The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Friday that they have named Joe Barry as their new linebackers coach.
Barry returns to the same job he held from 2001 to 2006 with the Bucs. In 2002, Barry was part of a defense that helped the Buccaneers claim their first title in Super Bowl XXXVII.
In his previous stint with Tampa Bay, Barry helped guide a defense that ranked first in the league on two occasions (2002 and 2005) and in the top five four times. Under Barry's direction, LB Derrick Brooks made six consecutive Pro Bowl appearances (2001 to 2006), and LB Shelton Quarles made his lone Pro Bowl appearance in 2002.
Barry was most recently the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions from 2007 to 2008. During the team's 0-16 run this season, Barry was at the center of a controversy surrounding head coach Rod Marinelli and a Detroit sports columnist. The columnist asked the coach whether he wished his daughter had married a better defensive coordinator, referring to Barry.
Marinelli took offense to the remark.
"Anytime you attack my daughter, I've got a problem with that," Marinelli said. "It was premeditated. I think there's something wrong with that."
The columnist later resigned, and Marinelli was fired after the team finished 0-16, although he was hired by the Chicago Bears as defensive line coach on Jan. 10.
