New York Giants legend Tiki Barber on Barkley, Shurmur, NFC East

On New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur

Upon his hiring, it was reported that newly hired New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur reached out to Tiki Barber via telephone. Barber confirmed that phone call in this interview. The outreach was likely in stark contrast to what previous coaches Ben McAdoo and Tom Coughlin would have done in a similar situation.

"“Pat reached out to a lot of the former stars in New York, whether it was Justin Tuck or Amani [Toomer], [Michael] Strahan and me as well just to pick our brains and talk about what has worked here, and what hasn’t. He wanted to let us know that the door was open for opinions and whatever we thought was going on. I think it’s smart. It’s collegiate in some ways. Think about the ways college programs invite the alumni back, and it helps grow the program.” “When [Shurmur] called me, I was struck by how calm he is, and how succinct, direct and aware he is of what’s going on. That’s in stark contrast to the previous coach. I think that, in and of itself, puts this team on a better path.”"

Previously on these pages, we’ve written about the noticeable managerial style change led by the new regime. A team can have all the physical talent in the world, but unless it’s managed correctly, it won’t be successful.