TAMPAHe has been here longer than sweat.If you are trying to sum up the legacy of Ronde Barber, the Bucs' forever man, this is where you start. He is timeless. He is ageless. He is eternal.He has been here longer than sunburns, longer than mosquitoes, longer than third down. Once, when he was young, he covered Ponce de Leon man on man.Other stars come, and other stars go, and still, Barber remains. He has outlasted his contemporaries, his coaches, his critics. For the Bucs, he is the last piece of the dynasty, the last member of the royal family.Also, he is still here, still essential, still standing between the opponent and the goal line.Can anyone remember when that wasn't the case?Barber is 37 now, and there is mileage in his legs and wear throughout his body. In each of the past two offseasons, Barber admits there have been days — a lot of days — when he has convinced himself it was time to retire, to turn in his helmet and head for the golf course.In the end, however, Barber has always decided he hasn't had enough, after all. And that guy who will eventually take his place? He can sit in the waiting room just a little bit longer."I still like coming to work," says Barber, entering his 16th season. "I still like doing my job. When the desire is no longer driving me, I won't be here anymore. I have other things I want to do."But not now. Not yet.These days, Barber is a safety, of all things. Over the past couple of years, he says, general manager Mark Dominik would tell him he planned to squeeze an extra couple of years out of Barber by moving him from cornerback. Barber would always chuckle at the idea and walk away.Turns out, Dominik wasn't joking.This offseason, the Bucs didn't have a lot of players to choose from at safety. There was Mark Barron, the prized rookie. But Cody Grimm was coming off an injury, and Ahmad Black hadn't played much. So Barber moved.Others have done it. Rod Woodson, for instance. Ronnie Lott. Aeneas Williams. Everson Walls. Green Bay is trying a similar shift with Charles Woodson. After all, cornerback is a position of speed, where the demands are to match the strides of world-class sprinters. Safety is more about instincts and toughness."Everybody does it," Barber said. "The good ones, the ones who stick around for a long time. If you still have appreciable talent, it makes sense."I like it. It's different, and the responsibilities are different. In this defense, you're at the line of scrimmage every single snap. But it probably suits me a little better."Who knew? A few months ago, Barber wasn't convinced he was going to play anywhere . It wasn't until a phone conversation with Dominik while he was vacationing in Australia that Barber decided to give it another go. Think about that: Barber had to go to the land down under before deciding his career wasn't over.Now Barber will make his 200th consecutive start in today's season opener. This isn't common, and it isn't easy."It's a grind every single day of every single week in every single year," Barber said. "But my heart told me I could still play. My body told me I could still play."So is this the last year?Barber grins. He leans forward in his chair, and he glances sideways at the question."I can't put definitely on anything," he said, "especially where my football career is concerned."Barber was never supposed to be this good. The Bucs drafted him with the 66th pick of the 1997 draft. Incidentally, Tampa Bay also had the 63rd pick that year, but they passed on Barber to draft guard Frank Middleton. Sixteen other defensive backs were taken.As a rookie, Barber played two games (one in the regular season). At the time, no one circled 2012 as being a big year for him.If you are wondering, Barber likes what he sees.• On new coach Greg Schiano: "He definitely has a unique way of doing this. He believes in his own way. It's hard. It's old-school. He wants a hard-nosed football team that can fight through adversity, through being tired and sore, in not letting excuses get in the way. He's pushed us harder probably than any coach I've had."• On the young players around him: "The potential is huge. There is so much frontline talent on our team. Those guys can redefine Bucs defense. No doubt. They have to prove it. They're all self-motivated, and they're a little bit selfish, the way great players are."• On himself: "I didn't come in with a lot of fanfare. I can promise you that some of the guys people compare me with worked as hard as I did to get to where I am. I've paid my dues. I think I've earned everything that I have. I'm comfortable with that."There is more work to do, more plays to make. For Barber, it has always been that way.After all, he is the guy who brings the electricity to the Bucs defense.Or, at least, since they invented electricity. Gary Shelton can be heard from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on 98.7-FM The Fan . A bunch of teams might want to draft againSixty-five players, including four by the Bucs and twin brother Tiki, were drafted before Ronde Barber in 1997. Only one, the Falcons' Tony Gonzalez (No. 13) remains active: Team Pos. School 1. Orlando Pace * Rams T Ohio St2. Darrell Russell * Raiders DT USC3. Shawn Springs Seahawks DB Ohio St.4. Peter Boulware Ravens DE Florida St. 5. Bryant Westbrook Lions DB Texas6. Walter Jones * Seahawks T Florida St. 7. Ike Hilliard Giants WR Florida8. James Farrior * Jets LB Virginia9. Tom Knight Cardinals DB Iowa10. Chris Naeole Saints G Colorado11. Michael Booker Falcons DB Nebraska 12. Warrick Dunn Bucs RB Florida St. 13. Tony Gonzalez * Chiefs TE California14. Reinard Wilson Bengals DE Florida St.15. Yatil Green Dolphins WR Miami 16. Reidel Anthony Bucs WR Florida 17. Kenard Lang Redskins DE Miami 18. Kenny Holmes Oilers DE Miami19. Tarik Glenn Colts T California20. Dwayne Rudd Vikings LB Alabama 21. Renaldo Wynn Jaguars DE Notre Dame22. David LaFleur Cowboys TE LSU 23. Antowain Smith Bills RB Houston24. Chad Scott Steelers DB Maryland25. Jon Harris Eagles DE Virginia26. Jim Druckenmiller49ers QB Virginia Tech27. Rae Carruth Panthers WR Colorado28. Trevor Pryce Broncos DE Clemson29. Chris Canty Patriots DB Kansas St.30. Ross Verba Packers G Iowa31. Rick Terry Jets DT North Carolina32. Nathan Davis Falcons DT Indiana33. Rob Kelly Saints DB Ohio St. Team Pos. School 34. Jamie Sharper Ravens LB Virginia35. Juan Roque Lions T Arizona St.36. Tiki Barber * Giants RB Virginia 37. Jerry Wunsch Bucs T Wisconsin 38. John Allred Bears TE USC39. Jared Tomich Saints DE Nebraska40. Dexter McCleon Rams DB Clemson41. Byron Hanspard Falcons RB Texas Tech42. Jake Plummer Cardinals QB Arizona St.43. Corey Dillon Bengals RB Washington44. Sam Madison * Dolphins DB Louisville45. Freddie Jones Chargers TE North Carolina46. Joey Kent Oilers WR Tennessee47. Kevin Lockett Chiefs WR Kansas St.48. Adam Meadows Colts T Georgia49. Torrian Gray Vikings DB Virginia Tech50. Mike Logan Jaguars DB West Virginia51. Greg Jones Redskins LB Colorado52. Marcellus Wiley Bills DE Columbia53. Will Blackwell Steelers WR San Diego St.54. Kevin Abrams Lions DB Syracuse55. Marc Edwards 49ers RB Notre Dame56. Mike Minter Panthers DB Nebraska57. James Darling Eagles LB Washington St.58. Kim Herring Ravens DB Penn St.59. Brandon Mitchell Patriots DE Texas A&M60. Darren Sharper * PackersDBWilliam & Mary61. Sedrick Shaw Patriots RB Iowa62. Troy Davis Saints RB Iowa St. 63. Frank Middleton Bucs G Arizona 64. Jay Graham Ravens RB Tennessee65. Dexter Coakley CowboysDBAppalachian St.* First-team All-Pro at least once (Barber is a three-time All-Pro)