Coughlin. From the same article:
Barber said he received a text message the next training camp from center Shaun O’Hara saying Coughlin told the team a joke and took players bowling, gestures that seemed alien for Coughlin before then.
“And all of a sudden, the Giants became a team that was very well coached, attention to detail, focus on the particulars, finding a way to win games that maybe you should lose on the field, that was a team that was tighter than any maybe in the National Football League off the field,” Barber said.
“Is Tom Coughlin a Hall of Famer? You damn sure better believe he’s a Hall of Famer,” Barber added.
Even the 2007 America's Game documentary had clips from Strahan talking about the way Coughlin softened up and completely changed his style in 2007 and that the players began to love him.
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Credit goes both ways.
Probably not.
Tony Dorsett fumbled 46 times in his first five seasons. According to our resident Midwestern gay scene expert he should have been long gone from football before that.
And he blew it.
For an obviously smart guy, he was an idiot.
The personal stuff isn't good no doubt. But none of that supersedes the value he could have on this team - whether a coach leading by example by "being forgiving" for the greater good of team culture (somewhat parallel to TC's softening & the team becoming closer in 2007) or 'just' his value as a great RB passing the knowledge to our players / RB room
And as Csonka put well, he was an idiot given how easy a ride into the sunset should have been. Reminds of a great Jon Voight quote from Varsity Blues "You are the damn dumbest smart kid I know"
I wasnt happy with his comments right after he retired but we've since won 2 Super Bowls and its now over 10+ years ago. I'm over it.
RE: his marriage. Nobody's business.
A player's personal life is an important ingredient of his value. The interviews at the combine often tell more to the GMs than the numbers. So the fact that Tiki was a scumbag is a legit part of his legacy.
My memories are the same. Really good with the kids.
It's not just "Eli apologists" but rather people who were sympathetic to an awkward kid trying to find his voice, being mocked by a former teammate.
BTW, if there's ever a definitive biography of Eli it should be called "America's kid brother".
Lol. Are you a shrink? You perfectly described the way I have felt about Eli pretty much his whole career. I am only a slight bit older than him and always have had a weird protective instinct about him like he's my younger brother or something.
Love the Eli. Can't spell "man" without....
Let him back in.