Rondé Barber, A Truly Great And Unique Legacy

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Every so often a player comes around who changes their respective sport. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Rondé Barber was one of those players. He was someone who reshaped the modern NFL with how he played the game.

Last night Barber was acknowledged for his greatness by being elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This was an honor that was long overdue for the man who was the blueprint for the modern day nickel of NFL defenses. His legacy is uniquely spectacular and among the best in NFL history.

The longtime Buccaneer was introduced at the NFL awards ceremony by his former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer, Derrick Brooks. Barber joined Joe Thomas, former Buccaneer Darrelle Revis, DeMarcus Ware and Zach Thomas. This is a truly distinguished group where Barber adds a resume like no other.

Accomplishments 

Barber played 16 seasons in the NFL, all for the Buccaneers. In that time he was elected to five pro bowls and three all pro teams. This includes the 2001 season when he led the league in interceptions with 10.

As a reflection of his sustained greatness, Barber was elected to the 2000s all decade team. He shared the honor with three other cornerbacks, Ty Law, Charles Woodson and Champ Bailey. After Barber’s election all four are now members of the Hall of Fame.

Perhaps Barber’s greatest accomplishment was his victory in Super Bowl 37. He was a key part of what was maybe the greatest defense in NFL history that season and it was capped off with a dominating win over the league’s top ranked offense and the season’s Most Valuable Player in Rich Gannon.

Barber was not only a critical part of this defense, but he had iconic moments on the way to this championship. His interception for a touchdown late in the NFC championship game that year was one of the most memorable moments in franchise history. We remember this as the day the Buccaneers “shut down the Vet” as they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in their final game at Veterans Stadium.

Statistics

The first thing that jumps out about Barber’s career was his tackling. At just 5’10 and 185 lbs, the smallest man on the field was a tackling machine. His 1,044 solo tackles rank 10th all time and are just two fewer than Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher.

While his tackling was perhaps his most impressive aspect, it wasn’t always the most exciting element to his game. That would be Barber’s ability to take the ball away. Even more than that, once he got the ball what he would do with it.

Barber ranks 4th all time in fumbles returned for a touchdown. He also ranks 8th all time in interceptions returned for touchdowns and 17th all time in interception return yards. This was one of the most dangerous defenders in the history of the game with the ball in his hands.

Finally, Barber also made his presence felt as a pass rusher. This is something not usually talked about with a defensive back, but Barber was truly a rare breed. His 28.0 career sacks are the second most in NFL history for defensive backs behind only Rodney Harrison.

How He Changed The Game

Back in this time, NFL defenses were very standard in their personnel packages. There were two corners, two safeties, three or four linebackers and defensive linemen. This is very different from the game today where there are regularly five defensive backs and sub packages throughout the game.

Barber was the mold for this change. He was the first true nickel defender who was great in coverage, but also was great as a box defender as well. This is why he has such dominating numbers in terms of tackles, sacks and takeaways for his position.

It was Barber’s style that paved the way for modern day nickel defenders. Players like Tyrann Mathieu, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James now thrive in this role today and are some of the best defensive players in the NFL. This is because the greatness of Barber in this position showed the world how effective and important this nickel position is.

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