Go ahead say it  – “What is he thinking this guy needs to go now!”

But let’s look at this young man Aqib Talib as a person growing up dealing with many challenges in life. Yes some were self-inflicted by poor decisions others were the pain of your Mom in and out of prison and having trouble with the law on numerous occasions.

Or was it the daily grind of growing up in a tough neighborhood? No matter what the situation how can we judge Aqib unless we have lived in his shoes?

Aqib Talib’s history since being with the Buccaneers:

• July 2008 – Fight with Cory Boyd at Rookie Symposium
• May 2009- While trying to hit Donald Penn he accidently hit Torrie Cox with helmet
• Nov 2009- Incident with cab driver
• Nov 2010- Blow-up with referee after game
• Mar 2011- Charged with assault with a deadly weapon (Felony) – Charges dropped June 2012
• Dec 2011- Has argument with Raheem Morris in hotel lobby

Looking at his history here as a Buccaneer would make anyone want him to be released or traded. After charges were dropped in a family related matter in Dallas 4 out of 5(80%) of Aqib Talib’s incidents are football related and to me shows a passionate young man that wants to be a successful NFL player. Of course these incidents should have been handled in a better manner but maybe he needed the right people around him?

Upon taking over the teams head coaching duties Coach Schiano meets with Aqib Talib most likely talks about not just the Dallas incident but probably all past incidents since he has been a Buccaneer. With Coach Schiano and Aqib Talib on the same page I can see Coach Schiano understanding his past and offering encouragement but at same time he explains as of this point there is a zero tolerance policy. Since the meeting Coach Schiano mentioned in his press conference:

“Aqib Talib has been working hard since he has been here. Doing what is expected of him on a daily basis here for the Buccaneers.”

How much more can we expect from a player with such a troubled past? We are talking about a player in Aqib Talib that is the best player on the field for our defense”. And to validate that statement Ronde Barber was quoted in saying “Talib is one of the best CB’s he has played with on the Buccaneers”. Think of all the CB’s he has played with in his long career.

Maybe with the right support and leadership Aqib Talib’s past is just that in the past. If we are going to cheer for him on the field then we need to cheer for him off the field as well.

-Richard J Dudkiewicz Jr