Thanks to a one-game suspension handed down by the NFL against Bucs safety Dashon Goldson, which will be applied to this week’s game with Detroit, the Bucs will be short-handed in pass defense against one of the better passing offenses in the NFL.

Goldson was sentenced as a result of what the league deemed an illegal hit against Dixie Chicks wideout Roddy White, which also took out Goldson’s teammate linebacker Mason Foster, who has yet to be cleared to play Sunday due to a concussion.

While Bucs commander Greg Schiano understands headhunting is illegal and has dire consequences for the guilty party, Schiano couldn’t but think Goldson’s reputation as a headhunter hurt him just as bad in the court of NFL warden commissioner Roget Goodell as did the actual hit on White (and Foster).

“I think Dashon understands that. I know he does. It is what it is. It happened,” Schiano said. “The reality is he got called for it. He got suspended for it. And a lot of it has to do I think with his history. We have to adjust better than we have. I thought he did make huge adjustments to his game since the last fine and suspension (which was appealed).

“A couple of things have occurred. The rules of the game are forever adjusting and they’ve adjusted this year, in 2013, more than they have in the past. And that’s fine. I get the big picture. We all want this game to keep moving forward. It’s the best game in the world. We don’t want to let it get jeopardized by something that is going on. The adjustment by the league, I understand it. We have to play within those rules.

“It is getting more and more difficult to play defense in the National Football League. That is the way it is going to be. We need to protect the game and protect the players. We need to modify how we do things. Those who adjust the quickest are going to have the most success. We are losing a valuable player because we did not adapt quick enough. Dashon is a great guy to have on your football team. History is the biggest culprit in this instance.”

That’s just it. Goldson claims no one will take the hit out of him. But the NFL can take Goldson out of the NFL with suspensions.

If Goldson is OK losing $250,000+ per illegal hit, Joe’s OK with that too. That’s his choice. But when Goldson’s headhunting leads to him being banished to the sidelines, that not just hurts Goldson but the team as a whole.

At that point, a player (no matter the position) begins to become an albatross. Either Goldson is going to have to learn how to play by the rules, or rock star general manager Mark Dominik is going to have to find another capable safety in the offseason not named “Ahmad Black,” who can replace Goldson the next time he is paddled by Goodell’s henchmen.