Ronde Barber Makes 200th Consecutive Start in Week One

Missed two days of work to fly out to Tampa Bay to watch a man who hasn't missed a day of work in quite some time. Despite the Buccaneers being a team favorite of mine, what I didn't miss was an elite player make his mark in the NFL record books. It was "Ron Day."

The 37-year-old cornerback/safety Ronde Barber of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers received a standing ovation as he took the field at Raymond James Stadium in front of his fans and teammates.

It was a divisional rivalry, against their opponent, the Carolina Panthers, that started the 2012 season off to a 16-10 win for the Bucs. They will start week two against the New York Giants who recently lost to
the Dallas Cowboys 24-17 in the regular season opener last Wednesday at MetLife Stadium.

It was also the debut of former Rutgers football coach, Greg Schiano, on the sidelines who very much commanded the the field -- a good change for the Bucs. Aside from Barber's 200th consecutive start there were more numbers that went into the books in the season opener for the veteran player.

According to the stats, in that game Barber recorded his 28th career sack on a big man like Cam Newton and his 44th career interception of which he currently ranks fourth in the league.

One thing that seemed to expose the man's emotion behind his heavy padding and helmet, were the video boards inside Raymond James Stadium during timeouts that would highlight his career, work ethic and athleticism that Barber has contributed to the Bucs since he was drafted in 1997 and under Coach Jon Gruden, he played a vital role in helping secure the 2002 Super Bowl Championship game against the Oakland Raiders.

As of right now, Barber is longest-tenured member of the team.

The All-time Most Consecutive Regular Season Starts: