Aloha also means goodbye for the New York Giants running back, who will compete in his third consecutive NFL all-star game and then retire following the contest, ending a 10-year career with the Giants.

"I'm going to miss the immediacy of the competition," said Barber, 31. "I know I'm going to miss the camaraderie with the guys, hanging out on the practice field, sitting in the meeting rooms, talking about anything — football or life. There's a bond that you form with players you're in the trenches with. It's hard to get that doing other things."

In 2006, the 5-foot-10, 205-pound Barber became the 21st player in NFL history to rush for over 10,000 yards during his career. He also became the third player in NFL history to gain more than 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards in a NFL career, joining Marshall Faulk and Marcus Allen.

"He's a unique guy," said Kansas City right guard Will Shields, who will participate in his 12th consecutive Pro Bowl. "He's not a trash talker. He's a guy that goes out and does his job, and does it in a professional way. He's going to be missed especially in that Giants uniform."

"On average, it's 2 1/2 years," Barber said when asked about the normal playing career of an NFL running back. "But for those who figure out how to stay healthy, I think it's about eight years.

"It's really a function on how many hits you take, how many carries you get," Barber continued. "The reason I was able to get better as I got older was because for three years I didn't carry the ball. I didn't have 1,000 yards my first three years. Then things started to pick up and that's when I started to get 350 carries a year, which means I was getting at least 350 major shots a year. I was lucky. I stayed healthy."

Health was one of the main factors Barber cited for his retirement.

"I'm just getting old," said Barber, a Virginia alum and the all-time leading rusher in New York Giants history. "My body has taken a pounding over 10 years. At 31, it gets harder to recover."

Furthermore, Barber said he has great opportunities in broadcasting.

"Things worked in favor of me retiring now," said Barber, whose original contract expires this year. He will walk away from a two-year extension without penalty. "I'm OK with it."

Barber's impending retirement — made public in October — drew much publicity and some criticism from members of the media.

"They thought it would be a distraction," Barber said. "Honestly, most of my teammates knew already, and it wasn't a distraction. At that time, we won five games in a row. We were leading the league in rushing. It wasn't an issue people thought it would be."

Barber also shared his insight on Manning and Coughlin. He said Manning is the right quarterback to lead the team to the Super Bowl, and said the same for coach Coughlin, a stern leader, who was awarded a one-year extension and will coach the team in 2007.

"He does have compassion, he doesn't show it all the time, and that rubs people the wrong way sometimes," Barber said of Coughlin. "You get the sense that he doesn't really care about you. He just cares about being in control. But on a personal level, I have a good relationship with him.

"I can see he can be the guy," Barber continued. "It's just a matter of adjusting to the changing nature of the league. Players are different than they were 15 years ago. They don't take to being yelled at, being demeaned. You kind of have to positively reinforce and push them in the right direction — sternly, but there has to be some positive to it, otherwise they tune you out."

As for Manning, Barber said the quarterback has "got a lot of talent, that's obvious.

"He needs to become more of a vocal leader and take charge and express his confidence," Barber said. "It is important as an offensive lead- er to express and show confidence because it trickles down to the other guys. ... He can be very good. It's just a matter of making it all come together before, in New York, they turn on you."

Barber said he plans to file retirement papers the week following the Pro Bowl, but still wants to be part of the New York Giants family.

"My entire career was played there, and I'll never not be a Giant," Barber said.