Aqib Talib Proves NFL Has Double Standard
April 24th, 2011
The tirade from Chris Hovan Thursday against the Bucs and specifically, troubled cornerback Aqib Talib, brought up the subjects of double standards in the NFL.
Even Hovan pointed out that if Talib wasn’t a stud he would be gone by now.
It seems Vic Carucci of NFL.com picks up where Hovan left off, describing double standards in the NFL.
Talib’s talent, as Hovan pointed out, “goes through the ceiling.” If the Bucs were to cut him, another team would pick him up in a blink. He might bring along his penchant for finding trouble off the field, but he also would bring along exceptional skills that can help a team win.
General manager Mark Dominik, coach Raheem Morris and the rest of the Bucs’ decision-makers undoubtedly consider that any time the notion might arise — if it ever arises — to part ways with Talib.
It looks as if he’ll just continue to be one of those guys who gets two hamburgers at lunch … until the day comes when his play no longer warrants special treatment.
While Carucci — a good guy who has taken time to help Joe from time to time — makes a lot of sense, the analogy he makes in his column is absurd. He tries to compare Talib’s sometimes criminal, always violent, acts to Buffalo Bills former star Bruce Smith skipping training camp.
Last Joe checked, one cannot get arrested or thrown in jail — or worse, sentenced to prison — for blowing off two-a-days. Nor does NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell suspend people for dodging practice.
This is the salient point of all this Talib nonsense: No matter how talented a player can be, he sure as heck cannot help a team in any way sitting on his couch in Texas (or his luxury box at The CITS) watching games on TV while serving a multiple-game suspension.
And when other, younger Bucs players perceive the organization as looking the other way on Talib, might they also start taking liberties outside of team rules and policies as well, knowing there are minimal ramifications?
April 24th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
It is merely a matter of time before Aqib phucks up again…he has multiple times that he has been caught and exposed for…I am afraid to think of the situations we don’t know about. It is time to cut our loses and move on.
I have seen enough of his act….
April 24th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Joe you are such a aqib “hater” since your all about releasing him please respond to this question.. what corner is gonna cover calvin johnson,roddy white,greg jennings,reggie wayne,andre johnson just to name a few off of the top of my head.. cause if you say EJ biggers or Ronde barber im gonna roll off my bed laughing. Football is not school or anything similar its all about winning and getting a superbowl ring, end of story.. aqib is a major cornerstone in that.. what are the bucs gonna do if they do indeed release him? to many holes on DE and LB not going corner at 20.. get a 3 round scrub and expect him to do any better against those #1 receivers then rhonde or EJ would? if the bucs release aqib say goodbye to any chance of making playoffs if the bucs do indeed release aqib. its just gonna set the bucs back.
April 24th, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Dylan:
You are assuming Talib plays. Joe could play cornerback better than Talib if Talib is sitting on his couch serving a suspension. How in the world did the Bucs beat the Saints without Talib?
Geez. People are reacting like Talib is the second coming of Ronnie Lott.
Joe doesn’t hate Talib at all. What Joe does hate is, like Tanard Jackson, Talib simply cannot be trusted to behave.
April 24th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Dylan- what’s wrong with you? You are willing to let this thug run rampant in our community, embarrassing both team and fans, because he can play Cb better than most? Get your head outta the sand! There are lots of better CBs than that idiot. Bucs will just have to sign one. Maybe the New CB will appreciate his multimillion dollar salary he gets for playing A GAME.
If the Bucs keep that hood trash around, it sends a message to the young Bucs. Relax, Josh! Screw all those hours watching film! You got game, they’ll let you slide! Hey Blount, quit working on blocking schemes! Go hit the the clubs with your Posse! You made it already! It’s all good! All that “Work hard to improve” is just B.S.! You made it, and as long as they think you can help them win, they’ll let you slide! All the rules don’t apply if ya got Skillz!
Yeah, that’s the message a young team with good work ethic and character needs rubbed I’m their face! Aqua has wasted his oppurtunity in the NFL. Keep him around, and he’ll ruin this team’s opurtunity! He is one of the last of Gruden’s many mistakes! Douche him now, before his cancerous attitude infectes the good young men we have brought in the last two drafts.
One bad apple . . . It got to be an old saying for good reason.
