July Is “Handcuff Month”
June 23rd, 2013
Alan Dell of the Bradenton Herald believes the Bucs should pay particular attention to Eric Wright in the free time before training camp starts.
Most college football coaches break down their calendar years into seasons. There are preseason practices, the regular season, bowl season, recruiting season and what former Florida State football icon Bobby Bowden used to call the “silly season.”
Silly season was the time between the end of the spring semester and the start of training camps, when players were most likely to get up close and personal with the long arm of the law.
This is not lost on Bradenton Herald columnist Alan Dell, who refers to July on the NFL calendar as “Handcuff Month.”
While Bucs coach Greg Schiano has purged his roster of malcontents and walking arrest warrants like helmet-wielding, cabbie-slugging, pill-popping, granny-hassling Aqib Talib, Dell believes the Bucs and Bucs fans should pay particular attention to embattled cornerback Eric Wright in the weeks before training camp begins.
Eric Wright is a case by himself. The defensive back, who has been dodging police blotters and law enforcement officials since his college days, had a DUI arrest last summer and a suspension for drug use.
He is the Bucs’ biggest embarrassment waiting to happen.
Perhaps. But Joe doesn’t believe Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik or Schiano are losing much sleep over Wright. He damned near played (popped?) himself off the roster last year and the Bucs brought him back under a very team-friendly contract.
If, as Dell predicts, Wright runs afoul of the law again, it won’t be much of a issue with the Bucs. Joe isn’t sure the Bucs think more of Wright than, say, hard-working, team-first good guy Leonard Johnson.
If Wright screws up, he will likely be gone.
June 23rd, 2013 at 1:09 pm
Didn’t Wright just have a kid?
June 23rd, 2013 at 1:56 pm
who cares if Wright gets popped that is the least of the Buc’s worries.
I’d rather just cut ties with the loser and let Banks, Leonard and Gorrer get valuable playing time and experience. It’s not like Wright played well last year or for that matter when he was with Detroit. I must admit I am bias. I am really pulling for Leonard but not at the expense of wins and loses. To be honest, I feel Leonard would hold up well with safety help and a healthy revis on the other side. Let us not forget we actually have a secondary coach this year too.
@Joe – If I am not mistaken did not Wright have some rambling post after his restructuring that Rock Star and Schiano promised he would not be cut… Do you buy that???
Personally, I don’t think a promise like that is Schiano’s style. It’s all about competition correct?
June 23rd, 2013 at 2:05 pm
Lots of time, lots of money and not enough smarts to know they are being targeted by women, status-seekers, and even hometown police who wait for the opportunity to make a celebrity arrest make the time between OTAs and training camp a vulnerable time for some players.
Player’s like Eric Wright who take chances are the ones most likely to be in handcuffs. This isn’t a Bucs problem, it’s a league problem and no matter what they learn at their rookie seminars, they often find themselves in hot water. Even some of the speakers at the seminar (Pacman Jones) can’t follow their own advice!
On the whole the young men in the NFL get it as it is a small percentage that seem to celebrate “Handcuff Month”. The one’s that don’t get it seem fated to be repeat offenders and are often player’s with outstanding ability. Or maybe they’re the ones most often targeted!
June 23rd, 2013 at 2:13 pm
WestCoastBucsFan Says:
“Didn’t Wright just have a kid?”
Yes he did. I think a baby girl. And he is very excited about her.
Alan is trying to generate news.
June 23rd, 2013 at 2:19 pm
I think Wright will be fighting for his career this year and I believe he will perform well. If not, we are no worse for wear.
Just think Myron is squeaky-clean and is worthless to us…at least Wright may serve a useful role.
Most everyone deserves a second chance. Wright has been given one and has paid a hefty financial price for his mistake.
I hope he redeems himself.
June 23rd, 2013 at 2:37 pm
“Didn’t Wright just have a kid?”
Gee, he didn’t look pregnant to me…Ka-dunk-a-dunk !!
June 23rd, 2013 at 2:51 pm
I’m also not the biggest Wright fan. I’d much prefer to LJ beat him out. Wright has always seemd a bit off and unexcited to play. I prefer to root for the local guy still living at home in Clearwater. Leonard Johnson seems like he has the potential to go a long way and is a good kid “from da nehbahood” to poorly quote Ron and Ian’s Italian accent.
June 23rd, 2013 at 3:27 pm
If he didn’t learn a valuable lesson from last year, realized that all crap cost him big, and he gets into trouble again before camp this year. Then he deserves his own dose of reality. But unlike Talib, this would probably be a death blow to Wright’s career.
June 23rd, 2013 at 3:36 pm
[Rasta: Please email breaking news links to Joe and he can determine pretty quickly if they are fake, which this is. Thanks. — Joe]
June 23rd, 2013 at 3:39 pm
…and by the way, I think Wright will be our starting #2 corner. He has a lot to prove and needs to resurrect a sliding career. Guarantee that Dom will try to accommodate him considering how much he reach out to Eric in the first place.
June 23rd, 2013 at 3:42 pm
Fake….Drew didnt break his legs.
June 23rd, 2013 at 4:04 pm
Wright and Johnson in a rotation year round at nickel. Banks and Revis covering the outside. Whoever does better game by game at nickel gets the start the next week. Competition and problem solved
June 23rd, 2013 at 4:14 pm
Brush the haters off Wright..
Let them hate while you live big and as I suspect you will, “play big” this season. IMO
June 23rd, 2013 at 6:45 pm
Rasta: Please email breaking news links to Joe and he can determine pretty quickly if they are fake, which this is. Thanks. — Joe].
..yeah that was my first choice…simply I do not see a link anywhere on your homepage for that(emailing a Joe) …or an edit or delete post option…as I soon afterwards realized…you could give me your cell phone # ….I don’t talk much 😉
June 23rd, 2013 at 6:55 pm
@Rasta
joe@joebucsfan.com
its under the “join joe” link up top.
June 23rd, 2013 at 7:09 pm
It’s time to get behind this guy and hope for the best. He’s got a career to salvage and a mouth to feed now. Fatherhood has a way of changing your perspective.
Pal Revis in now on board along with Batman Goldson two serious players who set standards.
We need this guy to play lights out.
June 24th, 2013 at 6:10 am
As the e-Trade baby would say, “Let me show you my shocked face.” I cant believe not one comment predicting that the “rambling, and possibly drunk on the radio” Josh Freeman will be headed to the pokey this month.
June 24th, 2013 at 6:55 am
Hand cuff season = Aaron Hernandez. Good luck with that one Billacheat.