Welcome Back, Talib
July 1st, 2011
Joe’s never believed that lockout organizer Roger Goodell would suspend Aqib Talib for his latest trouble in Texas until the court system played out the case.
Sure, Goodell could step in when the the lockout is over and lob a pre-emptive strike against the Bucs and Talib, but Joe can’t see that happening given the flimsy, he-said-she-said-he-said evidence in the aggravated assault case against Talib.
Joe sees Goodell following the same path as he did following Talib’s cabbie-slugging escapade; Goodell waited for a court resolution (pre-trial intervention/guilty plea) and then reviewed the case and suspended Talib for a game.
Goodell won’t even have access to the all the evidence until the matter is resolved — standard in a criminal case — so why would he feel compelled to make a decision without knowing the facts? It’s not like there’s an injured victim and the public is clamoring for justice.
So for Joe, news yesterday of the State of Texas scheduling a trial date for Talib in March of 2012 means only one thing: Talib will be Buccaneer in 2011. The odds of anything developing in the case before the end of the 2011 football season are extraordinarily slim.
And no, Joe doesn’t believe for a moment the St. Pete Times report of the Bucs already deciding to cut Talib when the lockout ends is accurate. Joe’s been on the record with that from Day 1.
Mark Dominik runs the club based on what he believes is in the best interest of team. Surely, Dominik is smart enough to know that cutting Talib immediately would be foolish, if not irresponsible. Trade Talib? Maybe.
July 1st, 2011 at 8:29 am
Let’s play football… End the insanity…. End the lockout!
July 1st, 2011 at 8:37 am
I’m trying to beat Thomas 2.2 out of the gate here before he says a plea could not be reached because the prosecution feels it has an iron-clad case against Talib. NO. A plea has not been reached because the defense will settle for nothing less than having the charges dropped. An honest attorney will tell you that delaying the case for a year accrues to Talib’s benefit because the appetite for prosecution subsides, memories fade, people move on. And as for Goddell, his absolute power to enforce penalties and suspensions will be held in check with this new CBA.
July 1st, 2011 at 9:07 am
Macabee:
Just FYI, Briscoe did not participate in Freeman’s minicamp.
July 1st, 2011 at 9:54 am
JOE:
Did Blount ever show?
and why did Ronde not show?
July 1st, 2011 at 9:56 am
As for Talib: tough to say. The NFL let Vick’s case play out but suspended Big Ben prior to the verdict (I think)
I do believe they let it play out but I also think there is a slight possibility of a 1-2 game suspension out of the gate just for the indictment…. doubt it, but possible.
July 1st, 2011 at 10:12 am
Dave:
No and don’t know.
July 1st, 2011 at 10:27 am
Bucs will do what’s smart. Sign a CB to protect themselves from Talib’s escapades. You throw Nnandi in there with Barber, Lewis and Biggers- your good! If Talib FINALLY grows up, then we are great! Aqib has definitely damaged his money value, so he can stay cheap!
Next year, if Ronde leaves( God, I hope not), then you still have A great secondary- with or without Talib.
Thats the smart play. Tanard- I don’t know, pot isn’t that big of a deal- but being dumb enough to get caught 3 times- wow! That’s really why they call it dope. But I like Tanard,and really thought he was ready to step up.
I hope both these guys wise up- they are really young to throw away their future. But life is tough, and it grinds up the dumb Ones every day!!
July 1st, 2011 at 10:55 am
Scheduling the trial is merely procedural and based on the fact that neither side is ready to settle at this stage. Discovery / invest will continue and the case will either get stronger or weaker over time.
As currently situated, talib must plead guilty to a felony or face trial. If billings changes his testimonu, that would hurt the state’s case.
July 3rd, 2011 at 7:32 am
Would everyone feel better about cutting Talib if he had killed the guy, As Talib was apparently trying to do by shooting at him in the 1st place? Or is his football talent the overriding factor? Talib has shown that he is going to cause or be in trouble repeatedly. When does his off-field violence outweigh his onfield talent? But bashing a teammate with a helment or threatening a Referee after a game is huge too. That is onfield trouble! But I guess that Talib’s talent at CB is a reason to sweep those things under a rug too. Talib should be cut if the Bucs are going to have any moral standards for players at all.