Strong words from Ronde Barber

Cornerback Ronde Barber did his first interview of the season this morning, and among his comments was one very big claim.

Asked if this was the best secondary in which he's played, Barber made a very interesting assessment.

"It is athletically, without a doubt," he said. "As far as the players go, I don't know. It's pretty hard to top that '02 team that we had, Dexter (Jackson) and John (Lynch) and (Brian Kelly) and Dwight Smith. Those were some good players. But talent-wise across the board and depth-wise, we've never been better.

"I don't think there's a question about it. So, that being said, we have a lot of expectations on ourselves. If we don't live up to them, we'll all be disappointed."

If you really think about it, Barber's probably right. Aqib Talib's addition alone makes a big difference. Coupled with Phillip Buchanon, Tanard Jackson and others, it's hard to argue with Barber's statement.

Do you agree?

Comments

[frank c. costanza]

"talkin the talk is fine, but you must walk the walk"
-- malcolm "kingfish" glazer

[ToddsBucs1]

I agree,this secondery is gonna be bad to the bone.

[Vince]

Hard to argue that the secondary is better than 2002. Brian Kelly in his prime tops P-Buc (or whoever will play opposite of Barber). Both safeties hit hard and have good range, but neither has the game smarts of Lynch. Dwight Smith covered well and tackled like a safety.

Great to see Barber setting the bar high. Our secondary has a lot of potential.

[Tom]

Look for Sabby to unseat Jermaine at SS. Will Allen is going to look for work elsewhere. Sammy Davis is going to stock shelves at a local supermarket.

[Jay]

Tom,

That is completely unfair.

What did the supermarket do to deserve that?

[Jim]

Tom,. you're stupid, he better play like the second coming of Ed Reed to unseat Phillips the way he played last year...Sabby is a rookie, no way around it.

[Mike J]

I posted in Usenet weeks ago that this might be the best secondary in the NFL, even if the pundits think only clubs that play a ton of man should be considered.
Dunno if they are better than that Lynch et al bunch, but deeper.

[John]

Yes,
Let's just wait and see when the big game is on the line. Talking is fine, but the 02 team did it on and off the field. Let's see if the 08 team has any guts to it.

[Dave]

It's great Ronda set the bar but this secondary needs to see a lot more action before anybody can celebrate. The secondary is only as good as the line the plays in front of them.

[kurt]

i was at the morning practices this weekend and sabby was not picking up his reads like phillips. maybe it will change. that's the kind of depth we should be elated to see.

[DR]

John, exactly. You reiterated what Ronde said. There are a lot of expectations but who knows what will happen on the field. Not point in talking. Show us what you got.

[DR]

Thanks John. Lets not get carried away. It's all good and all to talk positive but lets put the talking on field. Until then, you're just an average secondary with potential.

[Bo]

Average secondary? You have the least insight of anyone in the world. Wasn't the secondary ranked #1 last year DR? Even with a mediocre pass rush? Maybe you should put your money where your mouth is...

[Daniel]

If this secondary played behind the 02 line it would be close to being as good as the 02 secondary, but they don't; so I would say RB is wrong on this.

[Krutch]

Athleticism and depth is one thing. What about experience? Talib and Wilson (who I think will be a great depth player) are in their first year in this system. The 02 team were part of a unit that had played together for at least a couple seasons consistently.

[DR]

I'm talking about their perspective Bo. Everyone should know, true football fans, that the Bucs DBs weren't killing them last year. They played great witha weak, inconsistent pass rush. My point was from Ronde's perspective. If they practice as if you're just an average DE, you will get better. The greatest players, teams don't practice like they're the greastes. This is the hare and tortoise moral come in to play. There is always room for improvement.
The best don't talk about how good they are. When you walk the walk, there is no point in wasting time talking about it.

[ben bolt fan]

I agree, his assestment is correct.
The 02 secondary was very very very good. This one is younger and very talented and fast. If they all tackle well this defense should keep there team in the game.

[Jonathan]

I completely agree with him. Athletically, this may be the best secondary I've seen from the Bucs. The speed of this unit blows the '02 unit away. I also agree with Ronde when he says that from an on-field stand point (as players) it's not going to be easy to top the performance of the '02 squad. That unit's intellegence and anticipation was second to none. But there is no way in my mind that this unit will be anything less than top 3 in the NFL. They will be too fast, too athletic, and too well coached for anything less.

[Al]

The secondary is only as good as the D-Line. The the D-Line sucks as bad as last year, Ronde and crew will inevitably get burned.

[glenn]

I agree, Al, the DL is the one questionable part of the entire team - more worrisome by far than the receiver set. If the DL comes through, it will truly be a vintage year for the Bucs, as that OL, with Faine & Zuttah supplementing last year's group, will be pounding the rock like we've never seen in TB.