Talib Suspended

TAMPA - Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib is suspended without pay for the team's first regular season game, the team announced Tuesday, because of an incident with a cab driver in August 2009.

The suspension is for violating the NFL Personal Conduct Policy.

Talib's suspension, handed down by the NFL, begins on Sept. 4. He will be eligible to return to the active roster on Sept. 13, the day after the opening game against the Cleveland Browns at Raymond James Stadium.

Talib also will be fined an additional game check.

"Since last fall, Aqib has done all that's been asked of him and more, on and especially off the field," Bucs general manager Mark Dominik said in a statement. "We look forward to his return to the field in Week 2."

TBO

I came down pretty hard on Talib last year over this incident because it seemed like trouble like this had become a pattern. So I don't really have a problem with him getting suspended a game for his actions. What I do have a problem with however is the timing. If Roger Goodell didn't let the Bucs know that it was likely he would still hand down a suspension to Talib then its a little unfair in my opinion for him to hand down such a penalty a week before the regular season begins. Now the Bucs are going to have to scramble to find someone to fill in for Talib against Cleveland when he is a big part of what our defense will be able to do this year.

Again if the Bucs had a lot of notice then they could have worked on really getting Myron Lewis ready to play because its likely he and E.J. Biggers are now going to see a lot of time in that first game. Its a double whammy because most people don't believe the Bucs will win a lot of games this year but almost universally everyone thought the Browns would be one of those few winnable games.

I guess we will all get to see now just how well the team adjusts to adversity. Thankfully the Browns don't really have a big time Pro Bowl type receiver. But then again you never know how guys will step up in that first game.

Keep People's Names Out Ya Mouth

I have been very supportive of Raheem Morris as Head Coach for the Bucs this year. Even though the season has sucked and there is a lot that I would have done differently I still feel like he has a lot of potential in leading this team. But stuff like this has got to stop.

"Missing curfew after the game....I set a curfew and a couple players after the game went out to eat with their teammates and their wives,'' coach Raheem Morris said during his weekly radio show. "It's an opportunity for me to give them the business and straighten some things out internally...It's just that Aqib Talib has been in the news and he's a big name.''

Not to excuse Talib, because he has a well-documented history of doing the wrong things, but NFL teams are more concerned with players missing curfew BEFORE the game.

Morris said Talib still has a lot of growing up to do.

"You've got to weigh character with a man's God-given ability to play this game,'' Morris said. "Has he made mistakes? Yes, He has. Has he made some as a Buccaneer? Yes, he has.

"He has to get better and we've got to contunue to get better...We had a bunch of players like him in the past. To mention one, Warren Sapp. He grew up and became a man.''

Look every coach has to have his own way of discipling players, but I for one definitely feel like Morris has let this Talib situation get away from him. With a guy who came into the league with so much baggage prior to even playing a down and then for him to be in trouble several times since he was drafted this is the kind of thing that should call for immediate punishment in my honest opinion. But hey, just because the guy beat up a cabbie and then turned around and missed a curfew who am I to tell Morris how to run his team?

But what you DON'T need to do is keep trying to compare your situation to former Bucs players and coaches to try to justify where you are at. I played with Sapp for 6 years and yeah he was far from perfect. But he for damn sure wasn't getting arrested for beating up cabbies. He for damn sure wasn't hitting his teammates in the head with helmets. He for DAMN SURE wasn't missing curfew either.

It was bad enough when Morris took a shot at Coach Dungy who I believe took the Bucs to the NFC championship and won a Superbowl with Indy the last time I checked. But this is really getting out of hand now.

Do everyone a favor Coach Morris, just focus on the people who are there now. I think you have enough trouble on your hands right now than to keep pointing the finger at folks who won a lot of games for the Bucs and helped turn that franchise around.

That's real talk.

Tampa Bay Bucs Starting Corner Aqib Talib Arrested

Talk about starting off on the wrong foot for the Raheem Morris' era in Tampa Bay. Getting arrested mere hours after training camp breaks is just not a good look. And what is worse of course is that Aqib Talib has an extensive history of getting into trouble. This coming on the heels of the Tanard Jackson suspension and one would have to ask who was coaching these guys last year.


Oooops.