Ronde Barber Was Inducted Into The Pro Football Hall Of Fame Today And I Couldn't Be Happier

Ronde Barber is one of the greatest Cornerbacks of all-time. He revolutionized the position and was the first true Nickel Corner that had position versatility. Often he would play boundary Corner on 1st and 2nd down and then slide into the Nickel spot on 3rd down, blitzing on occasion. His highlight tape is full of game changing plays.

I knew he was great watching him, but having got into NFL film study in 2015, three years after Barber retired, so I never got to really break down his game from the dual angles of the sideline and end zone copy. Luckily, NFL Gamepass went back to 2011, so I was able to patch some clips together a few years ago hoping to get some momentum for Canton.

For the first 15 years of his 16 career, Ronde played Cornerback. In 2012 under then coach Greg Schiano, Barber moved to Free Safety. The team was not good that season, but Barber was still awesome, even at age 37 playing a new position.

His resume was always great. A 5x Pro Bowler, 3x 1st Team All-Pro. He ended his career with 47 INTs, 28 sacks, and 12 TDs. He led the entire NFL in 2001 with 10 interceptions. 

He was inducted into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor in 2019 and one of the highlights of my career was meeting him on the day.

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My first year of Buccaneers fandom was 1997 when I was 11 years old. It was Barber's rookie year. It was truly an honor to watch him dominate on the field until I was 26 years old week after week during football season. From listening to the Buccaneers radio while simultaneously refreshing online gamecasts with drive charts to meeting my gridiron hero on the sideline was the ultimate Cinderella story and it gives me a deep happiness to see my guy finally recognized for revolutionizing the game and being enshrined in Canton today. Congrats Ronde - very well deserved!