Bucs ship Talib out of town; now a Belichick headache

Troubled Tampa Bay Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib will no longer be Greg Schiano’s headache. Instead that chore now belongs to Schiano’s good friend New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

The Bucs announced today that Talib and a seventh round draft pick were traded to New England for a fourth round pick in next year's draft.

Talib was serving a four game suspension for violating the NFL’s drug policy for taking Adderall, a banned substance the league cites as a performing enhancing drug. His suspension was scheduled to end after the Bucs game at Oakland Sunday.

Talib is in the final year of a five year rookie contract and is expected to help a Patriots secondary that has been shaky and is ranked 28^th in the NFL allowing 281.1 yards per game passing.

Tampa Bay ranks 31^st in pass defense giving up 309 yards per game.

In four games this season Talib has one interception, seven passes defended and 21 tackles. He has been inconsistent in pass coverage and was burned early this year when he covered the New York Giants Hakeem Nicks in a game Eli Manning threw for 500 plus yards.

Talib was suspended in 2009 for allegedly assaulting a cab driver. He was accused of assault with a deadly weapon in Texas, but the charges were ultimately dropped.

The Bucs could also lose another cornerback, Eric Wright, to a suspension. He reportedly failed a drug test that involved the use of Adderall. It is unclear whether he will appeal that charge or if the league takes action on him next week.

Shipping out Talib falls into line with the philosophy of Bucs rookie head coach Schiano, who said he wanted to men of character and would not tolerate anything less.