Barber played 16 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
“I’ve had a better run than I ever could’ve dreamed of having,” Ronde Barber says as he is done with his career as an NFL defensive back. Barber has been a cornerstone in the buccaneers franchise for nearly two decades, and now the NFL defensive backs career is done. Barber was open to return to the Buccanneers and all signs pointed that the converted cornerback to safety would come back to the Buccanneers. Though after the signing of Dashon Goldson this off-season, and still having Mark Barron from last years draft it seemed all signs point to maybe ending for Ronde Barber.
Barber has made 5 pro bowls through out his career. Barber also is the only cornerback to record 20 sacks, and pick off 20 passes. Barber also has the most consecutive starts as a defensive back with the number being 215. Barber was always an interesting player being drafted in the 3rd round. A lot of the people said Barber would have alot of hype to overcome with his talented brother, and runningback Tikie Barber in the league. All though Tiki was considered the more talented brother, Ronde played longer in the league.
A fun fact for people who are wondering. When Ronde and Tiki were in the league together many were wondering if the two brothers would try to go after one another. People thinking to see which brother is the better player as a friendly sibling rivalry. Through out the times though they played; Ronde and Tiki only met once, and Ronde only has 1.5 tackles on his brother. Although Ronde lasted longer in the league, and has many accolades underneath him. One that is very silent is how he defined the perfect Tampa 2 corner.
Tampa 2 was a hot defense in its time, and when people were looking for players to play in that scheme Barber was the perfect example. Being able to tackle, play man, coverage, and be effective in the blitz. Ronde is someone that is a player that you could say helped change the game in a way. Though with all this under his belt one can wonder if Ronde Barber is a future hall of famer. In 5 years time it will be an interesting debate.
