Washing Hands Of Aqib Talib
October 14th, 2012
In a nutshell, Gary Shelton is outraged.
The veteran Tampa Bay Times columnist, who can also be heard with Justin Pawlowski weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on WHFS-FM 98.7, has had his fill of Aqib Talib.
Shelton documents all the transgressions of Talib from blasting a teammate in the face with a helmet to speed-bagging a cabbie’s head — while the car is traveling down the highway, no less — to playing Clint Eastwood in Dallas, and Shelton in so many words suggests if the Bucs have any ounce of moral fiber and a spine, Talib will have played his last snap with the Bucs.
This is what happens when a team stands by its trouble. The trouble comes back to visit it. And guess what? If the Bucs talk themselves into bringing Talib back, he’ll be back in the headlines again. They’re his second home.
This time it will be interesting to see the way new coach Greg Schiano reacts. It is one thing to be no-nonsense when you turn loose Kellen Winslow Jr. and Tanard Jackson and Brian Price. Those guys couldn’t play. None of them are on an active roster today; Jackson is serving a drug suspension.
Talib? As much has he has struggled this year — he is an overrated cornerback on a team that is last in pass defense — he still has starter’s talent. When you consider how much man coverage the Bucs play, Talib is a better bet than the guys behind him. No, the 2008 first-round draft pick isn’t the shutdown corner the Bucs pretend he is, but his loss will be felt.
This, as Shelton believes, is the real first big test under the New Schiano Order, led by new Bucs coach Greg Schiano.
It is easy to run K2 for not toeing the line (and preferring to spin discs poolside at a trendy Vegas hotspot rather than practicing), it’s quite another to launch a starting cornerback midseason who has had Schiano’s back publicly since the day Schiano stepped foot at One Buc Palace.
Perhaps both Schiano and Talib have bonded enough to save Talib’s hide for this season? Once the season is over, Talib is as good as gone.
Remember, one more slip-up with the banned substances, and Talib has entered Tanard Jackson territory where he will be suspended for a year.
Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik already got burned once by trusting Jackson to put the bong down, and got burned in the process. While Talib “just” took a pill (obtained illegally without a prescription), the sentence for another slip-up is the same.
After all, as Schiano famously said, his regime and the New Schiano Order will be all about “trust, belief and accountability.”
Has Talib burned through all three tenants?
October 14th, 2012 at 12:26 am
All these morons that want Talib gone never come up with a plan to replace him. So we just get rid of Talib and go forward with Wright and McDonald as our starting CBs?
Dom really fudged it up by signing Eric Wright to big money. He should have done/spent everything he could to get Brandon Carr or Cortland Finnegan. Those guys sure did cost $10-15 Mil more, but Wright is “scrub” tier while they are in the “very good” tier, right after Revis.
If we did have one of those two guys at CB, Talib may have become expendable even before the season started.
October 14th, 2012 at 12:32 am
“So we just get rid of Talib and go forward with Wright and McDonald as our starting CBs? ”
If the Bucs lose Sunday, and it is beginning to look more and more likely, the season is toast anyway so you might as well dump Talib and start EJ Biggers an/or Myron Lewis and get lit up the rest of the season so we can have a good draft pick in the spring.
October 14th, 2012 at 12:39 am
Yep, it’s not about having a replacement for him right now. It’s about the message Schiano is trying to send and building the team Schiano wants to build. Talib is a liability on this team, has been his whole career. Not because of his infield performance but because you can’t count on him to go a whole year without significant off field issues. Im fine with him finishing his contract, might as well get what you can out of him. But after the season he has to go. I just wish he had trade value.
October 14th, 2012 at 1:45 am
We got more holes than swiss cheese. From qb, tight ends ,o-line, our gm, coaches, Quincy Black, d-line, dbs, ticket sales etc….this is what a buc life has become. We should easily be in contention for Hard Knocks 2013.
October 14th, 2012 at 2:12 am
Why would Talib in a contract year not appeal his suspension right before facing a back up QB on a last place team?
Why doesn’t the hard
nosed disciplinarian coach cut him as an example?
The timing of this suspension just doesn’t make sense.
In 4 weeks will we see more players drop their appeals and accept 4 week suspensions?
Will more players drop their appeals in 8 weeks and accept their suspensions?
Who was handing out Adderall on 100X16 Gauntlet day? A player, a coach or an agent?
October 14th, 2012 at 3:41 am
Can’t see Schiano keeping him now.
CB becomes no.1 priority at seasons end. Followed by RT/RG
Does anyone know what free agents are out there in the offseason?
Either that or we go with dee milliner in the first round from Alabama.
October 14th, 2012 at 6:04 am
The Bucs are going downhill when the news is negative as most of it is thanks to Talib. He was having trouble learning the new playbook and tried to fix it. Problem is there is not a fix for stupid. The new idea of recruiting players with a brain will fix the problem. Cut him. He is replaceable just like everybody else. A win today will help. Turn Freeman loose and let him run. Also throw on the run. He is replaceable too. Go Bucs!!!!!!
October 14th, 2012 at 6:29 am
What a Dumbass !
October 14th, 2012 at 7:06 am
If we rage cut him, a lot of other teams will be ready to grab him up. This just makes his new contract he’s playing for worth less, win for the Bucs imo.
