The New York Giants season came to an end on Sunday and with it so did running back Tiki Barber's career.
Barber had a stellar career for the Giants, starting as a third-down/punt return specialist before becoming the team's featured back in 2000. On the field, he got better and better each year. His first 1,000-yard season came in the Giants' Super Bowl season of 2000. Following an injury-plagued 2001, he dedicated himself to a new off-season conditioning program and started a string of five straight campaigns with at least 1,200 yards rushing.
As you know, he wasn't just a threat carrying the ball, he was also a tremendous receiving back. He went over the 2,000-yard mark of offense for the first time in 2004, tallying 1,518 on the ground and 578 through the air. He then followed that with an MVP-worthy campaign in 2005 with 2,390 total yards, including 1,860 on the ground.
This year, at age 32, he registered his third straight 2,000-yard season. His 1,662 rushing yards was the most by a player in his final season in league history, surpassing Hall-of-Famer Jim Brown's previous mark of 1,544. He ran for a franchise-record 234 yards with three touchdowns in a 34-28 win over Washington in the regular-season finale, getting the Giants into the playoffs.
He then scampered for 137 yards on 26 carries in Sunday's 23-20 setback to Philadelphia.
"It's a testament to resilience," said Barber on Monday. "I always wanted success and expected it. Circumstances shined favorably for me. I got some good coaching. I got some great lessons in resiliency and sticking to my guns. Ten years down the road, I am what I am and I'm proud of it. I really am."
The one knock of Barber late in his career was that he didn't get into the end zone as much as you would expect. Since he wasn't a big, punishing back, he rarely got touches at the goal line the last two years. As a result, his touchdown totals fell from a personal-best 15 in 2004 to 11 last year and just five this season. Early in his career, he was prone to fumbling the ball, setting a total of 12 footballs on the turf during the 2002 and 2003 seasons.
When Tom Coughlin came on board as head coach in 2004, that's when Barber's fumblitis came under control. Coughlin taught Barber a new way to hold the ball and with it the back's success took off. That's why it is such a surprise that Barber was one of Coughlin's biggest critics.
For all the success Barber had on the field under Coughlin, you would think he'd have higher praise for his head coach. Rather, it seemed like he would go after Coughlin every chance he got.
After a 2005 playoff loss to Carolina, Barber said the team was out-coached. He then went out of his way this season to get on Coughlin and his staff, saying that he wasn't utilized enough after a Week 10 26-10 setback in Jacksonville.
So it's no shock that Barber didn't endorse Coughlin, who will be entering the final year of his contract, while addressing the media on Monday.
"It's not my decision," said Barber when asked if Coughlin was the right guy to lead this team next year. "I'm going to go have a conversation with (co-owner) John Mara, I'm sure, in the next few days. I'll have a discussion with (co-owner) Jonathan Tisch and we'll see. My input is just an opinion. This organization has a lot of tough decisions to make and we'll see where that goes."
Barber could have just as easily said that Coughlin was dealt a tough hand. New York endured an exuberant amount of injuries this season, losing Pro Bowl defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora for extended periods of time, with Strahan eventually going on the injured list. The Giants also went without veteran wide receiver Amani Toomer and offensive lineman Luke Petitgout for the year because of injury.
Those losses alone would have doomed most other teams, but add quarterback Eli Manning's accuracy problems, the bickering between teammates through the media, and questionable play calling at times by the coaches and it's amazing the Giants did what they did in making the playoffs.
Barber, for one, has to be congratulated for leading his team to the postseason. If it wasn't for him, the team wouldn't have had that chance.
Although, Barber was also one of the causes for all the in-team conflict. In addition to his public comments about the coaching staff, his decision to announce his retirement so early in the year was also a distraction, admit it or not. He strategically waited until the week leading up to a Monday Night Week 7 matchup against division-rival Dallas to make his announcement. Despite Barber's comments made to the contrary, the move was made to generate the most possible publicity.
"I have no regrets for making the decision or how it came out," he said. "It happened. You don't write things and script them. It just happened. This decision has been in my head for years now. And you guys have been, I think, aware of that. I've alluded to it plenty of times. This was just the right time for me. And I know it personally. It may not appear that way by how I played this year, but I'm ready to go on and do something else. And I'm excited about it, I really am. I'm not going to regret not being a football player anymore."
Next for Barber is his media career. He has reportedly signed a four-year $10 million deal with ABC and ESPN. He has said he wants to do more than just sports.
"It will be a hybrid," said Barber, who expects everything to be finalized in the next few weeks. "The sports side will be similar to what the news side will be. It's not going to be trying to pick games and diagnose situations. Because I don't know, just like you guys don't really know. Unless you're on the team, you don't know. It's tough to do that. So it will be more telling stories. It will be more getting in depth things. Not just football, everything."
In the past, Barber has been a corespondent for Fox and Friends, a cable morning program on Fox News, and co-hosted "The Barber Shop" on satellite radio with his twin brother Ronde, a cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who will continue his playing career.
The only concern looking ahead is: Does Barber have enough experience and is he knowledgeable enough to carry a "normal" news story? Only time will tell, but I'm betting that he's a better ball carrier than a broadcaster.
Twenty years from now his body will be thanking him for retiring at such a young age, but you have to think he will also be left wondering what could have been if he remained. The Hall of Fame is probably just out of reach, despite the strong finish to his career, but a Super Bowl ring was definitely within his grasp and actually missed a couple of times.
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