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Tiki blindsides Coughlin


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Tiki's first TV tackle is Coughlin

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

BY BRIDGET WENTWORTH

Star-Ledger Staff

NEW YORK -- If Tiki Barber succeeds as an NBC broadcaster, Giants coach Tom Coughlin might deserve some of the credit. According to Barber, Coughlin's tough tactics drove him out of pro football and into a television career.

 

"He pushed me in the direction," Barber said yesterday after being formally introduced as a correspondent for "Today" and an analyst on "Football Night in America." "He kind of forced me to start thinking about what I wanted to do next."

 

The former Giants running back said he's looking forward to sharing his opinions. He got an early start by taking on Coughlin's coaching style. While talking about how he'll remember his time with the Giants, Barber said "the principles of our head coach started to take a toll on me."

 

Giants vice president of communications Pat Hanlon said neither Coughlin nor the team had any comment on Barber's remarks.

 

Barber elaborated on the physical price he paid under Coughlin, a notorious taskmaster who has drawn criticism from Barber in the past.

 

"There'd be days when I couldn't move, on Tuesday or Wednesday in practice," Barber said. "He'd get mad at me for going half-speed, and I'd say, 'Coach, I can't do it. I'm going to be out there, I'm never going to miss a practice, but I can't give you what you want all the time.' And he understood."

 

Not often enough, according to Barber, who said he gave Coughlin a little advice on how he should proceed next season with the Giants.

 

"I think he has to start listening to the players a little bit, and come their way a little bit," Barber said. "We were in full pads for 17 weeks, and with the amount of injuries we had, it takes a toll on you. You physically don't want to be out there when your body feels the way you do in full pads.

 

"While it probably doesn't have a really detrimental effect on how you practice or play, it does on your mind, and if you lose your mind in this game, you lose a lot. That's something he has to realize, and I think he does."

 

Barber was careful to say he has a "very good" personal relationship with Coughlin, whom he credited for coaching him during his best seasons. And it wasn't Coughlin's strict team rules that bothered Barber, who believes athletes need a disciplinarian for a coach.

 

It was simply the physical demands that Barber could no longer deal with. "I never got breaks. I never got to just relax," he said. "And it took a toll on me."

 

Barber also pointed out that at age 31, he was old for his position, and would not necessarily have continued playing had another man been his coach.

 

Barber was, after all, a player who could see an immediate future in another field, and could walk away from football and right into a job.

 

With network president Jeff Zucker and the chairman of NBC Sports Dick Ebersol at his side on the stage of Studio 3A at NBC Studios, Barber talked about fulfilling a dream in broadcasting. He plans on addressing issues of politics, health, education and technology on "Today."

 

He has worked in broadcasting for years, beginning with a radio gig for WFAN in 1999 which segued into a morning sports anchor job for WCBS-TV. He remembered being so nervous during his first show that his hands rattled the newspapers he had in front of him on his desk.

 

"I was shaking, staring straight ahead like a deer in the headlights," Barber said. "But I got better at it."

 

Good enough to become a regular contributor to the Fox News show "FOX & Friends" and host of a satellite radio show. Barber, who signed a three-year deal with NBC, will do a brief apprenticeship with "Today" host Matt Lauer before starting on April 16, with an assignment for "Today" that is yet to be determined.

 

Until then, he plans on vacationing in Mexico and taking his wife and sons to Disney World. And even though he knows he could have gotten through his press conference without bringing up the negative, without throwing out his thoughts on Coughlin, Barber thought it better to speak up.

 

"It is what it is. It's the truth," he said. "And if the truth hurts you and makes you think certain things, then that's your problem. That's the truth for me.

 

"Coach Coughlin was nothing but great for me as a player, but the grind took its toll on me and really forced me to start thinking about what I want to do next. That's not a bad thing, it's a good thing, at least for me it is. Maybe not for the Giants, because they lose one of their great players, but for me, it is."

 

Notes: The Giants continued to clear out their medical ward yesterday by cutting KR/PR Chad Morton. The release of Morton, 29, came one day after the team cut T Luke Petitgout and LBs LaVar Arrington and Carlos Emmons -- all three of whom suffered numerous injuries in the past few years.

 

Morton tore a knee ligament on Christmas Eve against the Saints. It marked the second time he tore a knee ligament in three years. Morton, who lost his job as kick returner midway through last season, had three years remaining on a contract he signed last spring. The deal included a small signing bonus, so his release won't have major salary-cap implications for the Giants.

 

 

 

Staff writer Mike Garafolo contributed to this report.

