Tiki Barber -- remember him? -- is at it once again, using a media forum to take shots at New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin. Barber wrote today that Coughlin has an agenda, and that "his messages sometimes fit "his" agenda, not "our" agenda.
I find Barber's criticism of Coughlin laughable. It is also sad, in a way. Barber is the last person on the planet who should be criticizing anyone for having an "agenda," especially one that in his view is not team-oriented. Barber has always had an agenda, which was solely to promote Tiki Barber.
He has lashed out at Coughlin for years, going back to when Barber played for Coughlin with the Giants. Barber's history of dissatisfaction with the Giants coach has been well-documented for years. He needs to get over it, and go find some other way to resurrect a media career that he imploded by being professionally incompetent and personally irresponsible.
When it comes to Barber it is instructive to know that the Giants won the Super Bowl the year after Barber retired. It is instructive to know that when he was inducted into the Giants' Ring of Honor, fans booed his appearance at what was then called New Meadowlands Stadium. It is instructive to know that when he tried to re-start his NFL career this season the Giants did not want him. In fact, no NFL team would touch him, despite how good a player he had been and the fact that he retired at the top of his game.
It is also instructive to note that Barber wrote his piece on Coughlin today for something called XLog.com, a site I had never heard of until I saw Barber's post. This is a guy who worked for FOX and NBC, then Yahoo! Sports. His forum is now 'XLog?'
Point is, Barber has zero credibility when it comes to discussing Coughlin. He obviously despises the man, and has taken every opportunity over the years to kick the coach when he was down.
Whether Coughlin has been right or wrong to call out his team -- and I think the coach being blunt about the unacceptable play of some facets of his team was long overdue -- is not the point. The point is Barber long ago lost the right for anyone to really care what he says about Coughlin. Or, really, anything else for that matter.