Morris on Talib missing curfew in London: 'He's got to get better …'

Yes, Aqib Talib missed curfew following the Bucs' 35-7 loss to New England in London Oct. 25.

No, he was not the Lone Ranger. 

Yes, he was met in the lobby at the team hotel by coach Raheem Moirris.

No, Bucs officials say, he did not curse out Morris, as reported by 620-WDAE.

If you know Talib, profanity is part of the way he speaks. It's unfortunate, but true. Let's say he disagreed with the notion that a grown man requires a curfew on what would normally be his free time.

In the NFL, visiting teams normally return home immediately after the game. When the Bucs arrive home in Tampa, the players are on their own time.

Of course, that changed in London because it was a rare circumstance where the Bucs were departing Monday from London rather than Sunday night. Because of that, there was a curfew. After the game in London, players volunteered they planned to go out and some indicated they may risk the fine for breaking curfew.

"Missing curfew after the game. … I set a curfew and a couple players after the game went out to eat with their teammates and their wives," coach Raheem Morris said during his weekly radio show. "It's an opportunity for me to give them the business and straighten some things out internally. … It's just that Aqib Talib has been in the news and he's a big name."

Not to excuse Talib, because he has a well-documented history of doing the wrong things, but NFL teams are more concerned with players missing curfew before the game.

Morris said Talib still has a lot of growing up to do.

"You've got to weigh character with a man's God-given ability to play this game," Morris said. "Has he made mistakes? Yes, He has. Has he made some as a Buccaneer? Yes, he has.

"He has to get better and we've got to continue to get better. … We had a bunch of players like him in the past. To mention one, Warren Sapp. He grew up and became a man."

Comments

[Jake]

Honestly, just as Bucs games currently unwatchable, listening to the Buccaneer Radio Network is unlistenable. All the calls are screened so that only morons with sweet syrupy questions and comments get through. Players and coaches are allowed to give evasive answers without being challenged by anyone and if a caller gets a bit frisky with a serious question they get dumped and berated by the host. Why bother. Morris danced all around the Talib question without answering it directly. Scott Ledger and TJ Rives are nauseating to listen to but that is likely because they are on the Bucs payroll.

[JH]

It is debatable that Sapp became a "man" this early in his career, and some Bucs fans can testify (when they have met Sapp in public) that he still needs to grow up. As a player, however, Sapp grew tremendously when Tony Dungy constantly challenged him to reach new heights as a defensive tackle. What was really eye-opening, though, was what Morris said: "You've got to weigh character with a man's God-given ability to play this game". So, the better player someone is, the more likely it is we have to excuse his actions and give him the benefit of the doubt? How is this different from Gruden's policy?

[John P]

Raheem giving lessons on manhood is all well and good, but it's his football lessons that are missing the mark. This team is in trouble, and manhood lessons are all over the place for these guys. After the adversity of this season, they should all be experts on manhood lessons. It doesn't translate into talent though.

Raheem is genuinely a good person, I think. But I feel the same about every other coach in the history of the Bucs. Dungy was nice, but the players respected him because he had an absolute iron will that was rooted in his own faith. It was untouchable.

I think with Morris, he's just not mature enough to really know how to handle this team. He seems to not really believe in anything besides a sort of hip-hop philosophy rooted in popular catch phrases. The players might like a guy like that as a salesman (think Ron Zook), but they'll never completely respect him. It isn't a results oriented approach, it just makes him an easy person to get along with.

[Valrico Rick]

Back up to the top with Jake, and there have been others with a similar sentiment, but I just have to ask what difference it makes on the field whether the media, radio personalities, beat writers, or whaterver ask hard questions. What difference will it make if a caller who hates Morris gets through and tells me what a bad coach he is? None of that matters and has absolutely nothing to do with what happens on the field. Getting the opportunity to tell Morris he sucks as a coach isn't going to get a win out of this team. "Oh my god Bob butthead said I was a really crappy coach on the radio, well gosh darn it I'm gonna coach better because I don't want hear that again!" Kind of like you guys are missing the whole point to me!

[BucFandango]

You know Val-Rick, I've been trying not to call you out, but your attacks on others are getting old. You bashed Gruden on every post you ever wrote. Every time you criticize others for bashing the new Rahgime, you did continuously when Gruden was coach. Raheem has talked about accountability since he took over, but yet somehow he should not be accountable to the fans and callers that care about the Bucs? I think you're the one missing the point, and most of the points that others make, because you are too busy worrying about what you have to say instead of reading and reasoning other people's point of view. Grow up Val or Shut up. If you knew half of what you think you do, you'd almost be an idiot.

[BucFandango]

Sorry, back to what I wanted to say. JoeBucsFan.com, Steve White has his Monday column on the Packers' O line and how he feels the Bucs should attack them. It's a very good scouting report from a real good lineman, and not another press windbag. Mondays are worth the trip to JBF.c to read sgw94.

[blackmagic00]

I respect all of you guys, and get a little upset when I see the bickering. BucFandango, Valrico Rick makes alot of good points. He calls stuff as he sees it and alot of people (including myself) have taken offense to it. When Valrico Rick took his little vacation after the season I thought it was great until I realized pretty much everything he said about GruAllen made sense.
As far as the article, this is the stuff that makes fans argue. Is the station making stuff up? Is the reporter making stuff up? Is there a conspericy with fans asking questions to the radio station?
Just remember fellow fans, we all feel betrayed right now and it's easy to bash fans because unlike the team, fans will respond.

