Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Ronde Barber was the oldest starting defensive player in week one of the NFL season. How did he do against last year's rookie of the year, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton? Barber recorded a sack and an interception. While he was not perfect in his debut game at safety, he was good enough to be named NFC Defensive player of the week.
Bucs Nation says that the only mistake Barber made during the game was on coverage on what would be the Panthers' only touchdown.
Most notably, it seems that he jumped down when he should have stayed deep on the only touchdown the Bucs gave up. Still, a sack and a pick are hard to argue with.
Barber is not the only Buccaneers player up for an individual award. Running back Doug Martin, who ran for 95 yards on 24 carries, is up for NFL Rookie of the Week. Fans can vote for Martin right here.
