Still in the fold: Troubled Talib works out with Bucs mates

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Cornerback Aqib Talib, who was indicted on an aggravated assault weapon charge for a March incident in Texas, was at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' minicamp workout Tuesday.

Talib's attendance is nothing new. The fourth-year pro has attended several player-organized workouts.

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Talib's lawyer recently said the case against his client likely won't be resolved until after the 2011 season unless there is a plea agreement or dismissal.

"Right now, if I requested a trial, it would be late November at the earliest and most likely it would be next year," Frank Perez told the St. Petersburg Times in a story published June 19.

The Times reported Perez has had several meetings with the Dallas County district attorney, and another announcement hearing is scheduled for Thursday, at which point he said he will present evidence that is "favorable" to Talib and ask to either set a trial or have the charges dismissed.

"I don't like the case if I'm the district attorney," Perez said. "We feel very, very strongly Aqib is going to prevail in this. There's nothing to this case. I can't tell you now, but I'm confident we've got something that's going to turn the tide of public opinion."

It's not the first time that Talib, who's free on $25,000 bond, has been in trouble. He was involved in a fight with fellow Bucs rookie Cory Boyd at the 2008 NFL Rookie Symposium, hit teammate Torrie Cox in the face with his helmet while scuffling with Donald Penn during a minicamp workout in May 2009, and was charged with simple battery and resisting arrest in connection with an assault on a taxi driver in Tampa in August 2009.

But Talib, a starter since the Bucs took him in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, has done well on the field, intercepting 15 passes in his three NFL seasons. He's coming off a fine 2010 campaign in which he had 50 tackles, 11 passes defended and six picks, one returned for a touchdown.

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Titans plan to discipline -- but not cut -- troubled WR Britt

Kenny Britt's bound to be called a lot of things in Tennessee in the wake of his second arrest in two months.

An ex-Titan won't be one of them.

Barring further problems, Tennessee plans to hold on to its troubled and talented third-year receiver, according to a team source.

Britt must get act together fast

Britt, who doesn't turn 23 until September, was apprehended on Wednesday by narcotics officers in his native New Jersey after the police saw what they believed to be marijuana in the receiver's hand. Britt crushed the marijuana, rolled up in a cigar casing, before the officers could get to it, and a struggle followed, according to the police report.

The Rutgers product was charged with fourth-degree obstruction, fourth-degree tampering or fabricating evidence and third-degree resisting arrest with force. Britt was also involved in a police chase in April that led to felony charges, which were later reduced to misdemeanor careless driving charges, which he plead guilty to this week.

Britt's other previous brushes with the law include a bar fight in October that led to former Titans coach Jeff Fisher benching him for the first quarter of a game against the Eagles. Perhaps that situation best illustrates the Titans' dilemma -- Britt exploded for seven catches, 225 yards and three touchdowns in the final three quarters of that game, a Tennessee win.

Under Fisher, the Titans had a reputation for bending to help players with baggage -- Adam "Pacman" Jones, Albert Haynesworth and Randy Moss being recent examples. New coach Mike Munchak wants a more structured environment, and those in the organization expect him to come down hard on Britt whenever the three-month-old lockout ends.

That said, the Titans view Britt as the second best player, behind Chris Johnson, on their entire roster, and aren't ready to give up on him yet. The club considers him a potential top-five type of receiver, but also recognizes the obvious -- that Britt simply hasn't grown up and out of the reputation he had as an immature kid coming out of Rutgers.

Britt had 42 catches for 775 yards and nine touchdowns in just 12 games last year, and the Titans valued him enough that it was his injury and subsequent four-game absence that prompted the team to claim Moss off of waivers.

The league has said that players like Britt, who have incidents during the lockout, will be subjected to the personal conduct policy whenever the 2011 league year begins.

Follow Albert Breer on Twitter @albertbreer.

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Eagles owner talks about process of signing troubled players

Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie isn't afraid to take a chance on a reclamation project, as proven by the franchise star he now has behind center.

But Lurie made it clear the signing of Michael Vick following the quarterback's 18-month prison stint came only after a long look at both physical skills and personality makeup.

"We've shown we'll take chances if it's warranted," Lurie told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday.

Which, of course, begs the question: Are the Eagles interested in signing soon-to-be free agent Plaxico Burress?

The former Giants star was released from prison on Monday after a 22-month term stemming from a weapons conviction. Burress exited prison wearing a throwback Philadelphia Phillies cap, a not-so-subtle nod to one of his potential landings spots.

Burress would appear to be a good fit with the Eagles, but Lurie said properly judging a player goes beyond game tape and bio information.

"You can evaluate his talent. You can evaluate his age. But you can't evaluate where his heart and his head are at the moment," Lurie said. "Until you can do that ... it's far from enough information."

That was the case when the team began its flirtation with Vick that led to their signing of the quarterback in 2009.

"We evaluate case by case. It involved a lot of research into Michael -- what kind of teammate he was," Lurie said. "What his motivations were. How much he cared for the game."

As for Burress' recent choices in headwear, Eagles coach Andy Reid isn't one to make much of it.

"He must be a Phillies fan," he told the Inquirer. "If he'd had an Eagles hat on, then we'd talk."

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Winslow says Bucs need troubled CB Talib for Super Bowl run

Kellen Winslow believes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can contend for the Super Bowl championship next season. To do so, however, they'll need to keep Aqib Talib, even after the cornerback's latest legal trouble.

"We need that guy to win," Winslow told NFL.com on Friday. "Talking about Super Bowls -- we need him really more than anyone besides (quarterback Josh) Freeman. He's that good. He locks down receivers. He's got to iron out what he's got to iron out, but we need him as much as anybody."

