December 4, 2011; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib (25) on the sidelines during the first half against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

There’s precedent for this, it regularly takes the NFL weeks to months to make decisions in these cases, but the question needs to be posed, why?

This is the crux of the players’ collective gripe against the NFL. The discipline is always going to be a part of the game, I think that’s understood, but the lack of transparency associated with it is downright troubling.

What are they doing in New York right now that it’s taken a month to determine whether they want to suspend Talib? It seems to a rational person that a decision could probably be rendered in an afternoon if someone actually cared to make it. Instead though teams and players dangle for weeks awaiting word of their fates and it begins to create disadvantages that seem unnecessarily punitive to the franchises.

Why should the Bucs be twisting in the wind right now trying to determine whether to move Ronde Barber or to move for another corner prior to training camp?

With the arrest of Eric Wright last week, things have gotten even more complicated now in Tampa. Wright’s history of incidents is a little more extensive than was advertised when he signed a few months ago and depending on what transpires there’s no guarantee he won’t face NFL discipline. That’s two corners and the Buccaneers have no idea when the NFL will get around to telling them what their statuses will be.

That’s an issue, ignoring the fact Goodell is judge and jury and also gets to rule on appeals, there needs to be some kind of end-date timetable for these decisions or at least some transparency. I’d settle for the NFL just to admit they’re still conducting their own interviews or that they’re just doing anything besides letting a file collect dust on a desk while they leave teams in a lurch as they await the information.

Who knows what happens with Aqib Talib… and who knows when we’ll know.

May 15, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib (25) and cornerback Eric Wright (21) workout during organized team activities at One Buc. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the NFL is looking into the case and league offices have requested a copy of the dismissal order so that Goodell may mede out NFL justice.

An NFL spokesman declined to close the door on disciplining Talib. He said the league office will, in fact, review the case. He did not suggest what the outcome might be.

Talib’s attorney tells us Goodell’s office asked for a copy of the dismissal order issues by Dallas County authorities. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is probably debatable.

Frankly, things don’t look all that promising, even despite legal authorities admitting there is far too little evidence to prosecute. For starters Talib is a repeat offender having had multiple infractions in his past. Secondly, Goodell doesn’t need to convict Talib, he just needs to prove he embarrassed the league. That’s less hard to do considering gun charges and a star NFL corner, typically don’t connote well together in the same headline.

Thus far the league had opted to defer until the court proceedings played out, now in lieu of court proceedings Goodell and crew can do what they do best, take a few weeks and let a player dangle while they inevitably make a ruling that’s as harsh if not harsher than you expected.

I think Talib gets at least two games from the commissioner, I hope I’m wrong but I think we’ll hear something to the tune of, ‘by even being in that situation you embarrassed your team and the league.’

All things considered, that wouldn’t be terrible, if Talib can stay healthy the other 14 games he’ll still be able to make a nice impact and frankly another strike might lower the talented corner’s price tag to a place where the Bucs might be willing to extend him a couple more years.

I still feel that when he’s on his game Talib is an elite corner in this league, and with all of this behind him and pressure to prove he can return to his productive NFL form, I think we’re going to see a huge season from #25, provided Goodell lets him play the better part of it.

July 30, 2011; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (93) during training camp at One Buc Place. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Then McCoy hit the NFL where the baseline talent level is much higher than in college and suddenly that lack of technique caught up with McCoy. That’s not to say he hasn’t been good in his first two seasons, actually in spite of lacking polish McCoy has still rounded into a very good defensive tackle and was vital to the Bucs 4-2 start (as well as a big part of their 0-10 finish when he got hurt).

I have a feeling year three is going to be a lot different for #93 thanks largely in part to his new coach.

“We do a tackling circuit before every practice, and I’ve never done anything like that before,” McCoy said of Greg Schiano’s weekend minicamp. “I realize now that, before, I was just playing football. Now, I’m really learning how to tackle and I think it’s going to help me a lot.”

It’s OK if your first inclination is to laugh at that. I did. I mean, Bob Stoops must have read that and cringed. The most famous tackling drill in existence is actually called the Oklahoma drill, McCoy was an All-American at the University of Oklahoma and he claims he just learned how to tackle over the weekend…

But once you get past the fact Gerald McCoy basically just admitted he phoned it in during two-a-days at OU, this is exactly what a player like McCoy needed.

The talent and potential are there, that’s been obvious since before the Bucs drafted McCoy, he has the part of the game that you can’t teach. So it’s probably good that the Buccaneers have finally gotten around to teaching him the rest of it. He’s going to learn the rest now though, the Bucs have hired a guy who will make sure of it.

Greg Schiano, as Ronde Barber puts it, hammers home fundamentals.

Good.

May 4, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik and head coach Greg Schiano talk during rookie mini camp at One Buc. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

This was a team last year that squandered potential on sloppy play and mental mistakes. I think we’re gaining a keen insight into why Mark Dominik wanted Greg Schiano. Dominik believes in the work he’s done on the personnel side of things, he’s brought in several talented draft classes and added free agents from the waiver wire and now (this offseason) from the top of the heap.

He just needed someone to actually coach them.

Raheem Morris, a player’s coach, wasn’t that guy. Being a player’s coach works on a veteran team. When the Giants talk about what’s worked with Tom Coughlin lately, it’s a subtle move towards a more player-friendly approach. Coughlin is never going to be laid back, but he relaxed a little and gave the team some room to breathe, it paid off. The difference is that was a veteran bunch with a lot of experience under their belt. You can afford to do that with an older group.

This group in Tampa needs a guy to stay on them. They need that direction and discipline. This group hasn’t earned a player’s coach yet.

That’s why Kellen Winslow’s comments were so absurd. Of course K2 liked Morris, not only did Raheem traded for him and pay him handsomely, he also didn’t make Kellen Winslow practice for three years. Winslow didn’t want to go because he felt Morris was slighted or Schiano was a bad guy. Hell, K2 knows Schiano from college and his time in Cleveland should have taught him this league is a business.

No truth be told after coasting for three years and only turning it on during gamedays, the idea of suiting up and getting back to fundamentals didn’t appeal to Winslow.

But that’s what this Bucs team needs, it’s what Gerald McCoy needs and it’s going to pay off sooner rather than later.

Greg Schiano is going to turn this group into professionals.