Are Aqib Talib, Bucs Now Targets Of NFL?
November 30th, 2010
Joe can’t remember who he read this from on Twitter, but Sunday someone wrote that Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson’s beat down of Titans defensive back Cortland Finneran was so severe that the NFL was going to fine James Harrison.
The Steelers All-Pro linebacker has been a target of NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell in his crusade to turn football into high school girls basketball. It seems that Harrison cannot breathe on any person with a different colored jersey lest he gets fined six-figures.
In short, Harrison, and indirectly the Steelers, have become a target.
Could the same be happening to the Bucs?
The first thing Joe thought of when he heard Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib had to be restrained from attacking an NFL official after the referee mocked Talib using a vulgar street term for female genitalia, was that Talib won’t get the benefit of the doubt on any call for the rest of the season if not beyond that.
Now, with Talib being an enemy of the NFL referees, like Harrison, Talib won’t be able to look the wrong way at a wide receiver lest he get flagged for interference, or worse.
Seems as though a former Bucs great thought the same thing.
Twittering Sunday night, former Bucs linebacker Derrick Brooks believes Talib is now a marked man.
@DBrooks55: Wow That now makes him a marked man he wont get calls now, Officials tite group.
Joe was afraid of this and who better to know about this than Mr. Derrick Brooks? It’s going to be razor close for the Bucs to make the playoffs if they cannot beat the Dixie Chicks this weekend.
Did Talib’s actions after Sunday’s game potentially paint the Bucs into a corner with the zebras that may eventually cost the Bucs a game in the chase for a wild card?
November 30th, 2010 at 11:43 am
Yeah but Talib plays like a “P—-” anyway. 🙂
For his stupidity, he deserves more penalties.
November 30th, 2010 at 11:47 am
Buc You you are an idiot! We didn’t deserve the one we got!
November 30th, 2010 at 11:54 am
Talib and Raheem cried for an entire half after the penalty.
In baseball, the morons would have been tossed.
November 30th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Get a spell checker DBrooks55!
November 30th, 2010 at 11:58 am
Much like getting a bad call in the 4th inning, yet to still be crying about it in the 9th inning is too much.
THEN, to confront the umpire in the hallway at the end of the game??? I mean get over the sh!t.
THAT IS why the ref called Talib a “P—-” LMAO!!!
Roger should step in, but actually, Talib probably made his own bed and will have to learn the hard way.
November 30th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
D-Rome:
Twitter (and its 140-character limit) makes spelling secondary in that medium.
November 30th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Look, I get it, Talib should have kept his temper under control, and I understand the refs are human beings that also have emotions, and can exhibit bias towards certain players or perhaps even entire teams, but maybe it’s time to re-evaluate the officials as a whole.
The first thing the NFL needs to do is employ full time officials. There is no excuse in this day and age as to why officials are not full time employees. None whatsoever. This isn’t youth football, this is the NFL and it’s big business. Second, let’s break up the boys club and require a higher standard of efficiency to retain your position as a game official. Frequent testing and strict enforcement is a must if we ever hope to see a cut down in these terrible calls. The last time I checked, being a game official isn’t a charity, and those officials who frequently display an inability to call the game accurately don’t deserve to be on the field. The NFL is a demanding game, both for the players and game officials, and we all know when an NFL player loses the ability to perform at an NFL level, that player no longer has a spot on an NFL team (unless that player is Michael Clayton and gradually morphs from receiver to tight end to offensive lineman all while being listed as a wide receiver). The same standard of quality needs to be used when evaluating the performance of a game official; get the job done with minimal errors or make way for someone else who can.
Finally, and this really is so obvious that I didn’t include it in the above paragraph; If you are a game official, don’t antagonize a player. Now, from what I’ve read re: Talib vs Official, it was Talib that was vocally displaying his frustration at the end of the game. That, of course, needs to be controlled by the player, or at least displayed in an area off limits to the public, such as the locker room in the privacy of your teammates. Talib needs to utilize the skills he picked up from his anger management classes and put them to good use, because like DB mentioned in his tweet, it’s not going to win him favors from the officials in future games.
