Another Report Of Barber’s Return
March 21st, 2012
Yes, Joe reported six days ago that Ronde Barber was coming back in 2012, and Joe explained why the news delivered via WQYK-AM 1010 host J.P. Peterson was rock solid. So FOXSports NFL insider Jay Glazer Tweeting out word of Barber’s return today isn’t getting a rise out of Joe.
However, the news is now out there on a grand scale and the non-believers can rest easily.
What an awesome situation for the Bucs to have Barber, the NFL’s reigning ironman, enter into his fourth era of Buccaneers football while he’s still playing good football. And it’s damn cool to have an iconic link still patrolling the halls of One Buc Palace.
Now the Bucs have Barber and Eric Wright in place, and they could very well have Morris Claiborne and Aqib Talib in the mix by the end of next month. That’s potentially massive secondary depth and talent, and would afford the Bucs’ defense a lot of versatility on the corners.
Hey, Joe can dream.
March 21st, 2012 at 6:46 pm
No MO Claibourne,
Yes to Trent Richardson @ # 5.
If it is, “all about # 5”, then Richardson is the guy for the job.
March 21st, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Trent Richardson > Morris claibourne. Period. If both are on board
I’ll bet my last dollar Trent Richardson gets picked.
March 21st, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Come back Ronde! We need you! And Trent Richardson is not the pick if Claibourne is there.
March 21st, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Bucs are planning on Richardson. As much as Schiano mentions running the football, you’ve got to believe TR is the pick.
March 21st, 2012 at 6:54 pm
No need for Trent Richardson.
March 21st, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Great news. Ronde is a stud. And to think that in those 16 seasons Ronde hasn’t been “shaken down” even once.
But strangely in just 4 seasons poor innocent Aqib Talib is so unlucky that he is repeatedly the target of false accusations and shakedowns by cab drivers, grandmothers, family members and teammates. What an unbelievable string of bad luck.
LMAO, rolling on the floor.
March 21st, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Draft Claiborn and cut the criminal.
March 21st, 2012 at 7:03 pm
I think Tampa will trade out of the number 5 pick for more picks later.
We already have a power back in Blount, and a speed back in Madu.
Trent is a luxury Tampa can not afford right now.
We badly need linebackers and secondary help, and word is that Claiborne will be long gone.
This draft will really test the Rockstar.
Remember, he had a TON of picks last draft, and also a ton of money to spend in free agency this year.
Let’s see what he can do for Tampa in this draft ?
March 21st, 2012 at 7:05 pm
“all about 5” was the mantra for the Raheem era…turn the page on that. It is now all about whatever it takes
March 21st, 2012 at 7:17 pm
Sweet!!!!! The news justs keeps getting better today in the football world.
March 21st, 2012 at 7:24 pm
It will happen in this order.
1.Draft Claiborne if he’s available.
2.If Claiborne is not available see what sucker’s willing to trade their later first round pick for ours.
3.If no suckers are available that want to trade draft Trent Richardson.
It’s a win, win, win scenario.
We either get Claiborne, Kuechly, or Richardson.
BPA all the way, period.
Oh, welcome back Ronde!
March 21st, 2012 at 7:33 pm
And Joe- just a word of caution, before anyone gets giddy about our secondary.
Some people. “ahem”, said that that our secondary last year was a “team strength”
Ah, no. Not hardly.
Ronde is a great guy. But too old to be an every down CB at this point.
Wright looks very average at best. I realize how desperate we are at CB, but this guy is , at best , a nickel back
Talib sucks. Sucked last spring. Sucked last season. Sucks this spring. Sucks on the field. Sucks off the field. Hopefully, he will soon do the majority of his sucking elsewhere- possibly a prison! Sucks ta be him
Biggers- no
Lewis- who knows? Guy hasn’t bothered to show up for his career
Skid Mack- ah, no
Sooo, unless we sign Claibourne AND another CB( possibly 3rd round pick),
Our secondary will still suck this year
All we’ve done so far, is add another year to the already old Ronde, sign another bad CB( although he isn’t quite as bad as all of ours!) and hope we get Claiborne
Still a lousy secondary so far.
