Barber's future with Bucs may hinge on Morris

Tampa Bay cornerback Ronde Barber has proven he can still play at a high level in the NFL even after 15 seasons. But he says his decision on whether to return for another year could hinge on the status of Bucs head coach Raheem Morris. "I would be lying if I didn't say that was somewhat true," he told reporters Wednesday afternoon after practice. "But we'll see. We'll see. Ideally, I'd love to be back and play with Rah, play with (defensive backs coach) Jimmy (Lake), play with (linebackers coach) Joe (Baker), play with all those guys. They're great coaches, they're fun to be around. They understand me, and I understand them, so I imagine that would have something to do with it." When the 4-11 Bucs end their season in Atlanta Sunday, Barber will be playing his 225th career game, passing linebacker Derrick Brooks on Tampa Bay's the all-time list. He could easily retire with his head held high, considering his career numbers (43 interceptions, 1,138 tackles, five Pro Bowls, a Super Bowl championship). But his decision to return may depend on whether the Glazers owner Malcolm and his sons, co-chairmen Bryan, Ed and Joel ultimately decide to bring Morris back for a fourth season at the helm. That said, Barber says he won't make a pitch to the Glazers to keep Morris, whose future with the organization has become cloudy during Tampa Bay's nine-game losing streak. "Nah, that's not for me to do," he said. "Even though if there was one person who could do it, it probably would be me. That's not my job. Still, the 36-year-old cornerback and five-time Pro Bowl pick wasn't shy about giving a vote of confidence for his 35-year-old head coach. "I've lots of good opinions about Rah, Barber said. "He's a good friend of mine and I want well for him. He deserves a team that plays its (butt) off for him to be honest with you, guys that care about winning football, because that's what good coaches are. ... Rah didn't do anything different than he did last year and the results are starkly different. If that's who we want as a head coach, then that's who we got. That's about as comfortable as I can be with it if they ask me. I'm pretty sure that's what he would say."