Giants quarterback Eli Manning appeared on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Monday and didn't mince words when asked if wide receiver Plaxico Burress or running back Tiki Barber, both attempting NFL comebacks, would be a better fit in New York.
"Probably Plaxico -- just because, you know, he has, probably, fonder memories of winning a Super Bowl and that catch for the touchdown in Super Bowl XLII," Manning said.
"Tiki, you know, Tiki -- it ended on a bad note, and, you know, it's really a shame. He should be remembered as a great Giants running back and a terrific player, because he was. Just kind of the way he went out and, you know, burned a few bridges with the fans, and kind of went after me a little bit ... it's unfortunate, really, and I'm not happy about it in that sense. So, I think Plaxico would probably be welcomed back a little quicker."
Barber has spent the past four months working out in an attempt to make a comeback, although his chances rest on the league and its players reaching a new collective bargaining agreement.
Barber, who was critical of Manning after retiring following the 2006 season, appeared on a radio call-in spot with Mike Francesa on WFAN-AM last week and addressed why he believes some Giants fans dislike him.
"I'm sure it probably has to do with the fact that I criticized (Giants coach) Tom Coughlin, and he goes and wins a Super Bowl," Barber said. "Or the conversations that I had about Eli Manning (that) got blown out of proportion. Things like that (where) people felt like I, as someone with knowledge, was attacking somebody that I just left, when it really wasn't. It was just giving my opinion about things, and I've always been opinionated."
Barber, 36, produced six 1,000-yard seasons in a seven-year span, and he finished among the league's top five rushers in his final three years before retiring. In 2005, he amassed the third-most yards from scrimmage in a single season in league history with 2,390.
Burress, the former Giants wide receiver who turns 34 in August, was released from prison June 6 after spending nearly two years behind bars on a gun charge. He is expected to be pursued by multiple teams once the lockout is resolved.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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