As the countdown continues, we come to one of the feature players of the defense the Buccaneers are known for around the NFL: The Tampa Two. When the 1997 draft rolled around, Ronde Barber was a small cornerback out of Virginia who wasn't seen as anything special. The Buccaneers took on a chance on him in the third round, and he became the prototypical Tampa Two cornerback. It took him a year to get into the starting lineup, but once he started you couldn't get him off the field. In fact, he's started the second-most consecutive games amongst active players behind only Peyton Manning.
Always fierce against the run, Ronde knew how to read QBs and jump routes like no one else in his prime. He was also one of the first cornerbacks to regularly be used as a blitzer, and he's the only player in NFL history with at least 25 sacks and 40 interceptions. He also has a knack for finding the endzone with 11 defensive touchdown, which is third in NFL history. And that doesn't even count his 2009 blocked punt return for a touchdown. He went to the Pro Bowl 5 times throughout his career, and was elected a first-team All-Pro 3 times. But for Bucs fans, he's best known for one play in his career: the interception returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the 2002 NFC Championship Game against Donovan McNabb and the Eagles. That play may be the most famous and most important play in Buccaneers history, as it finally got the Bucs over the hump, finally allowed them to beat the Eagles and finally put them in the Super Bowl. Ronde Barber is a Buccaneer legend, and one of the best Bucs ever. And the only one to still be playing for the Buccaneers.
The list so far:
10. Warrick Dunn
9. Doug Williams
8. Mike Alstott
7. James Wilder
6. Paul Gruber
5. Ronde Barber
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