Buccaneers: Ronde Barber gets ranked among all-time best cornerbacks
By James Yarcho
Gil Brandt of NFL.com and SiriusXM NFL Radio released his thirty-one best cornerbacks of all-time featuring Ronde Barber – in both a good and bad way.
Ira Kaufman may have a little extra fuel for the Ronde Barber Hall of Fame fire. Gil Brandt – who is well respected by all within NFL circles – released his top thirty-one cornerbacks in NFL history and former Buccaneers favorite Ronde Barber came in at twenty-two.
Here’s the good thing about this ranking – every eligible player ahead of him is enshrined in the Hall. Even some that come after him are in the Hall. Barber is obviously very much deserving of the conversation and the eventual – no, I don’t believe he’s a first ballot guy – enshrinement.
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Barber has more consecutive games as as Buc than any player in franchise history. He revolutionized the nickel corner position, becoming the gold standard by which players should strive to emulate.
Here’s the head-scratcher; two spots ahead of Barber, at number twenty, is Malcom Butler.
Um, what?
A guy entering his fourth season, with one Pro Bowl appearance, is going to be ranked ahead of Barber because of one key interception in a Super Bowl? Am I missing something?
I get Butler is very good and very talented, but he has not earned that kind of adulation yet. He has no business being above a guy like Barber or guys like Aqib Talib (23), Antoine Winfield (25), or Josh Norman (30).
He’s nowhere near their level and the fact that he’s ranked in the top twenty is despicable.
Robe Barber is the only corner in NFL history to record over 45 interceptions and 25 sacks. This isn’t by accident, it’s by Barber being the best nickel corner we’ve ever seen and him revolutionizing what the position actually is. Nickel corner isn’t the third best corner on the team, not anymore. It has to be someone who can be versatile enough to cover any receiver as well as someone who can, if needed, get after the quarterback.
Butler is no Ronde Barber. He’s simply a member of the Patriots who would go completely unnoticed if not for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
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It’s only a matter of time before Barber is another member of the Buccaneers glory days that is enshrined in Canton. Brandt was right for putting him on this list, but he deserved more respect than sitting behind Butler.