April 24th, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Dylan,
I would expect whichever CB is on the field to cover those players. It’s their job. Some of those guys take their jobs seriously, practice and work hard to get on the field, while others have a natural ability/skill and don’t have to work as hard at it, but also seem to get in trouble off field and therefore not play. If Talib were suspended for 6 games (just an assumption and probably not accurate, but for arguments sake), it doesn’t matter if the Bucs keep Talib or not, they’ll still have to expect Biggers or Ronde or Lewis to cover Megatron (Wk 1), Roddy White (Wk 3), and Reggie Wayne (Wk 4). Along with all the Saints WRs, the Vikings (Rice/Harvin), and the 49ers (Crabtree).
I don’t think Talib will be suspended this year, so that’s probaby a moot point. They’ll probably wait to suspend him next year, like they did with the cabbie incident. But it does go to show that he does the team NO good against any of those WRs you mentioned if he’s on the couch (as Joe has said). Also, understand that if Talib were suspended this year, we’d be without Tanard AND Aqib against Calvin Johnson (just like last year). Two guys that should be on the field and aren’t… due to their own issues off the field.
April 24th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
What? Double standards aren’t new, they exist in almost every facet of life. The more you bring to the table, the more you get away with. This isn’t exclusive to just NFL talent.
April 24th, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Uhhh….Lawrence Taylor proved that the NFL has has double standards…and I’m sure some other guy before Taylor, as well…
April 24th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
The biggest problem with all this is that Aqib ruined the Bucs drafting intentions. Now CB is a need because of this idiot… Yeah it’s always going to be a need on some level, but it sure wasn’t as needed as it is now with Talib going Jessie James on a thug.
April 24th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
What’s being called a double standard is simply a cost/benefit standard. A mediocre player is not going to get a lot of leeway. Why should he. He’s easily replaced by another mediocre player of which there are plenty. But a player who makes your team better, and is harder to replace, will get more slack.
What hurts the team more? Loosing a player that makes your team better or keeping that same player when he embarrasses the team and gets suspended? You go with the one that causes the least pain. The trick of course is to see the picture clearly.
I think the decision on Talib is still out. But the smart money is to draft another cornerback just in case.
April 24th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
The Bucs should hire Keith McCants to mentor Talib. I’m sure he could arrested at least 4 more times during the lockout.
April 24th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
The bucs have become one of the biggest double standard orgs: firing jerramy stevens and keeping thc jax bc thc jax is more valuable is example 1. Also, rah rah and thc jax are boyeeez – which is the key factor at one buc now
This talib situation is just another example. Cut the punk now and immediately improve the locker room. Even if he is not guilty of discharging a firearm, he is guilty of repeated misconduct that makes this idiot unreliable. It would show some resolve to cut a talented player who is straight trouble and destined to do something horrible soon.
April 24th, 2011 at 10:10 pm
Tuggz said it best… Double standards in the workplace are prevalent in every company and every business. For example, if you’re in sales and you’re a top producer, you can get away with strolling in late, leaving early and generally being a jerk. Why is Carucci even bothering to write about something that shouldn’t surprise anybody.
April 25th, 2011 at 4:28 am
Hey genius (Thomas), in case you didn’t know they can’t cut him right now. There’s this thing called a lockout in case you missed it.
I really surprised that so many people are so quick to convict this guy, when I have seen very little evidence that proves him guilty, other than the word of Billings. I’m assuming that most of you are proud to be an American, yet you are not willing to pass along the basic right of innocent until proven guilty because of his past. He may well be (and probably is) guilty on some level, but how the hell do you know? Give me some evidence other than a TRUE thug’s word. Please inform me if I’m missing something. I’m sorry, but a hunch just isn’t good enough for me, especially if it means getting rid of a really good player. So many of us criticize Thomas for making ridiculous statement without any real knowledge of the situation, yet when it comes to Talib, those same people are doing the exact same thing. Granted, you are free to have an opinion, but it is really unfair to presume guilt and throw around insults to this guy like you know him or you were there. Would you feel the same if it turns out he never even touched a gun? It’s fine if you don’t like him and you want him off the team just because, but it is over the top to call him a thug, or even worse an ape (as was said in a previous post). Pretty shameful in my opinion. I just don’t see why everyone is so quick to judge (as if they are an angel themselves), and they are so unwilling to let the entire process play out. I think if you really took a step back and looked at the situation, you may feel differently.
April 25th, 2011 at 4:29 am
And yes, double standards exist everywhere, get used to it.
