INDIANAPOLIS -- Tom Coughlin had something to say Thursday, which might be funny to the many writers who always insist he has nothing to say.

All Coughlin needed was some prompting, because that's the way he is. He won't just take a random shot, unlike Tiki Barber, his former running back with the New York Giants, who ran over Coughlin last week with some nasty quotes more than he ever did any tackler.

Tom Coughlin would prefer Tiki to handle things man to man. (Getty Images)

In his press conference to announce his hiring with NBC, Barber fired away at Coughlin, hinting that his retirement from football may have been influenced by Coughlin's tough, rigid ways.

"He pushed me in that direction," Barber said. "He kind of forced me to start thinking about what I wanted to do next. We were in full pads for 17 weeks, and with the amount of injuries we had, it takes a toll on you. You physically don't want to be out there when your body feels the way you do in full pads."

Coughlin had his say Thursday at the NFL Combine. He seemed to be lying in wait for any question about Barber.

"I think to give the illusion that I had something to do with his retirement, I don't quite follow that," Coughlin said.

Coughlin and Barber never meshed. Coughlin was the rigid taskmaster, while Barber was believed to be the man behind the many anonymous quotes criticizing the coach. Much of the media took Barber's side.

Why wouldn't they? He is accommodating, always seems to be willing to give a good quote and has never met a camera he didn't like, which is why he will be earning millions from NBC. Coughlin, on the other hand, is a big pain in the rump to deal with from a media standpoint, hates interviews and will challenge reporters.

The Tiki smile -- you know the one -- gave him a free pass. Sure, he was a good player, but didn't you ever get the feeling he was big phony?

It was always Tiki this, and Tiki that. When he let news of his retirement leak out after the third game of the 2006 season, it became the story of the Giants. Their star was walking out in the prime of his career.

But what was lost was that Barber had made himself the story. It was always about him.

The retirement news irked Coughlin. And it should. Here was a player who took the focus away from the team, yet seemed to get a pass on that one, too.

Maybe his first name should be spelled T-I-k-I -- two giant I's.

"It was all about him," said one Giants source.

As the Giants limped into the playoffs, the Barber retirement story stayed in clear focus. Is this Tiki's last game? What will it feel like? Are you sure?

For Coughlin, the story was a different one. His was whether he would keep his job. Could the Giants bring him back after an 8-8 season and a first-round playoff loss? Coughlin said he never thought he was getting fired, but said the heat took a toll on his family.

The tabloids lit him up, their creative headlines funny to some, but eating away at his family. At one point, his sons asked him if it was worth it.

The Giants did the right thing by giving him another year to show it is. Coughlin is a damn good coach. And he's consistent. Yes, he can be a real pain when it comes to details and rules and regulations. But players know where they stand with him. There is no middle ground.

Barber didn't like that. And he constantly took shots at Coughlin -- publicly and most assume many more as an unnamed source -- undermining his coach.

The sick thing about that is, if not for Coughlin, Barber wouldn't be the player he became. If Barber is a Hall of Fame candidate, which some suggest, he owes Coughlin for it.

When Coughlin took over in 2004, Barber had three 1,000-yard seasons in seven years. His best rushing total was 1,387 yards. In his three seasons playing for Coughlin, he rushed for 1,518 yards, 1,860 yards and 1,662 yards. He also was transformed from a fumbler into a guy who never fumbled.

For that, Barber ripped the coach last week. Talk about classless.

Tom Coughlin is a much better man than Tiki Barber, who just might be one of the biggest fakes in all of sports.

"My position is that a team is like a family and if someone has something they would like to discuss, they're more than welcome to come to my office, sit down across from me and discuss it," Coughlin said. "My one regret, I would say, is not being able to convince Tiki."

Now that Barber is gone, look for the Giants to have more harmony in the locker room and more tolerance of Coughlin.

And you watch: Coughlin will turn that thing around. The Giants will be good in 2007, and The Big Fake Smile won't be a part of it.

He'll be too busy taking potshots at his old coach on network TV, that smile hiding the fact that he's far different than the persona he gives off.

There's a reason there are two I's in Tiki. We found that out last season and again last week.

It's all about him.

Coughlin should have simply said two words when asked about Barber Thursday: Good riddance.