You wanted to know that he’s taken on the mantle of leadership that Barber abandoned last year. You wanted to see him hit back. You wanted to hear his resolve to be the quarterback the Giants need him to be.

You also had to be impressed at how the Giants leaped to Manning’s defense, especially guys like wide-out Amani Toomer, who played a bunch of years with Barber and who had looked to Tiki as the heart and soul of the offense.

"I don’t know why he’s say something like that," Toomer said of Barber.

I don’t either, but I can guess. Barber’s in the booth now, and you don’t get ahead as an analyst by being bland. He’s supposed to be blunt, so that’s what he was, and the place to start was with the team he knew best, the Giants.

And the truth is everyone’s been wondering when Manning is going to turn into a leader. He’s had his moments in his first three years, but he has yet to show the presence of a champion.

Words don’t win football games, but they can provide a window to the psyche.

And Manning’s words seemed to show that last year he was caught between being the quarterback of the team but also the teammate of Barber, who felt that he was that team’s leader.

With Barber gone, Manning sounds almost relieved. He doesn’t have to defer to Tiki and doesn’t need his approval. It’s 2007, and Tiki is already history.

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It’s yet to be seen how that translates on the field. But in his radio interview on Monday, Manning talked frankly about why he looked lost at times on the field during the second half of the season and why things will be different this year.

He would have shied away from such talk last year, mumbling platitudes instead of taking control. He’s in his fourth year now, and the time for excusing mistakes as part of the learning process is gone. He has to deliver.

Barber may have thought he was giving the sort of trenchant commentary expected of him. But he may also have given Manning the last bit of I’ll-show-you inspiration he needs.

Giants fans didn’t take kindly to Barber’s comments. But if, come January, Big Blue is in the playoffs and Manning is doing damage, they’ll all be listening to hear what new tune Barber is singing.

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