Let’s not embarrass ourselves again, shall we?
We still have the same horrible guys as last year- who sucked!, plus Wright- who,IMO, may also suck.
We better get Claibourne!!!
March 21st, 2012 at 7:34 pm
Why the hell does Thomas 2.2 only comment on Talib stuff? Are you trying to look like a troll?
March 21st, 2012 at 7:38 pm
Tampa Bay has signed free agent offensive tackle Jamon Meredith, from the giants.
March 21st, 2012 at 7:48 pm
So far we have -0- starting CBs. That would be – 0-
If we draft Claiborne- we will have one, plus about 3 nickel backs, and one great part time starter!
If we draft draft Claiborne, and Alphonso Dennard, we will have 2 starting CBs.
We have not improved the worst back 7 defenders in the league yet.
They were the worst in the league last year.
We need to improve them, or they will prevent this talented offense from winning- they are indeed that bad.
Gonna have to be one hell of a draft!
March 21st, 2012 at 7:50 pm
If we draft Morris Claiborne and Talib doesn’t get suspended then we will have the sickest dime package in the NFL.
Imagine Talib, Wright, Barber, and Claiborne all on the field together. Even Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees would have a hard time.
Especially considering the blitz packages we could run with Wright and Barber.
Barber is one of the best ever to play CB and we need a real leader and mentor to lead this team.. I am happy he’s back.
Thanks #20.
March 21st, 2012 at 7:54 pm
Do not dream Joe…it will be a reality. We will and should not draft Richardson IF Mo Claiborne is there. That is a BIG IF, but if MO is on board we gotta snag him, this years draft is way too deep with RB and we have far too many holes on this team.
March 21st, 2012 at 8:05 pm
Trent Richardson is one of the 3 top talents in this draft.
Let’s think about it?
#5 pick + “Rockstar mentality”= #3 available talent.
Bet Joe a $20 gift certificate to Hooter’s that if the Bucs draft Richardson, we get the Offensive Rook of the year and we make the playoffs.
With all of that, what do you say we sign Lofton, and vote Carolina QB Scam Newton to the cover of Maddon?
Thomas 2.2, Let’s get Talib and Haynewurf jerseys if all of the for mentioned happens.
March 21st, 2012 at 8:05 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamon_Meredith
As a sophomore, Meredith started all 13 games on the Gamecocks offensive line, the first seven games at right tackle, and then moved to left tackle for the final six contests. He garnered SEC offensive lineman of the week honors after helping the Gamecocks to a 31-28 victory over arch-rival Clemson, in which he anchored an offensive line that held Gaines Adams and the athletic Clemson defensive front without a quarterback sack.
He held GA, rip, to 0 sacks so he must be good. 🙂
March 21st, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Great to hear that Ronde is coming back. Even at his age he is still one of the best, smartest DB’s in the League! Plus he’s a total CLASS guy and SHOULD be a HOF’er in about 6-7 years!! Welcome back Ronde!!
March 21st, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Ronde,
Your interception to the house off of McNabb is my favorite Buc’s play in history. All of those seasons, we couldn’t get a bye week and got pounded by the Eagles. You came up big in Tampa’s biggest game.
You’re a Hall of Fame talent, and an ageless wonder. Please be a Buc as long as you are “feeling it”.
Seeing Heinz Ward’s retirement press conference is about how we are going to feel when you leave the playing field.
You are both “HOFer’s”!
March 21st, 2012 at 8:11 pm
@Capt
I know the NFL offseason is long and everything, but have some patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day (allegedly).
March 21st, 2012 at 8:11 pm
It’s always funny to me! It’s as if no one remembers that Talib and Barber were our starting CBs last year-
You remember last year? When we were getting beat by 30-40 points every game! The scoreboard was chiming like a Pinball machine!
We were giving up 50 yard TDs to every scrub QB that set foot in the stadium??
And yet, we have the same guys, plus one new bad Cb, and everyone somehow thinks we are improved??
Dom has done wonders for the offense.
Hasn’t started on the defense yet.
