Tiki Barber: Coughlin's job is in jeopardy

[JMFP]

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/backpage/tiki_rips_giants_heading_into_ceremony_O3RAu7Q3lKj6VvMwsj4Z3N

 

Barber blasted Big Blue, particularly head coach Tom Coughlin, for the sloppy 1-2 start in an interview with Yahoo! Sports.

 

“I don’t know if he’s completely lost control of his team, but it’s definitely slipping away,” Barber said of Coughlin. “You saw it last week with the comments Antrel Rolle made about leadership and the over-control of the coaching staff and organization had over the players.

 

“And sometimes that affects you and carries over into games. And right now Tom Coughlin is at a crisis, his job is certainly in jeopardy, particularly the way they ended last year and closed out that stadium, we all know how embarrassing that was.”

 

VAC'S WHACKS ON TIKI'S TIMING

 

It’s not the first time Barber has taken aim at the Giants. Shortly after he retired, following the 2006 season, the running back blamed Coughlin’s extreme practice methods for retiring early. He also took a shot at Eli Manning’s leadership abilities.

 

Barber, who has been mostly complimentary of the franchise since, was back to trash talking this week.

 

“They played two horrible games in a row … and Carolina has fallen off the face of the Earth, so you really can’t talk about that win being significant,” Barber said of the Giants’ first three games in 2010, which included back-to-back losses to the Colts (38-14) and Titans (29-10).

 

“Tom Coughlin has to find a way to get into the minds of his players. He might need to consider bringing the leadership council, which served as the communicator between him and the team, back because his message is not connecting with the players.”

 

Barber said it’s obvious Coughlin’s message isn’t getting through by the 10 turnovers the team has committed, tied for second most in the NFL.

 

“Here’s the real problem with Tom Coughlin -- or at least his message -- he preaches discipline, mistake-free football, and right now that’s what the team is doing, so they are not listening to him,” Barber said. “Right now, some of the turnovers they are making are so ill-advised: The left-handed throw by Eli, the ball awareness by Ahmad Bradshaw going into a red zone area last week where they really let that game slip away.”

 

At one point the interviewer suggested the Giants might need Barber, 35, to come out of retirement.

 

“I can’t tell you how many people have told me that,” Barber said.

 

He would have the time for it. One of the reasons he retired at 31 years old was to pursue a television career, and he quickly landed a job at NBC on “The Today Show” and “Football Night in America.” The network decided not to bring him back for either this year.

 

Barber has obviously spent some of his new-found free time thinking of ways the Giants can get better.

 

“You feel like this team is desperate, if that’s coming from too much pressure from the coaching staff or not enough freedom from the players’ perspective, but they got to find a way to play looser football,” Barber said. “And I think on top of that -- and this is really the problem that’s been existing there for a couple of years now especially since Michael Strahan left, Plaxico Burress not being there, Amani Toomer is not there -- they need some of these young guys to step up, take the initiative and become leaders out there, because without that guys start to fall apart and the whole kit and caboodle falls by the waste side and that seems to be what‘s happening right now.”

[Mr. P]

i respect strahans opinion more than i respect tiki's.

[echochamber]

As much as I hate Tiki, he said nothing wrong. Right now, this team blows and Coughlin WILL be fired if they don't make the playoffs. we barely beat a garbage team in Carolina, got completely ass raped by Indy, and then looked liked unprepared fools against the Titans. I'm sure this article will give the suits at Giants Staidum every reason to boo him on sunday night too. overblown shit as usual.

 

And as far as Michael Strahan goes, F his opinion on anything. he was NEVER a leader in any sense.... until they were on the cusp of a Superbowl victory and at the end of his career.

[Tempest]

He's not getting fired.

[gmenroc]

Unless this team packs it in after 3 games, which I don't believe they will, Coughlin won't go anywhere this year I don't think. I mean, if we're 1-15, sure, he's gone. But all in all, I see us in the 6-10 to 10-6 range. As long as we don't fall below that, I think Coughlin's safe.