 

 

 

Bridget Wentworth may be reached at

 

bwentworth@starledger.com

 

TIKI TODAY AND YESTERDAY

 

Tiki Barber said yesterday Tom Coughlin's demanding style pushed him toward retirement. Well, the Giants' coach is merely one in a long list of factors Barber has cited for his leaving the NFL:

 

Barber has told several media outlets his decision was based on the natural pounding any NFL running back -- not just those who are coached by Coughlin -- takes. He said he couldn't go through another off-season of preparing himself physically. "To do it again, from now to get through this season to get to another season, that's unfathomable to me, given how my body feels," Barber told The Star-Ledger in October. "There comes a time when it's your time."

 

Late last year, Barber told USA Today he had decided last spring to retire after thinking about a June 2005 trip he made to Israel. "It gave me an eye-opening experience to the rest of the world," he said.

 

Barber also told USA Today his decision was influenced by the deaths of Giants co-owners Wellington Mara and Bob Tisch in 2005. "They taught me to use my powers for good and that football isn't forever. I know I can make a difference in some way," he said.

 

In an interview with Sports Illustrated last fall, Barber changed the time frame of his decision to retire, saying he made it during pregame warmups before the Sept. 17 win in Philadelphia when he was being heckled by Eagles fans. "How can I keep playing a kids' game for the rest of my life?" he said.

 

Barber's mother, Geraldine, in an interview with The Star-Ledger in October, said both of her sons told her the night they were drafted they didn't plan on playing very long anyway. "This is the next five years of our lives. Anything after five years is gravy,'" she said. "This is just gravy and maybe Tiki just chooses not to partake of it anymore."

 

-- Mike Garafolo

 

 

 

Article 2

 

 

Unbecoming blindside hit by Barber

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

BY STEVE POLITI

Star-Ledger Staff

Well, at least he has an idea for his first "Today" show segment, which no doubt will air between "Spring Fashions for Plus-Sized Kids!" and "An Inside Look at Anna Nicole's Final Pool Party."

 

Tiki Barber can call this piece, "How I Sold Out The Giants' Head Coach In A Transparent Attempt to Bring Attention To My Fledgling Television Career." Okay, so the title isn't exactly catchy, but the network must have people to work on these things, right?

 

Poor NBTiki. Now we find out the reason he retired -- or, at least the latest reason, since there have been so many -- wasn't so he could save the world. He just couldn't stand the abuse from Tom Coughlin, who pushed his body past its limit in his final season in the NFL.

 

Yes, what you saw in the season finale against the Washington Redskins a month and a half ago was a worn-down Barber, his legs aching from the long season, trying to save his team with his final steps in pro football ... when he rushed for a franchise-record 234 yards.

 

"These last couple of years have been a dichotomy in some ways," Barber said. "I became an All-Star player, I became one of the elite players in this league. But at the same time, the grind started to take its toll on me, the principles of our head coach started to take its toll on me, so I started looking for the next thing."

 

This wasn't an off-the-cuff remark. This was in response to a softball question about how he'll remember his Giants career. No, Barber clearly had an agenda with his comments yesterday.

 

"Coach Coughlin is very hard-nosed, and I didn't get a lot of time off," he said later. "I couldn't sit down and rest myself. It was a constant grind, a physical grind on me that started to take its toll ... He pushed me in the direction (toward retiring). He kind of forced me to start thinking about what I wanted to do next."

 

We always knew Barber had agility, but in his new job, he better get some accountability and credibility. Barber was always a self-promoter, but his latest swipe at Coughlin is a lame attempt to bring attention to an otherwise mundane introductory press conference.

 

Barber was savvy in how the media works before he signed this multimillion-dollar deal to bring his toothy grin to morning TV. His noble goals about bringing attention about concussions in football, well, that's all well and good. But insinuating that Coughlin forced him into retirement? Hey, that's headline material!

 

Even if it's nonsense.

 

You can blame Coughlin for many things -- the glaring lack of discipline, the late-game collapses, even the slow development of quarterback Eli Manning. I thought Coughlin should have been replaced after the Giants finished 8-8 this past season, and I was hardly alone.

 

Still, the idea that he overworked Barber is unfair. Statistically, Barber was only seventh in the NFL in carries, and might have ranked lower without injuries to Shaun Alexander and Willis McGahee. He averaged 20 carries a game, which is just about right for a featured back.

 

Coughlin did plenty to try to lessen the load on Barber. He increased carries for backup Brandon Jacobs from 38 in 2005 to 96 last fall. He pushed back the time of the second practice during training camp and relied on limited-contact drills, both designed to decrease the pounding on veterans.

