Former Giants’ RB Tiki Barber says coach Tom Coughlin has lost the team
The New York Giants are falling and falling hard. The team looks undisciplined and is lacking chemistry. When that happens to a talented team, blame will fall on the head coach. Retired running back Tiki Barber offered his take as to why the Giants are looking
so bad, criticizing Giants’ coach Tom Coughlin.
"When you're fighting against something that's not necessarily real, you make it real," Barber said. "That's why he's at a crisis. He needs to figure out a way to get control of the situation, whether it's playing better and not making mistakes, whether
it's having a group of players like he did in previous years stand up and take accountability for what's going on."
The Giants of course, are at 1-2 right now and are coming off two embarrassing losses; first a 38-14 thrashing by the Indianapolis Colts and an error-ridden 29-10 loss at home to the Tennessee Titans. The Giants had 11 penalties against Tennessee, including
five personal fouls that cost them points and made the Titans’ job easier. The Giants have looked lost in both games and are a shadow of the 2007 team that won the Super Bowl.
Barber was coached by Coughlin near the end of his career and retired after the 2006 season. The next season Coughlin led the Giants to their miracle championship run, culminating in a massive upset over the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Coughlin is known as being an old-school head coach, demanding discipline and accountability from his team. When a coach has won a championship with that philosophy it is hard to question their methods but that’s what’s happening right now.
Defensive captain Justin Tuck came to the defence of his head coach and said it wasn’t a matter of the coach losing his team. Tuck insists that the leadership is strong on the team and they are determined to turn things around.
"I think people have gotten leadership misunderstood," Tuck said. "Everyone thinks a good definition of leadership is how much you talk. I disagree with that. I think the leaders on this football team go out everyday and bust their butts on the practice
field, the weight room and the meeting room. That's what leadership is about. It's about leading, it isn't about talking."
Barber will be at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday night when the Giants host the undefeated Chicago Bears. He will be part of the Ring of Honour for former Giants’ players but he doesn’t know what kind f reaction he’ll get. While he was popular in
his playing days in New York, Barber opened a can of worms on his way out.
Following his retirement, Barber questioned Coughlin’s coaching ways and said Eli Manning was a poor leader. Barber looked very foolish 12 months later when Manning led the Giants to their third championship and Coughlin guided them to an unbelievable run
in January. Barber insists though that while he didn’t agree with Coughlin’s methods, he still respects him as a coach.
"I've never said that Tom is a bad coach," Barber said. "I think he's a great coach. My issue with him - and he knows what it is because we had plenty of discussions, some civil, some not - (is) about how you treat people. I think his biggest evolution has
been in how he has respected his players and how he's gotten them to play for him.”
If the Giants are able to turn things around, then all will be forgotten and criticism of Coughlin can once again go on the backburner. Ultimately it will come down to the players and how well they can respond to this adversity. Don’t forget they started
0-2 in 2007 prior to winning it all, so Coughlin has proven he can bring the best out of his team when he needs to.
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