You had enough when he punched the cabbie, and you went over the top when he punched a Buc player with his helmet after missing his intended target; another buck player! Arguing with an official, yelling profanities at his Head Coach, oh excuse me, ALLEGEDLY.
But proven or not, those issues are now minor in respect to Talib’s current transgression; aggravated assault, and there are more opinions on whether or not Talib will survive as a Buc as there are transgressions against him!
Listen to Rick Stroud, and he will tell you Talib would be deep in the unemployment line if the Bucs COULD do something about it. Right now Tampa Bay Buccaneers front office people are helpless to make any roster changes during the current labor situation.
But if the players and owners got over themselves tomorrow, would the Bucs let go of Talib?
There are those who say Talib’s future may not be as bleak as Stroud reports, that the Bucs are taking the ‘Its a business’ approach to it, and Talib is no angel, but not bad enough, at least legally, to remove from the team that needs him for what he is- the teams best shut down corner.
But is he that irreplaceable? Did you know the Bucs were 4-1 in games last year when Aqib Talib did not play in the game?
Of course you also have the ever impending retirement of Ronde Barber, and you can see the Bucs are in a hard place. If not a hard one, at least in a tough position; do you do something about an obvious trouble maker or risk taking a label on the franchise as one that is willing to take a back seat to morals if there are wins on the field.
The Bucs are not entirely without options. E.J. Biggers played well last season, and is probably ready to take the field as a starter. Myron Lewis, last years corner addition via the draft, is also playing well and could find himself as the starting nickel back, if not taking over someone’s spot should a vacancy arrive.
There is also the option of moving a safety to corner, and this year the Bucs added a safety and corner to the mix via the draft, but that could be to cover the possible empty spot if Safety Tanard Jackson gets suspended again, which would probably be lifetime.
Tampa Bay doesn’t want to be known as a home for bad boys, but they want to be fair too. They don’t want to follow the Tony Dungy “Get arrested, get out of town” philosophy, but don’t want to be known as the Cincinnati Bengals either.
It’s starting to look like Talib’s future will be decided in the courts. Should he be found guilty, Bucs front office people will go with that too. But if he is able to avoid a verdict that incarcerates him, or punishes him in any way, Talib could find himself with yet another extension and free pass to play.
With both Tanard Jackson and Aqib Talib on the verge of being out of the NFL with one major transgression, Tampa Bay needs to proceed with caution in how they deal with those two positions; both of which by the way in the secondary where former head coach Raheem Morris used to coach.
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