Is Ronde Barber Hall of Fame Worthy?
by Sander on Jul 1, 2011 4:07 PM EDT
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PrintOver at the ESPN NFC South blog, Pat Yasinskas posted an in-depth review of Darren Sharper's and Ronde Barber's Hall of Fame chances. Now I'm not particularly interested in Sharper's chances, but Ronde Barber is one of my favorite Buccaneers and would love to see him in the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, Yasinskas doesn't like Ronde's chances. He points to the fact that two other players from the same defense are locks to make the Hall of Fame (Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks), and Hall of Fame voters will see Ronde Barber as secondary to the team's success. In addition, the fact that Ronde Barber was never a shutdown cornerback will hurt him.
While that's all true, I also think it's missing the point. Ronde Barber was never a shutdown corner, but that was never his job. He was supposed to play zones, limit plays, be a good tackler and jump routes when he could. Besides that, he was also used a weapon on third down when he moved inside: he is probably the best pass-rushing cornerback in NFL history, gathering 26 sacks so far, the most ever from a cornerback. In fact, he's the only cornerback in the 20/20 club (20 sacks/20 interceptions) and the only player ever with at least 25 sacks and 40 interceptions.
His accolades don't look too shabby either: 5 Pro Bowls, 3x First-Team All-Pro selection, 2x Second-Team All-Pro Selection and a Second-Team player for the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team. He's the Bucs' all-time leader interception, he holds the record for the most consecutive starts by a cornerback in the NFL and led the NFL in interceptions in 2001. In addition he is currently third on the all-time defensive touchdown list behind Darren sharper and Rod Woodson.
But perhaps most importantly, Ronde Barber has defined a position. He is the prototype Tampa 2 cornerback: tough, quick and intelligent. His ability to jump routes and make the tackle makes him perfect as an outside cornerback in the Tampa 2, but it's his ability as a nickel cornerback that makes him really stand out. On third down Ronde Barber moves inside and turns into a real weapon. Offenses have to account for him, and that position has really defined his career, and he has (re-)defined that position.
Combine all that, and I give Ronde Barber a 50% chance of making the Hall of Fame. But if he adds a few more years of quality play, he's a lock to make it. What do you think?
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That's crazy.
He may not be first ballot, but he’ll make it because he’s so unique.
Yeah, I think Ronde Barber is definitely worthy of the Hall of Fame.
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Kaepernick is some kind of Montana/Young/Roosevelt hybrid, and will absolutely ruin the NFL experience for the other 31 teams and their few fans.
Maybe not
Everyone knows Brooks is already a hall of fame, Sapp is questionable, I believe he should be in, but there are arguments against him. Lynch is very questionable, not because of his skill or productivity, but because of his position. He was really a small linebacker. If you put him against linebackers, he’s was good as some of the best, but put him against Safetys? he’s not a top 10 safety.
by thisawesomeguy on Aug 7, 2011 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions
I also remember Pat Y calling Ronde a system cornerback.
Funny how (I imagine) in Pat’s eyes, a system QB could make it in but not a “system cornerback.” Anyway, I think Ronde has a strong argument: 1100 tackles (after this season), 26 sacks, 40 picks, 7 defensive TD’s, 14 fumbles forced, and even a punt return TD his 2nd year in the league. I think Pat is wrong here.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/15982/ronde-barber-and-the-hall-of-fame
I hear Pat's point
The question isn’t whether he deserves it, rather the perception of him deserving it.
It’s the problem with MSM. There is kind of a group-think that goes along with it. I put Ronde Barber in the Chris Carter status. Probably deserving of it, but is also against more elite talent and the perception of their careers.
Formerly UNFNole
He may
Be the all time leader as far as cornerbacks in tackles i havent seen many corners tackle like ronde , He has had his bump in the road with ah couple of backs but he has been the best tackling corner in the league for years at one point , I KNOW HE HAS AH MILLION MORE TACKLES THEN DEION SANDERS ………………………
by RIP SEAN TAYLOR 21 on Jul 1, 2011 10:10 PM EDT reply actions
50/50
I agree with the “perception” of Barber. I am a fan of his and think he should make the HOF. But I don’t know if the writers see it that way. I hope they do.
Very good player overall
But maybe not a great cornerback. When you look at Barber, he’s great football player, he made a lot of tackles over his career, only 20/20 corner back and has pro bowls. I think what he has done is worthy of the hall of fame because of his work ethic. He’s not tall, he’s slow compared to the average corner, not strong, but his will to win is what makes him great.
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