October 14th, 2012 at 7:43 am
Don’t cut him. Trade him. We should be able to get something.
October 14th, 2012 at 7:43 am
Hope we’re not letting our scmuck, agenda-driven hacks have the slightest bit of input into what happens to ANYONE on our team. Our local press is the worst in the NFL Universe by a wide margin. The Bucs cannot win with this merry band of morons. Cut Talib and we striuggle against the pass and they will write more drivel. We just need to win. Shut up Shelton, Stroud, Fennely, et al, you do NOT represent the people of this area!
October 14th, 2012 at 7:45 am
What’s with this guys obsession with the sprint or gauntlet, as he calls it? All sports do it. Weirdo!
October 14th, 2012 at 7:52 am
He could not afford an office co-payment to see a doctor to get a prescription?
October 14th, 2012 at 8:08 am
The League is going after Adderall this year in a big way. A lot of players are getting suspended.
On the Giants, Andre Brown was initially suspended but won his appeal when his paperwork had been filled out wrong because he has been taking the drug under a doctor’s care for some time.
THEN Tyler Sash was suspended for the 1st four games of the year. Doctor’s prescription but appeal failed.
THEN Will Hill was suspended for games 5-8 (swapping roster spots with Sash) because he was taking the drug as prescribed BEFORE he had even signed with the Giants. And he immediately let the Giants know when he signed and heard about the banned medications. NFL still suspended him and his appeal failed.
Cleveland’s Joe Haden is returning from a suspension.
This won’t affect Talib’s status with the team by much. This is NOT sudden news to the team – it had to be in the works for months.
If the team thought Talib was hopeless, he would have been traded long ago.
And if anyone can make the case that maybe he should be on some form of meds for behavior issues, it is Talib.
October 14th, 2012 at 9:01 am
Outside of Wright(since we just gave him a contract) We need to clean house on our DB’s. We’re dead last in pass defense. I don’t need a shut down corner. I’d like one or two,but I’d be happy with a CB who doesn’t give up big plays. Wrights over paid and not that good. His 60 yard interception came on a play were he was supose to be blitzing. That wasn’t instinct or a good read by him, that was LUCK!!
October 14th, 2012 at 10:32 am
Jonny 3.3 said:”All these morons that want Talib gone never come up with a plan to replace him”
So people who have different opinon to yours are morons? How typical the internet is. Color me a moron then, because I wanted him gone 2 years ago. He’s an overrated cornerback, that is starting on the worst pass coverage unit in the league. He brings nothing to the table but mediocre skills, and off the field trouble. We should/should’ve been looking in the draft for his replacement all along. If its not injuries, its a suspension for the guy. Either way he can’t stay on the field, and even if he does, he’s a liabilty coverage. He’s also not the greatest at run stopping. By cutting him loose, its a win/win in the long run.
As far as offseason signings, you can offer the world to players, but its not Madden 20xx. You can’t magically choose a player, and click X to sign him. Some of the guys were brought in for looks, but chose to go elsewhere. No one knows for certain why they chose to go elsewhere, could be money wasn’t right, could be the new coaching, hell it could be the fact thats its Tampa itself.
Whatever the case may be, i’m all for letting this turd go to the wayside, and looking for a upgrade in this next draft. By the look of things we’ll once again be selecting high in the draft anyway. Maybe the “Rockstar” can finally hit paydirt, with a non-injury prone, adderalled(sp?) up, play maker.
October 14th, 2012 at 11:01 am
I’m pissed, however Schiano needs to take the temperature of the locker room on this one. I think Barber’s input will be sought and respected. Remember Barber has been touting him as a future leader this year, so it stung him as well. Schiano will do what is best here, i think he stays and gets resigned at a massive discount after the season. Additionally we will draft a DB in the 1st or 2nd no matter what happens.
October 14th, 2012 at 11:02 am
To be fair, over the middle routes are killing us. Our LB’s aren’t dropping deep enough. But this is a little missleading. The coaches are selling out for the run D. which is one of the best in the NFL. But like I mentioned above it’s due to the scheme/coaching. We have to be more balanced (I understand that is hard with the injuries in the D-Line and the young LB’s) maybe not so much today with the back-up QB and the awesome running game. Let’s not forget, this is the NFL (not the ACC a little crack on the Noles) every game is hard.
October 14th, 2012 at 11:09 am
most of you people are completely delusional. or 16… or perhaps both.
October 14th, 2012 at 12:51 pm
IMHO-
1) I have, like many here have hoped that Talib would get it together. Time after time.
2) Trust Belief Accountability
3) After this suspension, Talib will be availabile for our 8 final games of this season. As he is on his final year of his rookie contract, He will then be a free agent.
4) I don’t see how the Bucs can offer him a new contact, that Talib would accept. We certainly can’t offer him a long term contract, and Talib will want more than we paid for Wright. Talib won’t give a hometown discount and will sign with whoever shows him the money- Jets, Skins, Lions.
5) Bucs need to use the last 12 games to find out exactly what we have at CB, to decide free agents or draft picks needed to fix the secondary.
6) Talib should never play another snap for the Bucs.