 

Barber blamed Coughlin for the playoff debacle two seasons ago against the Panthers, but Coughlin never said a peep publicly when Barber bragged about rushing off at 3 a.m. some mornings during the season to tape "FOX & Friends." He had one foot in the studio before he retired.

 

The former Giants star has flip-flopped on his coach more than the politicians he'll soon interview. "My connection with Tom was formed early -- and this is why we've had a good dialogue despite everything that goes on," Barber told The Star-Ledger a few days before his final game. "Whatever I needed, he was willing and eager to help. And that's telling about a man."

 

Strange relationship, considering a few months later, Barber was trying to pluck a few feathers off a lame duck.

 

Maybe now that Barber is gone from the Giants locker room, he can say how he really feels. He can forget the way Coughlin taught him how to properly hold the football, solving a fumbling problem that made him a liability. He can forget how he went from a nice little running back to a borderline Hall of Famer -- the best three seasons for a running back in Giants franchise history.

 

But if he thinks any of this is going to help his former teammates, he's wrong. NBTiki can't do that. Only Tiki Barber the football player can, but there's a cooking segment with Al Roker awaiting him.

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Im sure Tiki said some of those things, and the media just took what they wanted and blew it outta porportion. He's said it was taking a toll on him all along, but they make it sound like it was solely TC driving him to the ground. More media bullshit.

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How is it that all of you can talk shit about Tiki now, but you were all on his nutsack when he played? I think some on here should be the ones to shut up, until we hear these things for our selves. :TU:

some of us can separate the player from the man. while we love the player, the man is being a prick right now. doesn't tarnish his on field contribution or make anyone here hypocritical.

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How is it that all of you can talk shit about Tiki now, but you were all on his nutsack when he played? I think some on here should be the ones to shut up, until we hear these things for our selves. :TU:

 

I haven't changed my tune since the season. Nor are we talking about his abilities as an athlete. Rumor has it that someone can be a great athlete and still be an asshole.

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I haven't changed my tune since the season. Nor are we talking about his abilities as an athlete. Rumor has it that someone can be a great athlete and still be an asshole.

I ahve always loved Tiki the player, but I am quicly losing respect for Tiki the man. He did have his best years under Coughlin who taught him not to fumble the ball. Look up the stats. Sorry Tiki, but I hope you do a better job on TV than making out that your retirement was hastened by Coughlin.

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I disagree .... it was widely reported throughout Coughlin's head coaching career that he is an insane maniac regarding practice in that he does not believe in walk throughs;preferring close to game day style contact/hits/tackles during practice. Having said that Tiki has to learn a lesson that many adults never do....sometimes things are better left unsaid no matter how much short-term benefit you may get from it. Tiki made a big deal about how football was such a small part of his life; which when you look at it is illogical and specious thinking on his part. How likely is it that he would be on a national stage commanding millions in salary if he did not first become famous carrying a football. But if we go by his stated premise that football was just a part of life and is now old news 9 days after his last professional TD, then he should strike out for the future by starting right now and be Tiki the broadcaster and leave out all of the Tiki as ball player experiences. It would add to his credibility and it might boost his integrity to boot. On two occasions he has taken two softball questions (the original retirement question and his recent press conference mentioned here) and transformed them into 10 minute speeches on Life, the Universe and Everything. For his sake I hope he is successful in his newly chosen career because he has placed all of his eggs into this one very fragile basket. Any serious football related job will probably be off limits to him (especially with the old line teams) for the forseeable future. Just like when any of us leaves a job....you don't badmouth your bosses where it can get back to them. You never know what might happen down the line. I guess in his sheltered world of the professional sports he never learned this important lesson.

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How is it that all of you can talk shit about Tiki now, but you were all on his nutsack when he played? I think some on here should be the ones to shut up, until we hear these things for our selves. :TU:

 

I stood up for Tiki when he decided to retire, but he's not taking the high road bad mouthing people. That's not talking shit about Tiki, that's stating an opinion.

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I stood up for Tiki when he decided to retire, but he's not taking the high road bad mouthing people. That's not talking shit about Tiki, that's stating an opinion.

Right we all know what an asshole Cheer Leader was/is/and forever shall be it seems....so why make a career of it. At a certain point people will start noticing that the bad mouthing is not being responded too and guess who starts looking bad instead. :ph34r:

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How is it that all of you can talk shit about Tiki now, but you were all on his nutsack when he played? I think some on here should be the ones to shut up, until we hear these things for our selves. :TU:

It's like when you date a hot piece of ass. That ass is slammin' for awhile, then out of the blue she leaves you. Then as if the pain from that wasn't enough, a few weeks later she's telling all your boys what an asshole you were and you had a little dick. Sooner or later your going to want that cunt to shut her jiz cup. Tiki, same situation. Shut your jiz cup Tiki and Move on!

