The fact that new Bucs defensive coordinator Jim Bates refused to comment on the status of Ronde Barber is unsettling to Joe.

So the Bucs braintrust rolled out new defensive coordinator Jim Bates to swap stories with the local pen and mic club yesterday. There were two related elements Bates discussed that intrigued Joe. Specifically, one of the elements that Bates didn’t speak of raised Joe’s antennae. (Coincidentally, this photo of Carmella raised something else, but Joe won’t get into that.)

Earlier this week Joe posted a nugget from ProFootballWeekly.com that the Bucs have placed a high priority on signing cornerback Philip Buchanon because of the declining play of Ronde Barber. Bates intends to have his cornerbacks play more bump-and-run and, so insiders say, this is not Barber’s forte.

Wednesday, Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune noted what Joe terms as eye-opening.

Bates still is in the process of evaluating players on the team and could not give his opinions on every individual, including whether he thought CB Ronde Barber and LB Derrick Brooks could still be key players this season. He will leave for the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday and continue to figure out what Tampa Bay’s biggest needs are.

To Joe, this is not comforting. Though Joe fully expects Brooks to return, the fact that Bates wouldn’t comment on Barber’s status speaks volumes. It’s not like Barber is some scrub that might fly under the radar of some coaches. Barber’s a longtime stud and deserves sober consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Surely Bates knows all about him.

In Joe’s eyes, if Bates had any desire whatsoever of keeping Barber around, or at least in the starting lineup, he would have said something empty or transparent to pacify the fourth estate like, “Ronde is a true professional and his body of work speaks for itself.” Per Richardson, Bates refused any comment on Barber.

Sometimes, silence is quite loud.