Tampa Bay cornerback Ronde Barber isn’t going anywhere. Not that he knows exactly how much longer he’ll play.
“How about much longer than [his brother] Tiki,” he said in a conference call Wednesday, referring to his brother, the New York Giants running back expected to retire after the season. “I still have a lot of passion for the game. When that starts to wane, and it has for Tiki, then maybe I’ll consider it.”
Barber, in his 10th season, is still considered one of the NFL’s better corners and excels in Tampa’s defensive scheme.
This season, Barber, who played at the University of Virginia, has three interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.
“If you saw him on the street, you’d think he was an anchorman,” said Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs, who has studied Barber. “[But] what they ask him to do he has it down. Right now, from being around the ball and causing fumbles and interceptions and being the total package, I like him best now. If you lined up all the corners and put them in one on ones, you wouldn’t take Ronde. He’d be like 50th. But in that system he’s a playmaker; he’s a difference-maker.”
Said Bucs coach Jon Gruden: “At the end of my life, he’ll be one of my favorite people. He’s a first-class guy and an unbelievable leader. … He can play a long time.”
