The way Tiki Barber criticized the New York Giants and in particularly, Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin, you would wonder if he ever would ever be back with Big Blue.
In fact, try to find an online sportsbook that would take the action.
But Pat Shurmur is not Coughlin and he called the Giants great.
““I reached out to him,’’ Shurmur told The NY Post. “I wasn’t here for all that. I’m walking into this thing with fresh eyes. He was an outstanding player. I remember he found a way, he kind of had the fumbling thing going and he found a way to fix it, which I was impressed by.’’
Barber was very critical of Manning when he left the Giants, especially on his first gig at NBC back in 2006, not calling him a leader and one of the reasons why he retired after the 2005 season was that he did not get along with Coughlin.
But that was before the two Super Bowl wins, which Barber was not part of and it kept him away from the Giant organization, although he does maintain a relationship with John Mara and Steve Tisch.
He has made up with Manning, but still has a chilly relationship with Coughlin, who is now running the Jaguars.
So without Coughlin or any of his coaches left, now was the time for a call.
“When he called me out of the blue, it was shocking in a sense but it was welcome,’’ Barber told The NY Post. “We had a great conversation. I was taken by how calm he is and how measured and thoughtful he is, which resonates really well with me, because that’s how I am.’’
Barber will be the Giants in training camp in July, while also doing his duties on CBS Radio where he hosts a show.
““It’s a smart leader position to take, and I appreciate it and I know the other guys probably did as well,’’ Barber said.
Barber isn’t the only former Giants great Shurmur reached out to, as there will be a number of alumni at Training Camp when it opens next month.
“I appreciate the fact he cared to reach out,’’ Barber said “It was kind of cool. Like a new relationship that was developing and I’m looking forward to furthering it.’’
There’s definitely a page that was turned for Big Blue with Shurmur at the helm.
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