Tampa Bay Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber, who limped through the playoffs with an injury to his left knee, will have surgery within a week or two to repair a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament.

Following the arthroscopic surgery, Barber likely will require a rehabilitation period of about two months, assuming there are no complications. He could miss the start of the Bucs' offseason training program.

"I just need to get it fixed and then get on with things," Barber said. "I should be ready for mini-camps and I don't think it will put me too far behind."

Barber, 27, suffered the injury in a Dec.15 victory over the Detroit Lions when he landed hard on his kneecap. The knee swelled many times in the ensuing weeks, Barber said, and had to be drained on several occasions. Barber acknowledged during the week leading up to Super Bowl XXXVII that he was playing in considerable pain.

The injury was diagnosed by Tampa Bay team physicians as a "grade one" sprain which, by definition, is a slight tear.

Certainly the injury did not affect the postseason performance of the six-year veteran. He had a memorable outing in the NFC championship game at Philadelphia, including a 92-yard touchdown return of an interception, and followed that up with a strong performance in the team's Super Bowl victory over the Oakland Raiders.

Barber has emerged over the past two seasons as one of the NFL's top all-around corners. Always a solid player against the run, and on the "corner fire" blitz, he has dramatically improved his coverage skills. The former University of Virginia star has become a key component in the NFL's best defense, especially in his role on third down, when Barber moves inside to the slot position.

He had 75 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and 20 passes defensed in 2002. In 2001 Barber had 10 interceptions.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.