Raheem, Tomlin Aided Ronde With Transition
November 28th, 2012
Barber reached out to Raheem for guidance on tackling at his new position
Lots of folks, including rockstar general manager Mark Dominik, have gone on record saying Ronde Barber is playing at a Pro Bowl level in his first year as a safety.
Well, it seems the Ole’ ball coach, Raheem Morris, gets a little piece of the credit, along with Steelers head coach and former Bucs secondary coach Mike Tomlin, and Raheem’s Bucs defensive backs coach, Jimmy Raye.
Barber told Joe today that “Mike, Rah, Jimmy, the guys that I’m close with,” are former coaches that have assisted him in his daily battle to learn how to tackle effectively from the safety position in the run game.
A couple of weeks ago on the Buccaneers Radio Network, Barber explained his his adjustment challenges.
“That’s something that I’ve had to work on. I’ve talked pretty extensively with my coaches, some of my old coaches too, about just the tackling system [from the safety position,] Barber said. “Because we have a tackling system, but you know getting to the tackling system is, you know, it’s something I’ve had to work on and work on, and consciously think about every day in practice. So when you get to the game it becomes kind of like it’s habit. You’re not wondering like, ‘Oh my god, here comes this enormous, you know, train truck of a runner, how am I going to get him on the ground?” You go into the game and you have confidence in what you’re going to do and how you’re going to tackle him then it’s a lot easier. It really kind of showed up during that Minnesota game, because there were runs a couple of weeks before, there was one against Washington where I went in and missed a tackle and they scored a touchdown.
“The little things about the game, like tackling angles and, you know, how to approach a runner when he’s open field, those things I’ve had to learn. Had to fight some of my instincts. It’s week [10] I guess, and I still feel like I got a chance to get better here in the next seven weeks doing it.”
What a generous guy Raheem is, helping Barber while he’s working for a conference rival. Joe hopes it helped. Surely Raheem couldn’t “fix” angle-challenged Sabby the Goat, as he promised to do late in the 2009 season.
Joe finds it very cool that Barber is leaving no stone unturned in an effort to master his new position. What a true pro.
November 28th, 2012 at 5:17 pm
Barber is just a cool dude that everybody likes (unlike his brother) except for McNabb perhaps. He has become the greatest Buc off all time IMO.
November 28th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
I hope Ronde comes back next year.
November 28th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
I’d like to explain my claim a little bit:
Barber has survived 4 head coaches, has played at an excellent level for 15 years and will hopefully help usher in another playoff opportunity. I think he passes Brooks/Selmon, Selmon/Brooks this year with what he continues to do on the field.
November 28th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
@ JonBuc: Not even close to Brooks or Selmon.
November 28th, 2012 at 6:08 pm
@ 507
I respect your opinion but stand by my claim looking at the entire body of work he’s put forth. Most important play in franchise history, record breaking longevity at a difficult position (defensive backfield) and continued excellence…which may be the most difficult to produce of all.I’d love to hear Joe’s take…..
November 28th, 2012 at 6:08 pm
I just realized Barber made his 1,000 tackle last Sunday. Wow. This guy just keeps on going.
November 28th, 2012 at 6:53 pm
But how many missed tackles does he have? 500?
Juuuuuuuusssstttttt kidding.
Barber is a Buccaneer man. This is so true, as was Brooks, Lynch, Allstott and Dunn… and Shelton Quarels.
They were breed from the old school.
I’m loving the new breed now too.
Unfortunately, Raheem played to the team’s cancerous strengths like Winslow, Jackson and Talib.
November 28th, 2012 at 10:39 pm
Ronde is a real Buccaneer Man! Let’s all vote him into Pro Bowl.
November 28th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
@jonbuc
I think you have a good point. Ronde has the longjevity(no idea how to spell that), plus the greatest play in the history of the franchise in that Philly game. I think he deserves to be a top contender for greatest Buc ever.
November 28th, 2012 at 11:59 pm
I think he did the complete opposite of what Raheem told him to do and that’s why he is so successful. lol