 

As for Tiki, he's a piece of shit. I think that (1) he's pissed he retired and didn't get the ring and (2) was the whining baby who bitched that he had to work too hard over the summer when he was still playing. If he had grown a set of balls and actually dealt with the rule changes, he'd be able to call himself a superbowl winner. For a long time, I had planned on buying a Tiki jersey after he hung up the cleats, but not now. Not that I don't think he was a good player, I just think he was a shitty person/teammate.

[Chuck Wagon]

Well....Tiki is a bit of an expert on getting fired.

 

C. Wagon

[Guest StrahansGap]

Is Tiki being honored at the stadium Sunday night? If so, you can expect him to be introduced with a chorus of boos...

[JackStroud]

I'd take Tiki back in a minute and he would be the best RB on the team instantly........he is absolutely correct in his comments and was also correct when he left

 

He left with all his muscles and joints perfectly intact....I'm betting if he started this week he would run for 1200 yds this year

 

With Tiki as with Chris Johnson it's all about patience following your blockers and then exploding through the hole.....none of our present knothead RBs has any patience at all........Bradshaws strength is pure athletic ability and vision to make extreme cuts.....he is not particularly patient

 

Of course to get Tiki back we would have to get rid of Captain Ahab......and if this downturn continues Ahab will go out on his shield

[fishgutmartyr]

The guy takes every opportunity to bash Coughlin. The act is tired, and didn't work the first time.

 

Considering the context, it's disgraceful.

[JackStroud]

The guy takes every opportunity to bash Coughlin. The act is tired, and didn't work the first time.

 

Considering the context, it's disgraceful.

 

 

I guess thats why I like Tiki

 

I bash the old goat alot too

 

)

[JMFP]

I'm predicting that Big Blue kicks some serious ass this Sunday Night.

 

Thanks for the motivation, Tiki

[Iceman_NYG]

How quickly we forget and ignore a man's contributions to this team? For a while this team WAS Tiki and Tiki only. Yes, he might have been critical of the organisation once he left, but he was not wrong in his comments. We might not have liked it but we cant dispute it as being baseless and incorrect. He had an element of truth to what he said. Yes, Coughlin might have cured his fumbling problems etc, but ultimately this 'over-control' within the organisation was something that was always existant. Maybe now its becoming suffocating.

 

Tiki is not at all wrong in what he is saying here. He is spot-on. Coughlin is in trouble and this team needs to right ship ASAP starting this Sunday. I dont care if we lose, but dont lose with 153 penalties, 243 turnovers and 343 personal fouls!!

[Tempest]

Wow this just makes me think if Carl Banks said it then everyone would have nodded approvingly.

 

Tiki Barber is not a bad guy for retiring before his legs gave out under him. He's not even a bad guy for being critical of the coach. Everyone is.

 

This thing about Coughlin losing his job is just the media doing its job, creating news. 1-2 isn't the worst start we've had and far from the best.

 

Really easy to sit back now after three games to say we beat the Carolina Panthers because they are arguably the worst team in the NFL right now. Don't forget they bitch slapped the team a few months ago.

 

Any given sunday people. Hope we make sunday the night the team turns it around and finds itself.

[BIGBLUE01]

How quickly we forget and ignore a man's contributions to this team? For a while this team WAS Tiki and Tiki only. Yes, he might have been critical of the organisation once he left, but he was not wrong in his comments. We might not have liked it but we cant dispute it as being baseless and incorrect. He had an element of truth to what he said. Yes, Coughlin might have cured his fumbling problems etc, but ultimately this 'over-control' within the organisation was something that was always existant. Maybe now its becoming suffocating.

 

Tiki is not at all wrong in what he is saying here. He is spot-on. Coughlin is in trouble and this team needs to right ship ASAP starting this Sunday. I dont care if we lose, but dont lose with 153 penalties, 243 turnovers and 343 personal fouls!!

 

Agreed 110% Ice. I dont see the big deal with what Tiki says, and its all correct. Tiki took pay cuts to stay in Blue while he was playing. Hes a career Giant. So, just like only a family member can criticize family, Tiki can criticize Bigblue.And like JoeMorrisforPrez said......its most likely gonna motivate us to kick ass!!!