And believe me , I don’t think he can fix all of our problems in one season.
But we have to get at least 2 CBs, that are good enough to start in this league.
We don’t have any now- Ronde is still our best CB ( by far), but it’s asking to much of him, to have to play every down, at his age
We got nothing behind him. Absolutely nothing.
2 good draft picks could go a long way to fixing that!
March 21st, 2012 at 8:16 pm
When Ronde retires, every nudie bar will have a blackout for 20 minutes (to honor your number).
But for now, Stay healthy Ronde and pop some heads!
Totally agree Steve, that was my favorite Ronde moment too. Loved how he shushed the crowd.
March 21st, 2012 at 8:20 pm
@Capt
Last year, our defense was like a Ferarri, well maybe a Jaguar, being driven by a Coach who couldnt find the ignition switch for half the season, and then couldnt take it out of park for the second half.
March 21st, 2012 at 8:26 pm
Tonytwocents- lol! I know, I know!
Sometimes my post seem to be much more passionate about things, than I am!
March 21st, 2012 at 8:29 pm
This is Larry Assantes year to step up and take over Jones spot.
March 21st, 2012 at 8:36 pm
Yup, I third that play. We won the Superbowl when we beat Philly. That play and JJ’s slant for 71 yards. How bad did JJ abuse the Eagles? Pathetic, vile fans that they are.
March 21st, 2012 at 8:36 pm
All about #5 is Mark Domimiks mantra….get it together, it still is the mantra. It’s all about freeman, as evident to his new toys contract.
March 21st, 2012 at 8:40 pm
Good for Ronde. Good for the Bucs. Looks like a win win to me!!
March 21st, 2012 at 8:44 pm
I don’t know who Jamon Meredith is, but I know who he’s not: Jeremy Trueblood. Would it be too much to hope for a right tackle that could pass block?
March 21st, 2012 at 8:44 pm
This year is make or break for Josh Freeman, we can either draft Trent, and give him a better check down then “Blumpkin”, or we don’t and we end up with a Mark Sanchez situation.
March 21st, 2012 at 8:50 pm
Any progress on the Curtis Lofton contract?
C’mon, Dom, you let Ruus walk and extended a scrub. You need to fix the MLB position by signing Lofton.
Just as you did last offseason, you drafted a punter and had to replace his terribad punter, and had to fix it in free agency.
March 21st, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Warren Sapp. What’s wrong with this guy? Didn’t I just hear him in a JBF clip saying how wrong bountygate is. But, it’s not wrong to “snitch” on who he claims “snitched” about bountygate. You were doing pretty good for a while but that was a poor choice to release that information whether it is true or not. So, this whole bountygate thing is wrong, wrong, wrong but taking to twitter about the supposed whistleblower is okay. Come on Warren, Come on Warren, Come on Warren.
March 21st, 2012 at 8:58 pm
Just seen we signed Pittsburg’s OT Jamon Merrideth. Maybe to put pressure on Trueblood.
March 21st, 2012 at 9:02 pm
Is the #5 pick in the draft too early to draft a running back?
Sebastian Janikowski was a 1st round pick, can that be argued?
We need to do the right thing, and take the best player available at #5,and it will hopefully be Trent Richardson.
We need some “Star Power” at a position that touches the ball 20+ times a game.
Who doesn’t like smash mouth football? What isn’t to love about pounding those two indoor track teams in the NFC South?
What would Batman be without Robin? What would Jordan have been without Pippen? What would Pam Anderson of been without her “Trent Richardsons”?
March 21st, 2012 at 9:07 pm
We should trade down and get Kuechly. Then we can get picks and pick up CB and RB in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
March 21st, 2012 at 9:27 pm
The fact that they did not address RB in FA is an indication that TR is gonna be the pick.
Just don’t think they are going to rely on Blount.
Happy ronde is back and I hope he gets another playoff game.
Captain u have to remember the defense was led by one of the most inept coordinators ever. Surely some improvement will come with a new defensive staff.
March 21st, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Eric,
The inept leader of the D was overshadowed by the Spoon in a drawer of knives running the offense.