My hope is that Talib and the rest of the team channel their frustration and unleash them at home against Atlanta. I think it’s a winnable game and it would really push this team to another level if they can knock off one of the big boys.
November 30th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
I get the feeling that the anger management course did not have the desired effect.
November 30th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Yeah, I’m getting that feeling as well, Eric.
November 30th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
thegregwitul says: you said it. Great statement on the ref’s.
November 30th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Derrick Brooks really doesn’t know how to spell ”tight”?
November 30th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
The refs can’t be full time because they dont get paid in the offseason. So they need jobs to support themselves. The only way around that is to pay them well enough for the whole year, which seems a little crazy.
November 30th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
OMG how long are you gonna ride this one Joe? It’s a non story. If they’d physically got into it, then it would be a story. The grown men cursed each other out. Do really need 13 articles about it?
November 30th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
JDouble:
If Talib is suspended for the Atlanta game you still going to think this is a non-story?
Derrick Brooks even thought this was significant.
Under no circumstances — none! — should any official go after a player. None!
If they do that at a hotel or at a bar, different story. The official was in uniform at an NFL facility. You really this same official can call a fair game if he is assigned a Bucs game again?
If this isn’t a story, Joe doesn’t know what a story is.
The awards Joe has won, the traffic Joe gets here, the freelance offers Joe gets from heavy hitters tells Joe he knows what a story is.
November 30th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
In the Twitterverse, spelling it out the window when you only have 140 characters. You misspell words on purpose to save space and tighten things up.
November 30th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
“If Talib is suspended for the Atlanta game you still going to think this is a non-story?”
If they suspend him for an exchange of words while Johnson and Finnigan only get fines for throwing haymakers – something is seriously wrong. Ripping helmets off and throwing punches should be an automatic 1 game suspension. It’s a line you just don’t cross. Blount throws a post game punch in college and is suspended and undrafted. So in the NFL, it’s ok. Steve Smith gets suspended for the same thing a while back. What is so different about Johnson and Finnigan?
Talib will be targeted but should not be disciplined.
November 30th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Talib needs to keep his mouth shut and just play ball. I understand the frustration, but someone else (coaches) need to confront officials, not players.
I have heard alot about this, but I have not heard what play Talib was complaining about. Anyone know? Was it the Myron Lewis flag? If so, every CB should be asking, respectfully, for an explanation because that was picture perfect coverage on a deep ball down the sideline.
November 30th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
I agree with Joe…This is NOT a non-story.
Look, the WHOLE idea of anger management classes is to learn to avoid triggers that get you in trouble…Something Talib clearly did not do Sunday.
It’s okay, and people slip up. Taking anger management does NOT make you perfect…But is SHOULD make you more aware of mistakes, and help you own them, learn from them, and move on. Also, it helps people to become ACCOUNTABLE for their mistakes, and admit them, and pay the consequences.
Let’s hope those are minor…But if there ARE consequences, none of us should be surprised, or covering for Talib, here. I think that is what Joe means regarding Raheem ‘covering’ for Talib. If it reinforces his bad behavior, that would be a very bad thing.
November 30th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Whatever….enjoy your pointless gossip girls. I’ll check back when we start talking football again.
November 30th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I think Derrick meant Officals “tittie” group!
November 30th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
This is why that official must be fired immediately and Goodell must set an example to all referees that any bias against any player or team will not be tolerated. If they rob him on calls in purpose and its obvious I hope he does kick a referees ass. The media here in Tampa needs to raise an uproar over this until that zebra is canned. People here that think this is a non-story apparently won’t be upset when official bias costs really does cost the Bucs a game. Yeah its a non story if your a non fan.
November 30th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
It would not surprise me if the harass the guy until he goes off on one of them. It wouldn’t surprise me at all.