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A saturated free agency market deprived cornerback Ronde Barber of the limo-and-dinner tour many free agents have taken before him, but it’s just as well. That’s not exactly Barber’s scene. Barber showed up at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ locker room on Tuesday afternoon for what he figured would be a quick, low-key chat with the local press regarding his new six-year contract, agreed upon Monday and signed on Tuesday morning. Instead, he found himself behind a podium laden with microphones, a setup necessitated by a large showing of both writers and TV men. Whether Barber wanted to look at it this way or not, his re-signing (and that of T Jerry Wunsch, who also met the press on Tuesday afternoon), was a big deal. “I don’t believe in anything 'big-time,'” said Barber. “I think all of you know that I’m a team guy and it’s not all about me. It’s about what I can do for the team. I’m definitely glad to be back.” “We have a great system, a great coach,” said Barber. “You come here and you know what you’re going to get. You know what to look forward to, and that’s a team that’s dedicated to winning, a team that really doesn’t beat around the bush with all the extra hype. We just like to go out and play football. That’s the atmosphere that we’ve created and one that I’m glad to be back in. I’m glad Rich McKay and those guys didn’t decide to give up on me and go get someone else.”

When Bucs officials gather Tuesday to continue preparation for the upcoming draft, they finally can narrow their focus. The need to consider a vast range of possibilities, including having to draft either a starting right tackle or cornerback in the first round, disappeared Monday when the Bucs reached agreement on contracts with free-agent Barberright tackle Jerry Wunsch and right cornerback Ronde Barber. Neither deal was finalized Monday, but Barber and the agent for Wunsch said only minor issues had to be resolved on what is believed to be a six-year contract for Barber and a five-year, $13 million deal for Wunsch. ``We feel very fortunate to be able to retain both Jerry and Ronde,'' Bucs general manager Rich McKay said. ``They are two players that have started a lot of games for us and are the type of quality individuals who make positive contributions not only on the field but off it.'' The agreements brought what likely will be termed a bittersweet ending to the players' first foray into free agency. Though both were hoping to stay with the Bucs, each was believed to be expecting a bigger payoff than they likely will receive. Wunsch, meanwhile, will earn an average of $2.6 million over the course of his contract, which affords him the chance to attain another goal. ``I've put a lot of work in here for four years and I wanted to continue that and have the opportunity to possibly retire as a Buccaneer,'' Wunsch said. ``That also played in my decision.''
In the last five NFL seasons, only six players have managed to record sack totals of 16.5 or better. Two of them are now Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Double-team that. The Buccaneers’ remarkable 2001 offseason took another startling turn on Wednesday when the team announced the signing of Pro Bowl defensive end Simeon Rice. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, as per team policy, but it is known to be a five-year pact. Rice officially signed his contract with Tampa Bay on Friday, shortly after noon. Though the team and Rice’s agent worked on the deal for most of Thursday, various portions of the contract’s language took some extra time to work out. Rice (6-5, 268) had a career-best 16.5 sacks for the Arizona Cardinals in 1999, one season before the Bucs’ Warren Sapp matched that total with 16.5 of his own. The others to reach that plateau in the last five seasons: New Orleans’ La’Roi Glover (17 in 2000), St. Louis’ Kevin Carter (17 in 1999), Miami’s Trace Armstrong (16.5 in 2000) and Seattle’s Michael Sinclair (16.5 in 1998). Yes, the Buccaneers have crossed up conventional wisdom by using free agency to add to an area that is already a strength, but according to Head Coach Tony Dungy, Rice gives the Buccaneers a dimension they have lacked.
Go Bucs!

Go Bucs!