Last season was a sh!t sandwich.
March 21st, 2012 at 9:43 pm
One has to remember that the defense gave up more points than mckay’s expansion team where they actually did get guys off the street to play.
I gotta give ronde some slack, even with his age.
Monte could have fielded a better defense with nine men playing.
March 21st, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Eric- nah. Not buying that.
While you can bash away at Raheem, Jimmy lake is a highly respected DB coach in the league. He was ( allegedly) disgusted with the lack of talent he was given to work with, and was not returning – regardless of changes!
It’s the exact same group as last year- with the addition of Wright. We haven’t really talked about Wright- but he looks like a stretch of desperate measures!
I’m ok with that- as we are desperate, and all the CBs on this team are pathetically bad- excepting only the Great Ronde Barber!- our best defender last year- forced to play Both CB, Safety, and LBer – due entirely to the worthlessness and uselessness of his fellow defenders!
Nah- blame who ya want- but Ron Cooper isnt an upgrade of Jimmy lake at this point! Last staff had Waaaay more Nfl experience- unless you count this teams” consultants”- whatever the Funk that is!
Our secondary sucked- cause our players sucked. If you wanna believe anything else, you’re fooling yourself
We need CBs with NFL talent. We currently have none.
And the smartest poster here said that exact same thing last year!
He was right then, and he’s right now
Nothing that Claiborne and Dennard can’t cure!
March 21st, 2012 at 10:32 pm
Capt. Tim,
CB is deep my friend. What about a 2nd and 3rd round CB?
March 21st, 2012 at 10:33 pm
@captain
If that’s the case we got a lousy GM.
I suppose when u get to that level of epic suckdom its hard to differentiate the causes.
Kinda like a plane crash or that guy that took out the skyway bridge.
March 21st, 2012 at 10:41 pm
or Warren Sapp’s twittering
March 21st, 2012 at 10:49 pm
We still don’t have the worst GM in FL,
….Jeff Ireland come on down on. “The Price is Wrong B!tch”.
Poor Miami, guys a real turd burglar.
March 21st, 2012 at 10:53 pm
Capt Tim says:
“We need CBs with NFL talent. We currently have none. ”
……….allegedly.
March 21st, 2012 at 11:45 pm
CB Depth if/when we get T-Rich:
#1 Stephon Gilmore/Alphonso Dennard (both 1st round talents) (roughly 1.5 mil)
#2 Talib (1.8 mil)
#3 Eric Wright (7.5 mil)
#4 Ronde (roughly 4 mil)
#5 Biggers (1.4 mil)
#6 Gaitor (465K)
(w/MyLew going to safety)
I don’t see why we NEED to draft two corners with TWO high round picks when we would’ve already put in a significant amount of money & draft picks into the corner position already. Biggers should be able to return to his 2010 form in his new limited role and Gaitor should be fine on special teams. Adding 1 corner will be all we need to do to address the position and under Ron Cooper’s tutelage our technique will improve immensely.
March 22nd, 2012 at 12:43 am
Yeah- true . It’s a good year for CBs. Might get two starters in round 2 and 3
But- the only thing worse than our secondary- is our wretched LBers!
Gotta fix that up somehow!
Course, after that- we ain’t bad!
March 22nd, 2012 at 2:54 am
@Capt.Tim
You want to know the real reason our secondary sucked? The blame goes to EJ Biggers, he got burned at least times a game and most of them were long plays for touchdowns. He is the worst corner back I have ever watched play. Go back and watch some of the film, and you will see he is the sole reason. Top that off with Sean Jones being as terrible as he was and TJax being out for a year and voila, you have the real reason.
March 22nd, 2012 at 3:04 am
Does anyone actually believe Ronde is still “playing good football”? Ronde is awful now. If he was a player-teacher for the team he would be an asset, but he isn’t. He has said numerous times that he sticks to himself. He is not good enough to play #2. Last year he failed royally to play the slot. He is not fast enough to play safety. You put those three things together with the fact that in the 2011/2009 seasons, and in total over the past four seasons no other player in the league missed more tackles, you have a guy that is a clear liability on the field.
