Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Ronde Barber has by snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year. How it was announced was just cruel to the Buccaneers legend.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2022. It is an absolutely solid class, with long-time nominees Cliff Branch and Dick Vermeil finally getting in amongst others. However, a Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend has been snubbed.
Perhaps the greatest moment in franchise history was Ronde Barber’s pick-six of Donovan McNabb to shut down Veteran’s Stadium, slay the dragon that was the Philadelphia Eagles, and send the Bucs to their first Super Bowl, resulting in their first championship. Buccaneers fans have been screaming until they’ve been blue (or pewter) in the face trying to get Barber in the Hall of Fame, and he more than deserves to be the fourth member of that legendary defense of the late 1990s-early 2000s to be enshrined. Unfortunately, both Barber and Bucs fans will have to wait at least another year.
Barber’s incredible resume not being enough in the eyes of the voters is one thing. This is another thing entirely:
The NFL having Derrick Brooks introduce Cliff Branch when Ronde Barber was nominated for the Hall of Fame (and snubbed) as a red herring was just cruel
— Brandon Thornton (@BThornton_33) February 11, 2022
Come on. That can’t be an accidental coincidence.
Staying with Barber’s Canton resume, he was a five-time Pro Bowler and was named All-Pro on three occasions. In terms of stats relative to other Hall of Famers, his 47 career interceptions are only one less than Herb Adderley and Willie Wood, the same as Jimmy Johnson, and one more than Jack Christiansen and Mike Haynes.
Barber also showed longevity and versatility. At corner, he was teammates with Hardy Nickerson, and by the time he moved to safety as an old man, was sharing the field with Lavonte David. When put into that perspective it’s pretty amazing.
Barber’s resume has it all. Longevity, versatility, stats, and the legendary “resume play” he will forever be known for. Ronde Barber is a legend in not only Tampa Bay football, but the game of football itself, and while the competition looks strong, it’s past the time the NFL enshrines him into the Hall of Fame. Considering what they pulled with Derrick Books, they better right this wrong in 2023.