by JOEY JOHNSTON, jjohnston@tampatrib.com , Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - Two years ago, Buccaneers linebackers coach Joe Barry was off to become defensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions, the logical step in an NFL career that seemed on the rise. After a nightmarish 0-16 season in 2008, the Lions fired Coach Rod Marinelli and his staff, including Barry (his son-in-law).

Now Barry is back.

Back where it began in 2001, getting hired again by the Bucs for the role of linebackers coach. But this time, things are a bit different. Derrick Brooks, his prize pupil and arguably the best player in franchise history, was released. Strong safety Jermaine Phillips has been moved to linebacker. With the position seemingly certain for more retooling, the Bucs didn't select any linebackers in the NFL draft.

So what's up with all of this? And where does Barry go from here?

Following a recent Bucs voluntary practice, Barry fielded a few questions about his new/old life.

Q. When you went to the Lions in 2007, did you sell your house?

A. We didn't. We rented it out. So we're back in the old house, back in the old neighborhood. The kids are back in their old schools. It doesn't usually work that way in this profession. As hard as it was leaving here, never in a million years did I think I'd ever come back. But considering all the circumstances, to come back like this, it's great.

Q. You were defensive coordinator of the only NFL team ever to go 0-16. How difficult was that experience?

A. Everyone kept saying it was going to make you a better coach. And in a way it did, because the guys fought, they believed and they gave it everything. But it was a very tough learning experience. You learn who your friends really are, and it can be an extremely small circle sometimes. It was tough on all of us. But it happened, it's in the past and you move forward.

Q. That being said, you've always been a guy with great ambition. Where does your career stand right now?

A. I still have very high goals for myself. I want to coordinate again. Ultimately, I want to be a head coach in this league. I'm not all of a sudden a different coach or a different person. I'm still that same guy. I'm glad to be back because this is a special place. We did special things when I was here before, and that's the mind-set we're still going to roll with. My primary goals are to help the Bucs win and help [Coach Raheem Morris] do a great job. But me, personally? My long-term goals haven't changed.

Q. Why weren't any linebackers taken in the draft?

A. Usually, you go into a draft needing to beef things up before training camp. You want to go to camp with nine, you only have six and you need three. When we had our [pre-draft] minicamp, we felt secure with who we had. Right now, we have 10 on the roster. Our numbers are set. Had the right guy been there, we might've taken one. But it didn't happen that way.

Q. But you've got some pretty high-profile guys who aren't here. How do you plug those holes?

A. No question. Bottom line, we got rid of two starting linebackers [Brooks, Cato June] from the 2008 season. But we have guys behind them we're going to war with. We do feel good about it. You'd love to have three Pro Bowlers ready to go, but what we have is pure competition. When you're set, you try to create competition, but deep down, guys know who's the starter and who's the backup. Whether it's Quincy Black, Adam Hayward, Angelo Crowell, Geno Hayes, Matt McCoy, Rod Wilson, Niko Koutouvides - all of them - they're all wired in. They can't take a day off. They can't take a play off. I'm excited to see how it all turns out.

Q. Jermaine Phillips going from safety to linebacker: Is it an experiment or a definite move? Is he now a linebacker - period?

A. Before that first minicamp, it was an experiment. Being truthful, even the first or second day of the minicamp, it was an experiment. But we're through that, eight weeks into the offseason, and it's not an experiment any more. Jermaine Phillips is a Will [weakside] linebacker. At first, we were saying maybe Flip [Phillips] could play a nickel Will linebacker. That's how it started. We kept talking and said, "Well, what if we had him do it with the regular base defense on the field?" Now we've only had five [minicamp] practices and one [OTA], but he has proven he can do it. It's not an experiment any more.

Q. Why do you think Jermaine will be a good linebacker?

A. I've been around him for six years and know what he brings to the table. No. 1, it's physical presence. When a safety goes to linebacker, normally the thing that causes him not to succeed is he can't survive down in there. Jermaine has somewhat been in that world as the eighth man in the box. Granted, there's a learning curve and he has some progressions to make. But if he continues on this path, we think we're going to have a special type of linebacker, considering his speed and athleticism.

Q. When you left the Bucs , Barrett Ruud was young and inexperienced. Now he's the established middle linebacker. Does he look like a different guy now?

A. Actually, he's the guy I always thought he could be. I was a Barrett Ruud fan from Day One, when he was drafted [in 2005], but he had to work his way in behind Shelton Quarles. Now it's Barrett's time. He has grown up a lot. He's solid. He's a real asset to this franchise.

Photo credit: Tribune photo by JIM REED

Photo: Joe Barry is back with the Bucs , this time as linebackers coach after two years as Detroit's defensive coordinator.

Photo credit: Tribune photo by JIM REED

Photo: Barry knows his second stint with the Bucs will be different, including having new linebackers on the roster. "What we have is pure competition," he says.

Photo: Losing all 16 games last season wasn't easy for Barry or any of the Lions' coaches and players, but he says it made him a better coach.

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