Now, I will say that it is a possibility that Ronde is simply taking too many snaps at his age. For heaven’s sake, the man took over 98% of the defensive snaps and was ranked 22nd in total snaps by a CB. That is ridiculous for a man of his age. There is no one within 4 years of him with more snaps at that position. That is borderline elderly abuse.
If the Bucs lower his snap count drastically, I can see Barber still having a positive impact for their team, but giving a soon to be 37 year old man a job that requires him to do the things that were asked of him last season is outrageous.
March 22nd, 2012 at 3:14 am
@Lion Biggers allowed 7 passing TDs(tied 3rd most in the league), missed 10 tackles(10th most in the league for CBs), had 5 penalties, allowed 781 passing yards(18th most) with 316 YAC allowed(tied 9th most), and allowed a 91 yard TD(4th longest of the season)……… I think you have a solid case here. Though I would say there were plenty of other factors, Biggers was arguably the worst player in our secondary.
March 22nd, 2012 at 3:16 am
I need to add that he managed these awful statistics in a mere 637 defensive snaps. He is ranked 62nd in total snaps at the CB position yet is at the top of the list of worst performers. That is simply incredible!
March 22nd, 2012 at 3:41 am
Capt. Tim
Bitters blew more plays than Ronde did last year.
And…Talibs replacement has already been signed…Eric Wright.
Could the Bucs have been waiting for Ronde to resign before getting rid of Talib?
Something to ponder between now and the draft.
I agree it’s time for Talib to go…after the draft. I mean, just look at the comments here…there are still plenty of people who think we’ll take Richardson over Claibourne. THAT’S why Talib has not been cut yet. Dominick wants those seeds of doubt out there…he wants teams to think he won’t take Claibourne.
And really, people…use logic combined with what we’ve learner of the new staff and you’ll realize Talib is going to be cut.
It’s not like I haven’t been sticking ut for the guy…I just see the bold writing on the wall. In two months, Joe will be quoting Talib complaining that Shiano & Dominick misled him into thinking he was staying…and we’ll have Mo Claibourne or Dre, Eric Wright and Ronde as CBs.
March 22nd, 2012 at 7:10 am
Ugg, how close will this put us to the cap? He has the smarts but it was hard watching him get outplayed and physically beaten over and over the last couple of years.
I hope he’s just coming back as a locker room presence and they just put him in during garbage time.
We need some true upgrades in our defensive backfield and a big salary for Barber will limit that.
March 22nd, 2012 at 8:26 am
Pete finally said something that is accurate.
The only reason Talib is still on this roster is not to telegraph that they are drafting Claiborne if they can’t get a sweet deal to move back. Period.
Contrary to arguments made by Joe and others coming into 2011, Biggers is god awful. Matt Ryan and others actually audible into plays designed to expose Biggers when they diagnosed Toast Biggers isolated in man on a receiver. I saw Ryan audible, point to Julio Jones, who nodded back to Ryan and then they converted a 5 step drop route that made Biggers look foolish – Ryan never looked at any other receiving option on that play.
Which means the Falcon game plan: if you can get Biggers alone in man, audible out of any play and into one designed to expose him. The division laughs at Biggers, it’s comical.
Going with Wright, Claiborn and Ronde as nickel is very good. E Mack played very well last year, surprised and impressed me. If Grimm is healthy he starts
None of this addresses our historically horrible LBs. I loved Foster out of college, but honestly he was terrible at Mike last year. Not physical and lost in coverage. Don’t let anyone fool you, Schiano won’t allow Foster anywhere near the starting Mike position.
That really ex
March 22nd, 2012 at 8:34 am
You guys who say Ronde can’t play as nickel don’t know football.
A high percentage (85-90%) of the time that Ronde is in he will be doing one of three things: providing run support (which he is great at for a nickel), blitzing (which he may be the best in history at from his position), or covering a zone (which requires smarts and instincts – both of which he still possesses).