[Brandon]

Blackmagic, what exactly are you trying to say? Is it, "Can't we all just get along?" or is it, "I can't stand it to see you two fight, it's tearing me apart!"

Newsflash: If anybody is on here to talk about the BUcs, then that is a good thing... because the Bucs are quickly becoming the most irrelevant franchise in the NFL. Our numbers are low and quickly dwindling.

[KennyNance]

The Glazers have made this team a joke and Talib knows it. The GM is a joke, the coach is a joke, the QB is a joke, the linebackers are a joke, the Dline is a joke, the Oline is a joke, all but 2 recievers are a joke. When is this game going to end?

[KennyNance]

"He has to get better and we've got to contunue to get better...We had a bunch of players like him in the past. To mention one, Warren Sapp. He grew up and became a man.''

We as in you Raheem? When Sapp was haivng problems with the Bucs you couldnt have been but a freshman in high school. You know nothing about how the Bucs handeled that situation. Go back to coaching cornerbacks where you belong. Will someone escort this kid to the kids table, the adults need to eat.

[westcoastbuc]

I had my best week of the season, the bucs had a bye and I played golf. I never got pissed at anyone else or frustrated with someone elses decisions. Hit the ball great.

Why is it that I am excited to hav ethe Bucs back in action this week? The season is a wash but we get to see the first game of what I hope is a new ERA at QB and holy crap, I love the old Bucco Bruce helmets and creamsicle uniforms.I have been following this team from the west coast since 1976 and I am glad to see them acknowledging their history.

The team is set up for a huge draft and with a new coach could have some real success next season. I can't wait to get that first "W" of the season as long as we stay behind the Rams.

[Dspkable]

westcoastbuc, great perspective. It's nice to get out and enjoy your life to give you a positive outlook on your favorite team. I read lots of comments here where people are taking way too seriously the various aspects of football besides just enjoying the game. I wish a few other fans would follow your lead and "get a hobby". Complaining about football is not much of a hobby if you ask me. Enjoying the positives of football will allow your team win or lose, it won't ruin your whole week because of it.

[OAR]

Actually, this weekend was the best Buc's game I have seen all year.

[westcoastbuc]

Dspkable, I love the game and tend to live and die with this team but you can only go so far with X's and O's when they are this bad.

I choose to just go with it and hope for small victories until next year. This stuff is hard to watch but the good news is that in the NFL you can go from goat to hero in a very short time.

[charkey]

Raheem has got to get better. Until he coached better he will have no control over the players. 0-16

[Robert]

This franchise invested alot of money in this guy. Taken i think 16th or 19th in the draft. He has some special talents and has the abiltiy to be 1 of the top 3 corners in this league in the next few years. That being said if he cant pull his shizzit together this team will have a tough decision to make.

Talib, if u read these posts please grow up dude. You have been a bright spot on this team on the field this year and we enjoy watching you. But there are some past defensive greats from here named Barber, Brooks, Lynch, Nickerson, and Sapp that would tell you that you dont act like that in this communtiy. These guys before you were so great to this town and it is your responsibility to be a PROFESSIONAL and follow suit. I'm not saying you need to be in every charity event in town, but hitting cab drivers (ALLEGEDLY) and not following curfew after getting yur tails whooped AGAIN is unacceptable. You can be a HUGE piece in the rebuilding of a once PROUD and AWESOME defense.

Anyway, I hope he grows up and is a part of this team for a long time. It's his 2nd year and he is already shutting down soem of the top receivers in the NFL.

[Robert]

OAR, we must have had the same dream, Wasn't it great to see Clayton get thrown to 9 times and catch all of them. Our DL had 5 sacks and freeman threw 4td's. Man when I woke up I was ready to jump off a bridge!

[Robert]

Val, Im with you. We may be fans, but we are a part of this team. We need to support these guys instead of throwing jabs over the internet and radio. I gurantee more than half of the ppl that throws jabs over the internet and radio would be asking for Morris, Dominik, or even Bates's autograph if they were to see them in public.

We knew this season was going to be tough. We may be 0-7, but there is only 2 games in which we had the talent to even win. There are some bright spots though. We got TJ that i a yound stud, we have Talib who is on his way to being a top corner in the NFL, our 7th rd rookie is producing, we drafted a potential franchise QB, we have Ruud who is a young, very good LB, Caddy is finally healthy and running like a horse, our OL is young and pretty good, and we have started stacking up picks for this years draft.

Rah may not have a win, but he was the underdog in every game and has a new DC that doesnt have the guys to run his defense, a new OC that got the job a week before the season started, and owners who have the team 30mil under the cap. So I say we support this guy because he is our coach and none of us could do better with what he has. This time next year I think we will be a much better team and have some real good pieces in place to rebuilding this puzzle.

[OAR]

Robert, I still support the team(have from 76 on), but to support bad decisions and decision making is a no-brainer to me!

[skp]

yup, the bucs wanted a players' coach and they got one and the players are walking all over him. do you think a bunch of players would openly break a rule laid down by gruden, tomlin, belichick, parcells, or any coach worth leading your team for 5+ years? not just one guy mistakenly staying out, but a group of guys planning in advance to break a rule! after a 4 TD thrashing!!

these guys don't get the big picture of how to be a winning football team, and their coach hasn't done a good enough job of connecting the concepts of sacrifice, discipline, accountability to your teammates with the concept of winning and it shows on and off the field....a bunch of freelancers 7 days a week, not just on gameday

[Dave]

No, Raheem, YOU need to be better. You suck at discipline and FAIL at leadership.