[fishgutmartyr]

Agreed 110% Ice. I dont see the big deal with what Tiki says, and its all correct. Tiki took pay cuts to stay in Blue while he was playing. Hes a career Giant. So, just like only a family member can criticize family, Tiki can criticize Bigblue.And like JoeMorrisforPrez said......its most likely gonna motivate us to kick ass!!!

I'm not even going to argue this anymore. Some of you guys would be all right with Tiki taking a shit on the buffet table at Coughlin's retirement dinner, and say that Tom had it coming.

 

But Tiki NEVER took a pay cut. What he did agree to do was to convert some of his salary to bonus money for salary cap reasons. He would have still netted the same amount of money over the length of his contract--in fact, since the bonus money was up front and he never finished the full length of his contract, he may have wound up with MORE money than if it was still salary.

 

He isn't going homeless anytime soon.

[Sephiroth]

He would have the time for it. One of the reasons he retired at 31 years old was to pursue a television career, and he quickly landed a job at NBC on “The Today Show” and “Football Night in America.” The network decided not to bring him back for either this year.

 

He probably doesn't have ANY time... being led around at the nose by his 22-year-old mistress and all. If the team wants him back they had better call HER and ask if it's OK.

 

That being said, I have no problem with these immediate comments by Tiki... it's the shit in the past that bothered me. He's right tho... Coughlin prides himself on disciplined teams, and this team is anything but disciplined.

[CrazedDogs]

Wow this just makes me think if Carl Banks said it then everyone would have nodded approvingly.

 

Tiki Barber is not a bad guy for retiring before his legs gave out under him. He's not even a bad guy for being critical of the coach. Everyone is.

 

This thing about Coughlin losing his job is just the media doing its job, creating news. 1-2 isn't the worst start we've had and far from the best.

 

Really easy to sit back now after three games to say we beat the Carolina Panthers because they are arguably the worst team in the NFL right now. Don't forget they bitch slapped the team a few months ago.

 

Any given sunday people. Hope we make sunday the night the team turns it around and finds itself.

 

Perhaps, but thats because on this subject Tiki is perceived as a lazy, whiny bitch, whereas Banks has far more cred.

[JMFP]

Wow this just makes me think if Carl Banks said it then everyone would have nodded approvingly.

 

 

Carl Banks is a class act, and doesn't go out of his way to rip on Coughlin. When he has something to say, it's usually constructive, and based on what he see on the tape. That's one reason he has a job in sports, and Tiki does not.

 

Carl Banks: great player, great teammate, great analyst

Tiki Barber: great player.

 

Within 48 hours, we've had Strahan defending Coughlin, and Tiki ripping Coughlin. One has a ring, and the other does not.

 

We have another guy who never bought into Coughlin's program sitting in jail.

[JMFP]

 

 

Once upon a time, long before he delivered two Super Bowl triumphs to the team he watched as a Jersey Boy in the Polo Grounds and in Yankee Stadium, they couldn’t wait to throw Bill Parcells under the Big Blue Bus. Now, only two seasons and three games after Tom Coughlin became the only other Giants head coach to raise the Lombardi Trophy to the heavens, that ominous Big Blue Bus is back, driven by misguided Giants fans who fear that Tiki Barber is right about their team being in crisis.

 

And here’s the message to the drivers of the Big Blue Bus from Ring of Honoree Bill Parcells:

 

Back up, and get off Tom Coughlin’s back

 

“Well you’re asking the wrong guy because I’m a big Tom Coughlin man,” Parcells said yesterday. “I’m a big fan of Tom’s, and I know what kind of coach he is. Nobody has to tell me, I know. And I’m not interested in what the naysayers or other people say about him. I think he’s a good man. I think he’s proved to be a sound coach over the years. He’s taken the team to a championship. Hey, we all come on rough times once in awhile, but I have every confidence in Tom.”

 

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/parcells_says_coach_not_to_blame_MTR0tTMEpUGYgJLe71J2FI#ixzz117hXW72u

[TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt]

i respect strahans opinion more than i respect tiki's.

 

 

Hows that post TV career coming along MeMe....how's the new flame and old pregnant Dragon Lady wife....did she have twins that look like their darling Daddy? Boy is trying to controversy himself into a job....