April 25th, 2011 at 5:35 am
Hawaiian- if he’s proven innocent?? Both Joe and I have printed the lengthy list of this Ape’s previous “incidents”. To continue to compile problems shows a total lack of respect for both the team, his teammates, and the Fans. How long doesthat list need to be before everyone realizes that this guy doesn’t care about anything but him self? Is this fair to the hard working guys in One Buc, like Josh and Gerald? Are you really willing to forgive this kind of behavior just for an interception or two? I’m not gonna stand their cheering for a guy, and have my daughter ask- “is that the guy who always gets arrested?”. “yeah honey, now cheer, I bought you his jersey!”
Not me pal. Enough is enough, and to be willing to win at all cost is to expensive for me! I’d rather cheer for a hard working, less talented guy who’ll sign her autographs, than make excuses fir invited a criminal to town as a hero.
April 25th, 2011 at 6:53 am
Capt. Tim,
I like you a lot and I really respect you as a fan of this team, but come on man, ape! You are better than that. I’m not saying his previous incidents aren’t bad, but my point is that if he is innocent on this case, why should he all of a sudden be punished now? If you wanted him off the team BEFORE this incident, then fine, I can’t really argue that. I don’t know how he really is on a day in and day out basis, I’m not there. That’s the decision of the coach and GM, they know better than all of us. I have no idea whether he’s robbing people daily or singing country songs by the campfire with orphans. Neither do you. In life, I make it a point to not feel too strongly one way or the other on a situation that I don’t have enough knowledge of. As I’ve said time and time again, I’m not a fan of getting rid of someone, just to have them go somewhere else and shine. We are not a better team without Talib, as long as he is not a cancer in the locker room (which again, none of us know).
I have a daughter too, so I get where you are coming from. However, you don’t have to cheer for him, you cheer for the team. Don’t buy his jersey. If you see him on the street, don’t shake his hand. Don’t ask for his autograph. You don’t need to make excuses for him. It is very naive to believe that he is the only “thug” on this team, or any team for that matter. My daughter is six, and I’ve already explained to her that not everyone on the team is a nice guy, just like not every one of our neighbors is a nice person, etc. etc. She gets it, I’m pretty sure your daughter will too.
April 25th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Hawaiian Buc- I resect your opinion and you alot also. hope that last comment didn’t sound like I was attacking you. I wasn’t, and apologize if it came across wrong
The comment was stating my point. Talib has averaged two incidents a year since he’s been here. contrary to some of the post here, he is not a great CB yet. He has potential, but is too ignorant to ever live up to it. We DON’T NEED him.there are 4 FA CBs ranked higher than him available right now. All 4 are incident free in their careers. Raheem is very high on Lewis and Biggers. Biggers is the kind of guy you want to to see succeed. 7th rounder, putting in the extra work and time to succeed.
Talib is poison, and will damage this team. I’ve spent alot of time dealing with guys like him. He won’t change.
April 25th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
It’s all good Captain, and no, I didn’t feel like you were attacking me. You absolutely have a right to want Talib off the team and I respect that. I’m just not sure I’m with you. If it is found he did shoot at Billings, then yeah, he’s probably got to go for sure. If he never handled the gun, then I don’t see any reason why he should.
I guess I disagree with the severity of some of the incidents. Trust me, just about everyone smokes weed in college, so that is almost a non issue for me. He hasn’t got popped for it in the NFL (yet), so to me it is a non-issue. As for the fight with Boyd (I think that is who it was), I’m not incredibly disturbed by it. I don’t know what happened, but fights happen far more than most people realize. Using his helmet as a weapon and a cab driver as a punching bag are very serious. No excuses for him on that one. If he was going to be cut, it should have happened then. It’s laughable to me that the incident with the officials was a big deal. I could give 2 sh!ts about that, especially with what the ref said to him first. There was no violence, so I don’t even count that as an incident. He has only served a 1 game suspension his whole career, so he’s not Pacman Jones or anything yet. This latest one is the big if. If he’s guilty, he’s got to go. If he is innocent, I wouldn’t cut him. My biggest point is to let it all play out.
He is not a great CB yet, but he is hanging out on the doorstep. He has shown significant improvement each year, which to me is a sign that he does work very hard. Maybe Joe can verify or deny this, but I have read stories elsewhere about how he often stays well after practice continuing to work.
I don’t necessarily buy the fact that he won’t change. I agree that some, and maybe even most, won’t change, but not that nobody will change. I trust that the organization will make the right determination.
April 25th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
I don’t like it but its true, if we let him go some other team will pick him up in a heartbeat. But there is an answer, it just involves opening up the pocket book. There is a pretty good corner from Oakland that has his head on his shoulders properly. Instead of spending his off season hitting cabbies and waving around guns, he takes underprivileged high school kids on college tours. That is the kind of character you want in your locker room.