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Tiki was a very good player. He played for us and we paid him handsomely. Let's not forget he was mediocre at best till his last 3 years. I'm not mad at Tiki for leaving.. that was his decision but to be a whore about it, I find it very annoying. I think we tend to think to highly of athletes. The guy was a running back, I don't expect him to be the 2nd coming of Mike Wallace. He knows America loves drama so he's making his splashes and looking like an idiot in the process.

 

Tiki, you played for us, you did a decent job, we cheered for you because you were wearing Blue. Now if the New York Giants had taught you ANYTHING, it's to be classy.

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Tiki was a very good player. He played for us and we paid him handsomely. Let's not forget he was mediocre at best till his last 3 years. I'm not mad at Tiki for leaving.. that was his decision but to be a whore about it, I find it very annoying. I think we tend to think to highly of athletes. The guy was a running back, I don't expect him to be the 2nd coming of Mike Wallace. He knows America loves drama so he's making his splashes and looking like an idiot in the process.

 

Tiki, you played for us, you did a decent job, we cheered for you because you were wearing Blue. Now if the New York Giants had taught you ANYTHING, it's to be classy.

He wasn't necessarily mediocre. He had a great year in 02 that had a lot of fumbles. 00 was a solid year. And 03 was just something I never wanna remember.

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"The grind took its toll on me and really forced me to start thinking about what I wanted to do next. And that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing, for me at least. Maybe not for the Giants, because they lose one of their great players, but for me, it is," Barber said.

 

:rolleyes:

 

If Tiki has shown anything this year, it's a glaring lack of humility. How many more times is the guy gonna tell us how great he is (was). Dude, leave already.

 

BIGBLUE1, I respect your opinion, bro, and I have always really liked Tiki as a player. But this year, in particular, he has put his foot in his mouth too many times to mention. I liken this stuff to someone you work with giving their two week notice, then proceeding to bash the company for the next two weeks. Nobody wants to hear it.

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"The grind took its toll on me and really forced me to start thinking about what I wanted to do next. And that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing, for me at least. Maybe not for the Giants, because they lose one of their great players, but for me, it is," Barber said.

 

:rolleyes:

 

If Tiki has shown anything this year, it's a glaring lack of humility. How many more times is the guy gonna tell us how great he is (was). Dude, leave already.

 

BIGBLUE1, I respect your opinion, bro, and I have always really liked Tiki as a player. But this year, in particular, he has put his foot in his mouth too many times to mention. I liken this stuff to someone you work with giving their two week notice, then proceeding to bash the company for the next two weeks. Nobody wants to hear it.

 

Absolutely. As Giants fans we do love Tiki but when this self-promotion started early in the season and now this... it leaves a bad taste for us fans. The guy is acting like he did us a favor.

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So, could our injuries be a result of Coughlin overworking our players or is it just Palmieri?

 

That argument has a lot of credibility to it although those injuries were there before coughlin got there. A combination of strech excersizes like Yoga and not overworking the players can do wonders for a team's health.

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I only hope Brandon Jacobs carry's us all the way to win the super bowl, if for nothing more, than to shut tiki's, ungreatful ass up.

Amen to that Brother. :worshippy: Plus Brandon is real cool and fan friendly....can you imagine that a pro player who actually enjoys meeting with fans. :rolleyes:

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"The grind took its toll on me and really forced me to start thinking about what I wanted to do next. And that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing, for me at least. Maybe not for the Giants, because they lose one of their great players, but for me, it is," Barber said.

 

:rolleyes:

 

If Tiki has shown anything this year, it's a glaring lack of humility. How many more times is the guy gonna tell us how great he is (was). Dude, leave already.

 

BIGBLUE1, I respect your opinion, bro, and I have always really liked Tiki as a player. But this year, in particular, he has put his foot in his mouth too many times to mention. I liken this stuff to someone you work with giving their two week notice, then proceeding to bash the company for the next two weeks. Nobody wants to hear it.

 

 

I guess what Im trying to say, is that we are hearing it from the media, not Tiki's mouth. At least I aint. Im sure he said some of these things, TC could be a prick. But has anyone asked him if he's grateful for what he taught him? Im sure he'd say yes.

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