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Brooks & Barber: Still Standing Tall

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By IRA KAUFMAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 7, 2008

TAMPA - They're still standing amid the fallen pillars, linking a glorious past and a promising future.

Call them seasoned, call them experienced, but don't dare call Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber football fossils.

"I've been around long enough to meet some of the greatest men to ever play this game, and those two guys are right at the top of my list," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said of Tampa Bay's remaining cornerstones from the 2002 championship team. "I love 'em, I respect 'em and I want my kids to be like them."

Simeon Rice is out of football, John Lynch is looking for another team and Warren Sapp is dancing on a stage instead of in the trenches.

But for Barber, 33, and Brooks, 35 - the only remaining starters from the Super Bowl XXXVII victory - it's still about laying down the ground rules of the Tampa 2, enforcing Monte Kiffin's code of conduct for a new generation.

"I think some of our young guys have brought out the youth in Ronde," secondary coach Raheem Morris said. "He's having a ball. Ronde and Derrick are great leaders, but they're different. Where Ronde just gives you that look, Brooks is more of a nurturing mentor. He's more likely to give you a hug than Ronde will."

In his 14th pro season, Brooks shows few signs of winding down a Hall of Fame career. The man who defined the weakside linebacker position for his era can't wait to gear up for another championship run.

"Playing in our home stadium would be great," he said, "but I don't care if the Super Bowl was in the Everglades, in Canada or on a ship in Hawaii - we just want to be the champs. The window of opportunity closes on every team. That's not a cliche."

Relishing His Role

As Barber approaches his 12th NFL season, Tampa Bay's big-play cornerback is relishing his role as mentor.

"I'm a guy searching for perfection," he said. "Whoever is not doing that, I don't have time for. I've seen a lot of talented guys come through our door that should have been ... could have been. The best way I know to lead is to be a hard-liner."

The manner in which Brooks and Barber approach their craft has proven inspirational to teammates young and old.

"Their leadership is unparalleled," said defensive tackle Chris Hovan, who broke into the league with Minnesota in 2000. "I've been with another team and it doesn't even compare to the leadership of these two men. I tell any rookie to follow No. 20 and No. 55 in terms of living out your career. Those are two great examples of how to live, on and off the field."

Besides their mentoring skills, Barber and Brooks are key components of a defense that vaulted back to No. 2 last season after a significant drop in 2006.

Brooks, who hasn't missed a start since his 1995 rookie season, ranked second to Barrett Ruud with 162 tackles last year and forced three fumbles.

The 10-time Pro Bowler now comes off the field on occasion, but Brooks remains an instinctive playmaker.

"I feel good and I feel blessed," said the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. "I had one of my better camps, starting back from March, and I embrace being a mentor. My role changes, but my style doesn't. We were watching a film the other day from a 1997 game against San Francisco and I told our guys, 'You don't understand how far we've come as a franchise. We can't blow opportunities.' "

Barber has reeled off 135 consecutive starts while building a reputation as perhaps the best slot corner of his generation. He has scored 12 career touchdowns, showcasing his versatility by registering 33 interceptions and 21 sacks.

"My body is awesome, I swear I can move better now than three or four years ago," Barber said. "I still want to win championships. That trophy is the only reason you play. When you see guys retire, they just don't have that will to win anymore. I still have that will."

The respect Brooks and Barber have earned in the locker room begins with their play on the practice field. Neither is known for talking a good game, although Brooks has been known to engage in some trash banter with opponents.

Their game tape, however, screams out for all to hear.

"It's the way they do their business, it's the way they compete, it's the way they do it from the heart," Gruden said. "It's not scripted and it's not an act - it's who they are. They're passionate people, alive and ambitious and demanding of themselves. That really rubs off on everybody."

While Brooks is more likely to offer an encouraging word, Barber prefers to be pointed in his remarks to Tampa Bay's student class.

"Ronde might say something in that monotone voice, but when he says it, it always means something," Morris said. "Usually, it ends with a curse word. People respect that because they see how he works."

These are two men who like to teach, not preach.

Neither Will Have Any Regrets

When they do hang up those shoulder pads for the final time, they won't look back with regret.

"New England players that have won multiple Super Bowls tell me the first feeling and the second feeling are nothing like each other," Brooks said. "Each one meant more because the journey was different. You've got to take advantage of every opportunity. That's the message Ronde and myself try to spread around this team by being doers, not talkers."

One day, Barber and Brooks won't be at One Buc Place to show the kids how it's done.

Their immense shadow will linger for quite a while.

"The legacy is being reborn around here, it's showing in the other guys," Barber said. "Everybody thinks this defense is old. We're not old, man. We've got a lot of good new blood here."

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