There will be just a few snaps where he has man responsibility on a Jones, White, Colston type, and on those few plays they can provide safety support. Trust me: you want Ronde on the field, experience, football IQ, toughness, leadership by example all outweigh losing a step in speed and quickness at the nickel corner in the Schiano style 4-3.
March 22nd, 2012 at 10:20 am
I still see them trading Talib if he is exonorated or cutting him if he goes to jail.
If they do not however, that would be a MASSIVE upgrade of the secondary in one off season.
Claiborne, Wright, Talib, and Barber. Barber is older but plays smart and never quits and tackles. To have him suddenly become the 4th best CB on the team…. WOW
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get Claiborne at CB and pass on Richardson.
IN round 2-3 they can get:
David Wilson Virginia Tech
Lamar Miller Miami
Doug Martin Boise St
LaMichael James Oregon
All faster than Richardson (except maybe Doug Martin)
I prefer David Wilson or Lamar Miller since they want to pound the ball. It gives Blount a complement that can go between the tackles, but with better speed than Blount to break long ones.
I love LaMichael James and wanted him at first, but with the emphasis going towards running I think they need some one who is more than a 10 touch per game guy as the complement.
Again, the only way I say they take Richardson is if they trade down and I think that would be a massive mistake because Claiborne is that good at CB.
March 22nd, 2012 at 11:05 am
Great news about Ronde!
So glad he’s part of this team and will be here for the start of the Schiano era.
As for Talib is wait and see, isn’t it? Do we know if he and Schiano have even spoken?
Claiborne? He’d be a great pick and is my choice at 5 if he’s there.
March 22nd, 2012 at 11:06 am
Total Findings so far on Mock Drafts from Walter Football, NFL Net., Draft Countdown, Bleacher Report and FF Toolbox:
15 MOCKS TOTAL
ROUND 1:
11 have Morris Claiborne CB LSU
3 have Trent Richardson RB Alabama
1 has Dontari Poe DT Memphis
10 of them give a ROUND 2:
5 say David Wilson RB Va Tech
1 has Lamar Miller RB Miami
1 has Lavonte David LB Nebraska
1 has Vontaze Burfict LB ASU
1 has Mychal Kendricks LB Washington
1 has Alfonzo Dennard CB Nebraska
I would be extremely happywith Claiborne in round 1 and David Wilson in round 2 (then get a LB in round 3)
March 22nd, 2012 at 11:35 am
Dave:
Who in their right minds would actually trade for Talib?
March 22nd, 2012 at 12:39 pm
@Have A Nice Day
Thanks for the statistical breakdown, my friend. 🙂
I knew it was bad just by watching him play buy looking at the numbers, my goodness!! Just imagine if he played a few more snaps, he would be at top of all those lists. I couldn’t believe Rah kept using him, god I hope EJ biggers isn’t on the roster on opening day. Is he still under contract?
March 22nd, 2012 at 2:11 pm
“The fact that they did not address RB in FA is an indication that TR is gonna be the pick.”
They also haven’t addressed LB (so far), DE, DT, Punter, and Kicker. You onlt cherry pick RB for this statement ’cause that’s what YOU think they should do. A perfectly valid opinion, but your conlusion is hardly fact. Just a projection of your desires. My opinion is that to pick TR over Claiborne would be Stoopid. I’d trade the Pick & move down, if I could find someone dumb enough to do it, if Claiborne isn’t available. But, that’s just the opinion of a layman, & I really trust the Rockstar & Co to figure out what’s best. Whatever happens, maybe “what would’ve happened if we picked TR’ will replace the Suh draft mantras. That could be a good thing, I guess.
March 22nd, 2012 at 9:14 pm
I think trading the pick for the right price is very possible. I wouldn’t even be upset if that happens. I think Trent will be there but our pick is MO. I love Trent and would be just fine if we get him, but our secondary… come on. MO’s a slam dunk and I think he will be available. Nevertheless, I can’t honestly believe our young players have had a chance to experience NFL coaching. Van Pelt, Radio, Olson. I rest my point. I’m optimistic the guys we have coaching now will, if nothing else, demand responsibility, accountability, and professionalism. That alone will head us in the right direction. The Pirate Ship is now open, climb aboard.