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.

The recent allegations and punishments/fines meted out in the New Orleans Saints bounty case are revelatory. Never before have punishments like that been levied out to a franchise. Spygate pales in comparison. Interestingly Spygate, which has been mentioned more than once as people try to compare it vis-à-vis to this case, isn’t even in the same ballpark on any level. I’m not going to get high and mighty and suggest that these things don’t happen or haven’t happened before, quite obviously that’s not so, but it was arrogance and egregiousness (a term Roger Goodell mentioned more than once) that doomed the Saints here.

Feb 6, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during the Super Bowl most valuable player and winning head coach press conference at the Super Bowl XLVI media center at the J.W. Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

As a Bucs fan I have been subjected to Sean Payton’s smug countenance more than a typical fan should ever have to be. As we recall with the benefit of hindsight now karma seemed to begin embracing the Saints during their home game at RJS last year. As most will recollect, Payton had his knee destroyed on the sideline because he neglected to get out of the way of some players as they tumbled to the ground. As it turns out that was far less painful than the mega bucks he will miss out on this year due to his suspension.

The NFL asked the Saints about bounties. And then they asked them again. We know what the Saints said, “not us”. Then the NFL compiled evidence. And more evidence. And eventually reportedly around 40,000 pages of evidence not counting all of the secret eyewitness testimony. It was the lying and arrogance that crucified the Saints. Now, after the fact, Gregg Williams is contrite. He’s sorry. Sean Payton, patronizing till the end can’t believe he’s, gulp, actually being punished. Smugness be damned.

Aside from the suspension of Saints coaches and the 8 game suspension of Mickey Loomis, the other penalties are in the form of cash and draft picks. Saints ownership and management have many things to sort through. With Drew Brees flapping in the wind due to their neglect in not signing him to a long term deal already, that is probably priority one. But the NFL has informed the Saints that player punishment will follow. This almost certainly means Jonathan Vilma and some of his friends.

The Saints, who were already looking at FA linebackers would then be in great need. They flirted with Curtis Lofton but his price was too high. Now they’ll have to commit dollars to Brees. And they’re left without their 2nd round pick this year to boot. More importantly, how good does New Orleans look to a FA of any position now? Sure, throw dollars around and someone will come, but Brees is now immediately in a position of basically creating his own asking price. And if he threatens to sit out, his trump card, the Saints would be doomed.

So how does this change the complexion of the NFC South? Greatly I would say. Pundits will immediately elevate the Atlanta Falcons as the defacto ‘best team in the NFC South’ with the Saints second, assuming they can sign Brees and other players of need. If they can’t, they will be without the astute play calling and daring of Payton as well as the majestic and heady play of Brees. This could spell an Indianapolis Colts type disaster. It would also immediately elevate both the Bucs and Panthers into legitimate NFC South title contention. This would have seemed inconceivable even just a few days ago.

There’s an axiom that in the NFL everyone gets what they deserve. The Saints got what they deserved. And the rest of the team in the NFC South will ultimately benefit.

-Steven Levy

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Aqib Talib won't go to trial until March 2012.

As Rick Stroud reported earlier today the trial of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ talented corner Aqib Talib isn’t slated to start until after the 2011 season in March of 2012. That means that Talib has just cleared a major hurdle on his way towards playing in the 2011 season as a Buccaneer.

Talib was indicted for assault with a deadly weapon last month and has his trial scheduled to begin on March 26, 2012. Now, personally, I have no clue what had to transpire for Talib to be able to set his court date so late on the docket, I doubt Dallas is that overbooked so I’m assuming Talib’s attorney had to argue that he needed the time to develop the case and his client needed to be able to continue to pursue his livelihood in the meantime. Talib has been in Florida working out with the Bucs during their players-only minicamp the last three days.

Now, this doesn’t mean that Talib is in the clear for this season. Sir Suspend-a-Lot, Roger Goodell has already said players will be subject to discipline for indiscretions during the lockout. That seems like a load of BS to me, but I don’t get to make those calls. It’s completely possible Goodell could actually do the… (let’s say) judicious thing and wait for the courts to determine what actually happened. But if history is any indication, Roger Goodell will make a completely arbitrary and knee-jerk decision to punish simply for embarrassing the “NFL crest.”

I have news for Roger though, nobody has been a bigger embarrassment to the NFL crest over the lockout than he has. He let a sport that’s been more profitable than it’s ever been in its history devolve into petty bickering about how to divide a nine billion-plus dollar pie in the middle of an economic recession. Just saying.