Ronde Barber knows a thing or two about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Although Barber is now far removed from his playing days, the Hall of Fame cornerback is not far removed from being around the team. He calls the team’s preseason games and remains around the facility throughout the season. Throughout his time in the building, he has gotten to know the front office and the current players extensively.
So when he spoke with The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov on Tuesday’s NFL Spotlight, Barber shared his thoughts about how far the 2024 Bucs can go. The hour-long interview is worth the watch.
Ronde Barber Praises Bucs’ Front Office For Assembling A “Very Well-Put-Together Football Team”
The Bucs’ on-field results have spoken for themselves over the last four seasons. Since 2020, Tampa Bay has made the playoffs four straight seasons with three straight NFC South division titles and of course, a Super Bowl win during that historic 2020 season. Ronde Barber credits the team’s recent run of success to how the front office has approached constructing the roster from top to bottom.
“I’ve got a pulse on a couple of teams [but] I am part of the heartbeat of this one just because I’m around them so much,” Barber said. “They’re a good football team and it always amazes me how people in the offseason discount players. Jason Licht as GM and [assistant general manager] John Spytek, [director of player personnel] Mike Biehl, [assistant general manager] Mike Greenberg, [vice president of football research] Jackie [Davidson], [director of player personnel] Rob [McCartney], all the guys that work in the front office there.
“They very specifically put together a football team to become what they’ve been for the past five years. Yes, they had Tom Brady there that made it look sexy and wow, but the reality is they are a very well-put-together football team. They don’t get credit for it.”
There is no arguing Licht is one of the best general managers in football. At this point, one would be hard-pressed not to include him in the top five. If not, he has no problem keeping receipts.
Ronde Barber: “How Can You Look At Them And Say They’re Not Going To Be Good?”
The bread and butter for the organization in the last half decade has been drafting and developing homegrown talent and re-signing that talent when that time comes. Although many did not project the Bucs to do much last season, they exceeded expectations. With a 3-1 start to begin this year, they look primed to control the NFC South again despite the Falcons being considered the favorite. Barber quickly pointed out how foolish it is to look at the team and not believe they would find ways to win games, starting on offense.
“It’s kind of sickening to a degree because if you look at who they have on their roster, I don’t know how you can look at them and say they’re not going to be good, right?” Barber added. “You have Mike Evans, who’s a freaking first-ballot Hall of Famer. You have Chris Godwin, who might literally have the best hands in football.
“He had a catch last week against Philly – people that care go back and find it. It was like a third-and-10 or something and Baker [Mayfield] double clutches and throws it into this coverage area and Chris goes in and grabs his ball and you’re just like, if you don’t have sticky hands, you’re not making this catch. A good tight end and two good running backs. You have a great offensive line. [Right tackle] Luke Goedeke is hurt, but other than that, they are really good on offense.”
Switching over to the defensive side of things, Barber shared how head coach Todd Bowles’ defense has evolved over the last decade and only has gotten better with top-tier players.
“You know what Todd Bowles is on defense,” Barber said. “He’s maniacal in the way that he finds ways to get pressure on people. That started, I remember he was in Arizona with Bruce Arians and he didn’t have any players. They were not good. They had probably had two or three players that you could say were starting-caliber players. He’s like, I remember him telling me, ‘Ronde, we have to manufacture ways to do it.’ I was like, ‘Why does your defense do this?’ He’s like, ‘We have to manufacture it.’
“Well, that has evolved over the last 10 years into this very complex but beautiful way of playing defense where it doesn’t matter who’s in there. If you get good players like Antoine Winfield Jr. to be probably the most versatile player in football. You [have] Lavonte David who is easily the most underrated player in football. You have Yaya Diaby, who you drafted last year, who’s going to be a good player, and Vita Vea, who is by far the best freaking nose tackle in football. They’re gonna be good. I don’t understand why people keep thinking they’re not going to be good.”
Anybody That Is Surprised By Bucs Is “Just An Idiot,” Says Ronde Barber
Through four games, the Bucs have already beaten the 3-1 Commanders, 3-1 Lions, and 2-2 Eagles, each being a formidable team in the NFC. Between quarterback Baker Mayfield leading the charge and the coaching staff sufficiently preparing the team, it does not surprise Ronde Barber that they have gotten off to such a hot start.
“All they do is go out, play good teams, and beat them,” Barber said. “Yes, they have Philly’s number, but they have what you need to win. That starts with Baker. Baker is a catalyst. He is a spark plug. Against Philly, he was surgical. Against Denver, when they lost two weeks ago, he was very hesitant and I think it was because he got hit so many times in Detroit that he didn’t want to let the ball go.
“If you go back and watch the difference between Week 3 Denver and Week 4 Philly, you’re going to see a Baker that’s like, ‘Okay, I have a lot of talent. I’m going to trust my talent instead of trying to do this by myself.’ It’s a good football team and they’re well-coached. They’re put together well. We should not be surprised that they’re 3-1 at this point. Anybody that says otherwise, that they’re going to win two games or three games like they were saying last year, is just an idiot. They won a Super Bowl and they’ve won three straight divisions. That’s saying something.”
Barber closed his thoughts on the current team by again reiterating that not enough props are being given to how they have built a lasting foundation.
“They don’t get enough credit for it and that’s a shame that people don’t realize that their way is the way and they keep having success because of it. That’s all.”
