TIKI BARBER VS. ELI MANNING
Tiki Barber (above, left) wanted a more intense Eli Manning. He got that on Tuesday. Two days after being criticized during NBC’s Giants-Ravens game by Barber for a lack of strong leadership, Manning ripped his ex-teammate and current TV analyst for distracting the team last season with his early retirement announcement and his criticism of coach Tom Coughlin.
What Barber said …
“His personality hasn’t been so that he can step up, make a strong statement and have people believe that it’s coming from his heart. … Sometimes it was almost comical the way that he would say things.”
How Manning responded
“I guess I’m just happy for Tiki that he’s making a smooth transition into the TV world. You know, I’ll be interested to see if he has anything to say [about a team] besides the Giants, and what his comments will be on that. … I guess I could have questioned his leadership skills last year with calling out the coach and having articles about him retiring in the middle of the season, and he’s lost the heart [to play].”
