NYP: Giants and Tiki Barber reconciliation continues

However, the separation/exile from the Giants was in large part of his own making. If he handled his retirement better and hadn’t criticized Eli as much as he did, maybe things would have been different. Plus, I don’t think he ever acknowledged how much Coughlin helped him become the great RB Tiki was.

I do however like the idea of mending fences with Tiki and bringing him back. I think he’s been punished enough.

Tiki is awesome. One of the nicest Giants I've ever met. It's sad he was so hated for so long when he was just speaking the truth. Nothing he said about Eli at the time was a lie.

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.

In comment 13998544 Big Rick in FL said:

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Tiki is awesome. One of the nicest Giants I've ever met. It's sad he was so hated for so long when he was just speaking the truth. Nothing he said about Eli at the time was a lie. 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.

Is a good thing. God knows the world needs it.

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.

but he brought it on himself. I don't think Coughlin had much to do with it either.

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!

For a younger woman.

Just a reminder.

it was as much about shitting on Eli when Eli wasn't in a position of strength as it was about Tom Coughlin. Eli is still a Giant.

But he had an ego so big he looked for his name in the standings. He was a me first player who threw Eli under the bus. In his personal life he abandoned his pregnant wife to move in with hot, young intern. Forgiveness is one of the best human qualities. So surely we can forgive Tiki his transgressions. But we do not have to forget them nor their impact on the team.

Real crime isn t how he orchestrated his retirement as much as it is his criticism of Eli after he retired.

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.

It's time to move on. It's been over 10 years.

Tiki was one of the greatest players to ever wear this uniform. He shouldn't be remembered for a few moronic comments over that.

and played with courage and grit. An all-time great Giant.

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.

And it has nothing to do with his time after he left the Giants. I can't stand him for being a trouble maker inside the locker room for his last two seasons. A-S-S-H-O-L-E

He absolutely made a fool of himself when he walked out the door - I won't ever forget that or pretend it didn't happen.

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

& said about Barber . But one fact is incontrovertibly true: Tom Coughlin never said a bad word about him. Barber self immolated for reasons known only to him. He mouthed off at his last training camp, saying it was juvenile for him to be away from his family for so long a time . He proved the sincerity in his words by screwing a 23-year old intern .

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 .

but why LT is still seen fondly while Tiki isn't has to do (I think) with the way that betrayal or backstabbing one's mates often feels more insidious than "having demons" in the form of addiction issues. And I kind of get it. I had a friend who did something like that and I remember thinking that one transgression that friendship cannot work through is betrayal.

is another reason people were really pissed about Tiki is that Eli at that time was really in an insecure position, and it did come off as piling on.

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".

Like a lot of professional athletes, like a lot of people, good at his job (after TC taught him not to fumble as much), but not a real good person.

I'll say when I used to attend camp in the early 2000's. Barber was always very cool to the fans. Always loved Barber and constantly debated with my buddies when I was younger exp. 2003-2006, he was a top 5 back In the league.

never makes the hall of fame it'll be because the Giants used goal line runners instead of letting Tiki pile up big TD numbers. As is, he was better than some of the guys that are in.

that really pissed me off is games the Giants were losing. Tiki would be on camera often shown laughing it up with an opponent! Seemed to me like it just didn't bother him.

He was a great RB though.

I will keep booing him ....

Tiki Barber helped Tom Coughlin more than Tom Coughlin helped Tiki Barber. Without Tiki Barber in 2006 Tom Coughlin would have been fired and probably never have gotten another NFL head coaching job.

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!

Great player in 2004, 2005, and 2006, but eff him nonetheless.

In comment 13998689 Optimus-NY said:

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Great player in 2004, 2005, and 2006, but eff him nonetheless.

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Began after the loss to Carolina in the playoffs. The shut out loss. Barber decided that the Giants had disrespected the passing of the patriarch with such a poor showing . # 10 acolytes please remember that a good deal of the friction between Barber & Coughlin was due to Manning . In the days following the loss, Barber curiously referred to Manning as “Elijah.” Coughlin was all about team so he brought him in for some film review . He showed Barber five mis-assignments that he had committed during the game. In one instance , Shockey was coming wide open on the “sail route,” or deep out, which was one of the two signature pass routes of Coughlin’s offense . Manning overthrew the ball. Shockey would have been able to go down the right sideline for a touch had he caught it. Barber did not get a scrape on the edge rusher.

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 .

let's just say -- if there's nothing in it for him he ain't interested

Tiki was an excellent Giant and possibly one of the best Giant RBs in history. I appreciate his on the field contribution and his effort. I absolutely hate the fact that he sold out his ex team mates for a job that ended up dumping him. He does not have the personality to admit fault, but deep inside I bet he wishes he didn't say any of that.

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.

meetings with Barber because of shit Barber said during his last season. It even went so far as the team captains having a private team meeting because of the unrest Barber was causing in the locker room.

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.

old team the Giants. Eli had his say on the matter and the fans have let him know how they felt about it. I would guess that Tiki has paid the price by now for his mistakes. I like that Shurmur is bringing him back into the fold and I hope it all works out well. If Barkley has the career we hope for it will be Tiki's records for the most part that he is chasing. I do however hope that Tiki can be loyal to the Giants as he is excepted back in the fold. If he can't and he throws another Giant under the bus, I will be done with him for good.

Other than wearing that Giant helmet on Sundays...he isn't a good guy.

and arguably the greatest offensive player in the history of the Giants.

Jints Central needs to wake the f-ck up and reconcile with this great player. Enough of this idiocy...

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.

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.

He was on the verge of being out of the league until Coughlin got hired and fixed his fumbling problem.

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.

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.

In comment 13998914 arcarsenal said:

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In comment 13998893 Jimmy Googs said: Quote: 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...

Leading rusher, got better as his career progressed which is unusual for a running back. I’ll never forget the way he carried the team in 2005-6He was outspoken and a lot of fans prefer that players keep quiet/tow the party line.

In comment 13998936 Jimmy Googs said:

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In comment 13998914 arcarsenal said: Quote: In comment 13998893 Jimmy Googs said: Quote: 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.

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.

In comment 13998952 arcarsenal said:

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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.

In comment 13998929 arcarsenal said:

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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.

In comment 13998958 gidiefor said:

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In comment 13998952 arcarsenal said: Quote: 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.

In comment 13998959 ThatLimerickGuy said:

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In comment 13998929 arcarsenal said: Quote: 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.

personal life he does seem to be a not so great guy, but I try to stay out of judging any Giants players personal life. We don't know what truly went on with his marriage and shouldn't be judging athletes based on things we really don't know.

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.

Many of us were pissed about the things he said I was very
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 .

In comment 13998689 Optimus-NY said:

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Great player in 2004, 2005, and 2006, but eff him nonetheless.

This. Fuck him. Whatever he did on the field will never change how he walked out of here. Like a little bitch.

The Giants would've given him one like the Colts did Edgerrin James the previous year.