Buccaneers: Who will be the next Ring of Honor inductee?
Jerry Stalheim
Who Should Go into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor Next?
At halftime of last Monday Night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, future … I mean (wink-wink) … former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl winning Head Coach Jon Gruden became the most recent entrant into the Buccaneers “Ring of Honor” as he joined the most recent players he coached in Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, John Lynch, and later owner who made the trade to bring him here Malcolm Glazer.
A well-deserved honor in my opinion as the winningest coach in team history (57) and the coach who brought Tampa is first and so far only Super Bowl Championship, so now the question, besides will Gruden be the NEXT Buccaneers head coach?, is … who will be the next Buccaneers “Ring of Honor” member? In my opinion there is a giant alarm bell going off over one name that I have seen mentioned and I am sure that is most likely the pick that most of the PewterPlank gang will also have and that name is …
RONDE BARBER
Came to the Buccaneers in the third round of the 1997 draft but did not become a full time starter until the 1999 season where his NFL record streak of starting in 215 consecutive games as a defensive back (224 including playoffs) began in week eleven. He helped be a cornerstone of one of the best and most dominate defenses in the late 90s and early 2000s and obviously culminated in Super Bowl 37 victory of the Oakland Raiders.
Some of his other accomplishments throughout his career are just as amazing as his longevity streak such as in 2001 he led the NFL with ten interceptions a number that had not been reached since 1990.
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He was also famous for blitzing off the edge and had at least one sack in every season except his rookie year and 2006, and his 28 career sacks by a defensive back is a Buccaneers team record.
He also had an interception in every season of his career except his rookie season and in 2009 finishing his career with 47 interceptions which is also a Buccaneers team record, and he knew what to do with those interceptions once he got them returning eight of them for touchdowns including the famous one in the playoffs against Philly (you know which one).
Speaking of sacks and interceptions with 28 sacks and 47 interceptions he is the only player in NFL history with at least 45 interceptions and 25 sacks.
His other accomplishments include being a five time Pro Bowl participant and being part of the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team.
His last season in the NFL was 2012 where he was asked to become the team’s starting free safety and had his highest tackles total since 2006 (92), a sack, and his highest interceptions total since 2008 (4) and most likely could have kept playing but he chose to call it a career in May of 2013.
Playing his entire career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he always showed up played every game and never caused any problems, and finished his NFL career with 1231 tackles, 166 pass deflections, 47 interceptions, 28 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, and 14 touchdowns and is truly one of the best corner backs in NFL history and will someday be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Obviously as one of the last pieces of the great Buccaneers teams of the late 90s and early 2000s he would be the choice, but if they chose to put in two again next year I could also see the last great defensive end the Buccaneers had Simeon Rice as a choice but if just one is pick Ronde Barber is my choice.
Even though the season is a total dumpster fire still as always … GO BUCS!!!