Ronde Barber wasn’t big, but he was ahead of the game.

Barber said this himself during his recent appearance on The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov NFL Spotlight podcast.

The whole interview is well worth the watch, but what is especially attention-grabbing is how the now Hall of Fame cornerback discussed his NFL career and legacy.

Ronde Barber Reflects On NFL Career, “Unattainable” Numbers He Put Up

Legendary Bucs CB Ronde Barber – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

241 games.

1,251 total tackles.

47 interceptions.

28 sacks.

Numbers don’t lie, and in Ronde Barber’s case, they have only looked better over time. The Bucs legend has had plenty of time to reflect on his “uncommon” career and what he was able to accomplish. Not only is Barber grateful to have been a lifelong Buccaneer, but he is proud of what he did – even if he did not receive the proper recognition for it then.

“When I retired from the NFL after the 2012 year, I – most players will probably tell you this – you end up taking inventory,” Barber said. “You just can’t help it. Like, ‘Okay,’ that chapter of my life for me was a big chapter because it was 16 years. You start taking inventory and you start wondering, what does it all mean? You invariably start looking at your numbers and enough people start saying you should be in the Hall of Fame. People were saying that before I retired, but when you’re done, they finally start accumulating all the stats and everything else. I did that with some friends…We looked at it and said, ‘Nobody’s even close to these numbers.’

Bucs Hall of Fame CB Ronde Barber and Hall of Famer John Lynch – Photo by: USA Today

“I think I knew it at the time, but I didn’t really realize just how unique it was. I think when people hear those numbers, they almost seem [impossible]. Especially when you look at the way some of the guys who we consider the best in the business they’re playing now, they’ll never reach those numbers and that’s neither here nor there. Those numbers are unattainable and I guess I didn’t realize how good they were until the very end and I started taking that inventory of what I had done.”

The lack of attention Barber’s otherworldly play received is something that still fuels him in his post-playing career.

“I’m glad that I’m finally recognized for it,” Barber added. “I mean, if you ask me, I don’t lack confidence. I was telling people that ‘Yeah, I was probably better than anybody ever gave me credit for in my entire career,’ even when I made Pro Bowls, All-Pros and, you know, led the league in interceptions. It was what it was at that time and it drove me. It still drives me a little bit, you know, I use it as a reason to tell people about, ‘You don’t have to be the most popular guy to be considered one of the best,’ and I think that defines me a little bit.”

People Should Not Discount Tampa As A Great Football City

Former Bucs CB Ronde Barber – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Why did Ronde Barber not properly get recognized for his play when he was on the football field?

Why did Barber have to wait for the Hall of Fame call and gold jacket?

As has been the case for other Bucs players, it stems from starring on teams that did not make the playoffs and getting the kind of national attention to keep them in the spotlight.

“Tampa is not like a small market,” Barber said. “Tampa’s I think the 11th biggest market in the country – at least TV-wise. There are enough people that get eyeballs on Tampa, and obviously, Tampa is a very popular destination on the west side of the state. I think just people discount Tampa, you know, they just don’t ever consider it one of the the great football cities. In reality, it is. I mean, we’ve got a bunch of colleges around here that generate football interest. We’ve got two Super Bowl champions out of Tampa. I don’t know why people think this is not [one] of the bigger franchises in the league.

“For me, we had some early success in my career, but I played 16 years and after 4-5 years we weren’t a perennial team and that was what I would consider the middle of my career. We went six or seven years without making a playoff and I think it’s easy for people to forget what you’ve accomplished because I accomplished a lot in my first couple – probably year two to year five and then Tampa was kind of off the map.”

Bucs LB Lavonte David– Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

If this sounds familiar, it is because inside linebacker Lavonte David’s career has played out similarly. David did not make the playoffs from 2012-2019, a span in which he was one of the game’s best linebackers. He only has one Pro Bowl nod to his name, largely in due to the team around him not being up to par.

Only in recent years has his name come up more, and even at 34 years old his impact has not been talked about enough and likely won’t be until he retires, too. Ironically, David was Meirov’s first guest on NFL Spotlight, and deservedly he tooted his own horn about being “underappreciated.”

Barber was in the same boat, but he cannot complain anymore.

“We weren’t good, rotating quarterbacks, and didn’t have much consistency,” Barber said about starring on the lackluster mid-to-late 2000s Bucs teams. “The defense was always kind of good, but we didn’t do anything special. I think for people to really recognize you, you have to do special and unique things. Without the media coverage or the national media coverage, people don’t realize it.”

3 Things That Allowed Ronde Barber To Be One Of The Best CBs Of His Era

Despite the lack of attention, what allowed Ronde Barber to separate himself?

Barber boiled it down to a few things.

Former Bucs CB Ronde Barber – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I will say, man, I was one of three corners on the [2000s] All-Decade team behind Charles Woodson and Champ Bailey,” Barber said. “There were a lot of good corners during my era. Some of them were flash in the pans, had big years and disappeared. What separated me from all of them was my consistency, longevity, and my ability to not get hurt [laughs]. I didn’t miss any games.

“There’s only one other guy that can even come close to that and that was Charles in terms of the number of games played, which is why our stats are very similar because we played a long time and we didn’t miss many games. For some reason, people just didn’t want to recognize the things that I did. They did eventually, so I can’t complain now.”

The 1997 third-round pick would not have wanted it any other way.

“I never wanted to leave,” Barber said about staying with the Bucs through it all. “Tampa was home. The defense fit my personality, my playing personality. A lot of friends here in Tampa, in the football world, inside the front office, and great friends with our owners. It was never really an option.”

Ronde Barber overcame the odds to make a name for himself and believed in Plan A throughout his journey up until now.

“For me, it was gonna work out because it had no other choice but to work out,” Barber said. “I’m not a guy that ever had a Plan B. I refuse a Plan B. To this day I refuse Plan B. I’m gonna make A work until A is no longer available.”

Safe to say it all worked out.