Tiki, Tiki, Tiki
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- February
- 13
Don’t know what Tiki Barber was thinking about today when he got up at his NBC introductory press conference and blasted Tom Coughlin out of the water. Leave it to Tiki to turn Coughlin into a sympathetic figure.
So what did Tiki say when asked if why he retired? He said that Coughlin basically pushed him into it with his physical demands. Claimed Coughlin kept the team in full pads and hitting the whole 17 weeks, and that was the main reason behind the team’s injury bug.
There’s just one problem with that. Let’s preface this by saying I like Barber. Always have. Always will. But on this one, he’s full of hooey. I attended the beginning of those practices—reporters are allowed to see some stretching and individual unit work—and those guys rarely came out in anything heavier than shells, the lightweight padding they wear on their shoulders. Heck, even training camp had a minimum of hard hitting. Coughlin would be the first to get on guys for taking cheap shots, or for players not keeping their feet during drills. The real hitting stopped as soon as training camp ended.
And even if it was as Barber said, I’m in a quandry as to why he’d bring that up after spending the season saying he was tired of getting beaten up on Sundays by the likes of Jeremiah Trotter and others. Or that he wanted to be able to walk and run with his kids at age 40. Seems like he used the forum to take not only a cheap, but an unwarranted shot at Coughlin. And, believe me, that’s hard to do with a hard-edged guy like Coughlin.
Oh, well. Perhaps now we can all get past the longest goodbye in history. Barber has his job now, and starting in April he’ll be playing on a different, smaller type of team. He ought to be delighted, and rightfully so.
Celebrities and heads of state don’t hit as hard as Trotter.
Ciao for now.
PS: For those Chad Morton fans out there—both of you—he’s gone. Giants cut him yesterday after inefficiency cost him his kickoff return job and a torn left ACL ended his season against New Orleans on Christmas Eve. No big cap savings here; maybe $200,000 or so.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, February 13th, 2007 at 5:41 pm by Ernie Palladino. 
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Ernie Palladino
Tiki was far and away my favorite player since LT. I think it is a shame that he spent this last year ripping on the guy that made his career. We all know that w/ out Coughlin Tiki would not be even considered for the Hall of Fame. He should be thanking him rather then blasting him. Pretty classless for such a classy individual.
I am NOT the least bit surpised by this. Tiki was one of the “whispering” anonymous sources trying to knife TC in the press. He did it “on the record” a few times too.
Tiki is, and always has been, all about Tiki. Nice guy on the surface, but as about sincere as a used car salesman.
Yes…TC cured Tiki’s fumbling problems. And for all the build-up and hype and self-promotion, Tiki may fade fast in TV. But on the other hand, his slickness and sometimes-insincerity may fit right in.
Ernie, Tiki conned you. He conned a lot of people. Maybe it should be Con-Tiki and not Kon-Tiki, which I joked about yesterday.
Some time ago, I said on this forum that in some ways the Giants and Eli would be better off with Tiki gone. You saw the proof of “why” today. He was disruptive and his presence also inhibited Eli from trying to assert leadership of the offense.
Final thought…if anyone doesn’t think Tiki deliberately orchestrated his nearly season-long Retirement Distraction, then I know of a bridge in Brooklyn you may want to buy.
That announcement should have been made offically before the season, the week before the final home game if the Giants were out of contention, or after the playoffs if they were in contention.
Giants will be better next yr without his “awful” clubhouse presence. Team morale will be better without that jerk around…..now to just find those 2,000yds??
Starhan could be next on the cut list although prob not to next yr
I wondered why before this season or the carolina playoff loss, Tiki never bashed any coaches in public and to the media. Either he felt like he finally earned his seniority and yards, and now he was justified in “speaking for” the players, or he knew he was going to retire soon and he didn’t care what the consequences of his comments would be. I must say his “outcoached” comments and his ill-timed retirement announcement were major disruptions this year.
I think his ripping at today’s conference was purely him trying to prove that he is now a news reporter that must “speak his mind” and his version of the truth.
I’m not sure if I’m ready to hear Tiki voice his opinions on everything from politics to the Iraq War to global warming to football. Hope he doesn’t keep bashing TC and the Giants.
That’s a real Tiki softball story by Heyman in today’s Journal News. No perspective, no “wait a minute there, Tiki!” analysis like Ernie posted above.
Maybe Tiki wouldn’t have been so “worn out” if he stayed away from all those cameras and microphones throughout the season. He sure didn’t look or sound very exhausted when he was on TV screens or radio airwaves day after day doing his own thing. Hey Tiki…A little rest from all that might have helped you out a bit, no?
He also deliberately let his retirement plans leak (Leaky Tiki) in October, and had said for a year that he thought ‘06 might be his last season. So he was “worn down” by Coughlin even that early, or in October?
Meanwhile, he played the best football of his entire career the last few seasons under TC, and it was TC who helped Tiki cure his notorious career-long fumbling to that point.
Go back to the last game of ‘02, when the Giants made the playoffs by beating Philly 10-7 in OT. Tiki fumbled FOUR times that day, losing three of them. The Giants only won because the Eagles’ Akers missed a FG he should have made.
Translation: Tiki Barber is f.o.s.
Yesterday, Tiki also made sure to call himself one of the “Giants great players,” which is just another example of his self-serving ego. He WAS a great player the last few years. But it’s not up to him to say that. However, as a person? Not so great at all.
i now hate tiki barber and wish nothing but failure in is new profession… hes not the guy i thought he was, hes locker room trouble maker, who likes to stir up drama.. im glad hes gone bring on b jacobs.