The tight end reiterated that point a few hours later on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access," saying Talib is "too talented to let go" and citing the cornerback's close relationship with Bucs coach Raheem Morris as a reason he might stay, despite speculation that the team is ready to cut ties after the lockout ends.

"Hopefully his situation gets worked out, and we can move on," Winslow said.

That situation is an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge that Talib faces in Garland, Texas. Police say Talib fired a gun at and pistol-whipped his sister's boyfriend during a March 21 domestic dispute, and a Dallas County grand jury handed down an indictment last week.

It's not the first time that Talib, who's free on $25,000 bond, has been in trouble. He was involved in a fight with fellow Bucs rookie Cory Boyd at the 2008 NFL Rookie Symposium, hit teammate Torrie Cox in the face with his helmet while scuffling with Donald Penn during a minicamp workout in May 2009, and was charged with simple battery and resisting arrest in connection with an assault on a taxi driver in Tampa in August 2009.

But Talib, a starter since the Bucs took him in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, has done well on the field, intercepting 15 passes in his three NFL seasons. He's coming off a fine 2010 campaign in which he had 50 tackles, 11 passes defensed and six picks, one returned for a touchdown.

That has led to support from Winslow and five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Ronde Barber who called Talib "a great teammate" in a recent interview with PewterReport.com.

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Barber: Bucs 'somewhat responsible' for aiding troubled Talib

Ronde Barber is backing Aqib Talib, telling a website the troubled Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback is "a great teammate ... a fun-loving, kind of gregarious guy" and that the team is "somewhat responsible for him."

Talib, who's facing up to 20 years in prison on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge in Texas, "is complex," Barber told PewterReport.com.

"It is too easy to simplify somebody and say they are a thug, he had a bad upbringing and (all that)," said Barber, a five-time Pro Bowl and three-time All-Pro cornerback. "Some of that upbringing is part of what he is, but that is not who he is. I know him to be a great teammate. I know him to be a fun-loving, kind of gregarious guy. He likes to be the center of attention and he likes to have fun."

Talib, a starter since the Bucs took him in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, is accused of firing a gun at and pistol-whipping his sister's boyfriend during a March 21 domestic dispute in Garland, Texas. A Dallas County grand jury handed down an indictment last week, and Talib is free on $25,000 bond.

It's not the first time that Talib has been in trouble. He was involved in a fight with fellow Bucs rookie Cory Boyd at the 2008 NFL Rookie Symposium, hit teammate Torrie Cox in the face with his helmet while fighting with Donald Penn during a minicamp workout in May 2009, and was charged with simple battery and resisting arrest in connection with an assault on a taxi driver in Tampa in August 2009.

Talib was suspended for last year's opener for the latter incident, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell could impose a lengthy suspension once the league's labor situation is solved.

"We're prepared (to play without Talib), but you don't ever want to play a season or even a game without that guy," Barber said. "He's that good. He changes things. He takes (receivers) away, and we've never had that in Tampa. He can literally take a guy away. ... Not only is he big, physical and fast, he's technically sound, which a lot of guys in this league just aren't. ...

"Optimistically, I am hoping that this all goes away and he's proven innocent. I can't speak for him because I wasn't there. None of us were there. I don't know what the hell happened. The courts will decide that, and Roger Goodell will decide if he has a suspension. ... (But) the beat has to keep playing. The band can't stop playing because the drummer gets hurt. Somebody has to step up and play."

Talib has intercepted 15 passes in his three NFL seasons and is coming off a fine campaign in which he had 50 tackles, 11 passes defensed and six picks, one returned for a touchdown. Barber calls Talib's football IQ "unbelievable" and says the cornerback "knows what he has to do on a football field. He just gets it. He understands it."

E.J. Biggers, who stepped in as Tampa Bay's starting left cornerback in five games last season when Talib was suspended and suffered a torn hip tendon in December, likely will receive the call if Talib is forced out of action. Also competing for playing time in the secondary are Myron Lewis and rookie Anthony Gaitor, a seventh-round draft pick out of Florida International.

The Bucs have acknowledged exasperation with Talib in the past.

"You know, Aqib is a very outgoing, outspoken young man," general manager Mark Dominik told The Tampa Tribune when Talib was arrested in August 2009. "He certainly needs to mature a lot more. That's what I'll say."

Said Barber: "You can tell him all you want, but people are who they are. People change because they want to change, but they don't change because people tell them to change. They don't change because they have positive influence around them at the office. Aqib doesn't go home with me. He doesn't go home with Raheem (Morris, the Bucs' coach). He's not going to dinner with (defensive backs coach) Jimmy Lake every night. He's not seeing that type of influence.

"You can't (keep saying), 'Aqib, you can't do that.' (He'll just say) 'I know. I (messed) up. My bad.' I don't know how many times he's said, 'My bad,' to me or Raheem. He understands. He understands the things he's doing wrong and that he should have had better judgment ... but that is how he is wired, man. However he grew up -– and I don't know how it was -– but he has that instinct to survive, and sometimes it can lead to him making bad decisions. You're always responsible for everything you get yourself into. If you are around good people, trouble usually doesn't find you."

Former Bucs defensive tackle Chris Hovan said last month the organization has given Talib "way too much leeway" and that "any other individual would have been cut way before this." Morris has refuted a report that Talib might be released, and Barber said letting the cornerback go would be the wrong move.

"I think you discredit the family-type atmosphere we have when you say, 'Just get rid of the guy,' " Barber said. "We drafted the guy. We are somewhat responsible for him. Yeah, he's had some issues, but he's a teammate. He's a teammate. I know it's professional and it's a business, but I don't want to see anything bad happen to him now or 20, 30 years from now."

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