[Mr. P]

Antonio Pierce 'Not A Fan' Of Tiki Barber

 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- There's no love lost between former New York Giants Antonio Pierce and Tiki Barber.

 

Pierce made that quite clear during an appearance on the "McDonald and Tierney Show" on 1050 ESPN New York on Friday.

 

Pierce told hosts Brandon Tierney and Jody McDonald that he's no fan of Barber's and that he expects Giants fans to boo on Sunday night during his induction to the team's Ring of Honor.

 

"Personally, I'm not a fan. No. I'm not a fan," Pierce said of Barber, whom he played with in 2005 and 2006. "I respect the way he plays the game, I respect how he was as a football player. [but] I can't tell you two things about TIki Barber. I don't know him. didn't really get the chance to sit down and have talks with him. wasn't really interested in doing that."

 

Barber will be inducted to into the Giants' Ring of Honor during halftime of Sunday night's Giants-Bears game. Pierce thinks the team's all-time leading rusher may want to bring ear plugs for the ceremony.

 

"The way I think he's going to be perceived in the new stadium is I think he's going to be booed. He got booed for three years, the last three years I was in New York after he retired. Anytime they showed him on the JumboTron, they booed him," Pierce said.

 

Pierce also noted that some of Barber's commentary on the Giants after he retired in 2006 didn't come across well in the locker room. Barber is a former football analyst for NBC.

 

"He left on top of the world and then he said some things that the fans and the players and the team didn't really respond to well [to]," Pierce said. "I don't think he's ever going to get that love that he once had in New York."

 

Barber garnered headlines on Thursday when he said Tom Coughlin has lost his grip on the 1-2 Giants and is in crisis-mode.

 

"He is in a crisis because of the perception that he is losing his team," Barber said Thursday morning on a conference call for his induction into the Giants' Ring of Honor on Sunday. "We all know that especially in New York, once the media and the perception becomes a reality, you start fighting against it. And when you are fighting against something that is not necessarily real, you make it real. That is why he is in a crisis."

 

Pierce took issue with Barber's criticism of his former coach.

 

"I think Coughlin only can do so much," Pierce said. "The players got to play. They're out there throwing interceptions, creating the turnovers, having the penalties."

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/news/story?id=5637545&campaign=rss&source=NEWYORKHeadlines

[JackStroud]

who gives a crap what antonio pierce thinks

 

he was a mediocre player on his best days......awful on his worst

 

a NOBODY

[Mr. P]

who gives a crap what antonio pierce thinks

 

he was a mediocre player on his best days......awful on his worst

 

a NOBODY

 

probably more people than those who give a crap what you think.

[JackStroud]

probably more people than those who give a crap what you think.

 

Probably but that does not diminish the fact Tiki Barber was far and away the Giants best RB of all time, while Air Horn was far and a away the worst regular starting MLB the Giants ever had.

 

I respect Tiki's opinion.......Pierce is the fool who accompanied Plaxico on the infamous run to NYC knowing Plaxico was carrying a gun, and failing to take it away from him, or at the least tell the fool not to holster it in his warmup pants elastic belt .......... HE'S AN IDIOT, I could not care less what he thinks, if he thinks

[Allstarjim]

Nothing Tiki even said was inflammatory, but is being spun that way by the media to make this appear controversial (it's not) and create a story that isn't there. This is the same thing that happened when he made comments about Eli's leadership a couple of years ago. It's Tiki's job to comment on the team, he is an NFL analyst. Nobody would bat an eyelash about this if Bob Costas or Howie Long said this, or even if Phil Simms said this. This is another case of selective quoting to remove context and create a story. And the sheep that falls into it will be the ones booing on Sunday night. Completely ridiculous.

 

In fact, all Tiki really said is that Coughlin is in jeopardy because of the PERCEPTION by media that he is losing the team. Tiki did not criticize the man directly AT ALL. He said perception becomes reality in NY... that is something he knows all too well and it is very true... and ironic because it is happening to him once again with this "story".

 

I know Tiki has said good things about the team in the last couple of years but of course that is not newsworthy.