Week 15 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers inducted former head coach Jon Gruden into their Ring of Honor.
While the night didn’t finish on a high note, the ceremony for the Buccaneers’ lone Super Bowl winning coach was a highlight for the night and the season in general.
As the franchise and all those who watch them get ready to wrap up the 2017 campaign, all eyes are to the future these days.
However, understanding the past has always been an important part of moving forward.
In this vein, I asked the Pewter Plank writers to try and predict which former great Bucs legend would become the next to enter the ring.
Take a look at their answers, and when you’re finished, head to the comments and let us know your own prediction!
We’ll start it off with:
Brian DeFeo
My choice for the Buccaneers next Ring of Honor inductee is future hall of famer Ronde Barber.
While this may be one the favorite choices of the group it should be pretty obvious. Barber was an obvious choice due to his integral role in the Super Bowl and leadership beyond.
His willingness to play a new position that he perfected lead him to one of the most impressive career statistics for a cornerback.
Barber is Cal Ripken-esque for being an iron man at his position. He started every game for thirteen straight seasons. He totaled 224 games started, 209 as a corner. Meanwhile, no other defensive back has reached the 200 mark since.
Barber is also fourth in NFL history with fourteen non-offensive touchdowns. In his career, Barber is one of two players to have 40+ interceptions and 20+ sacks. The other is Charles Woodson.
With five Pro-Bowl and five All-Pro Selections, Barber had a spectacular career. Adding to this, he was a member of the NFL’s all decade team for the 2000s.
Finishing his career with 47 interceptions, 28 sacks, and 1,028 tackles the numbers are comparable to corners already in the Hall of Fame.
He’s been a captain on the field and a leader off of it. He is the most deserving player to be elected in to the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.
It would not surprise me if he was honored with a jersey retirement as well. While other candidates like Tony Dungy, Simeon Rice, and Hardy Nickerson are viable and their time will come, no one else is more deserving to see his name cemented in Raymond James Stadium than Ronde Barber.