Mark Barron's forte was never pass coverage, but out of necessity he played almost exclusively in that role during his rookie season. With a year under his belt, and Ronde Barber retired, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to give him more opportunities to succeed.
Buccaneers plan to play Mark Barron closer to the line
Forced to play out of position in 2012, Barron looks to take steps forward as he plays closer to the line of scrimmage.
Matt Stamey-US PRESSWIRE
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Barron’s sophomore season will be tooled to better suit his abilities. This involves having him play a role more similar to Barber’s last year -- up at the line of scrimmage. Barber played there in an effort to extend the aging veteran’s ability in a role that limited his need for speed and agility.
The down-side of this switch was Barron hitting the rookie wall, and struggling in coverage -- particularly late in the season. At 6'2 and 213 pounds, he has the ideal size to play up at the line in run support, and the addition of Dashon Goldson at free safety will help achieve that goal.
Barron finished with an impressive 71 solo tackles last year, but managed just one interception.
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