Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 2-1-19

Local An Analysis
Former Buc Aqib Talib Makes His 3rd Appearance In The Super Bowl
BY CLARENCE BARR, II
What do Aqib Talib, Michael Bennett and La- garette Blount have in com- mon? They are all NFL players who once played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who won mul- tiple Super Bowls with other teams.
Of course, it isn't uncom- mon for players to leave one team and find success with an- other. But what makes these three men so unique is that they all played together on the same Buc roster, with Talib and Blount being drafted within a year of each other.
This Sunday Talib, who is widely regarded as one of the league’s best cornerbacks, will attempt to take possession of his third Super Bowl ring (the other two coming courtesy of the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos) since leaving Tampa --- this time with the Los Angeles Rams.
What will make this trip to the big game so ironic for Talib, who was able to share one of his NFL championships with Blount in New England, is that he will be accompanied by yet another former Bucca- neer teammate this time around as well. Rams starting strong safety Mark Barron was also discarded as a bust by the Bucs after being drafted in the first round and now finds himself well respected and a valuable part of the Rams po- tent defense.
When you look at how many players leave the Bucs and become critical pieces within other offensive and de- fensive systems, you can't help but wonder how a team could continuously be so utterly wasteful with talent? That lack of foresight, though, goes a long way in explaining why the Tampa Bay franchise has maintained its consistent level of mediocrity for so long.
The sad thing is, this puz- zling trend stretches back nearly 40 years when the team allowed quarterback Doug Williams to leave town due to a contract dispute. And the or- ganization’s knack for throw- ing away quality assets isn't limited to on field personnel.
AQIB TALIB
Current Atlanta Falcons President Rich McKay, Hall Of Fame Coach Tony Dungy, current Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin and even the young offensive guru who will be leading the Rams on Sunday, Sean McVay, all either began their careers or spent a large amount of time working inside of One Buc Place. Yet, for some strange reason, the team was either unwilling or incapable of keeping any of these brilliant minds in the fold.
If the Bucs were a part of Major League Baseball I don't think it's a stretch to assume that they would be classified as a top-rate farm organization, a place where good players are selected before being better used elsewhere.
This, unfortunately, is the very sad legacy that Buc fans are forced to be reminded of every time they watch as one of the players, who they once rooted for, achieves greatness while wearing a different uni- form. Maybe the hiring of Bruce Arians as new head coach will be able to turn things around. But it's hard to imagine a 66-year-old man being in the building long enough to change such an un- stable culture.
Hopefully, a shift in think- ing from the very top will occur sooner than later because, if it doesn't happen, there may come a time when the likes of Jameis Winston and/or Mike Evans could move on to find greener pastures while leaving the rest of us in the constant state of shaking our collective heads and feeling even more embarrassed.
Miss Middletons, Kings And Queens To Be Honored
Deadline to register is February 16, 2019
All former Miss Middle- tons, Homecoming Kings & Queens will be honored Satur- day April 27, 2019, 6 p. m. at Tampa’s Marriott Westshore Hotel, 1001 N. Westshore Blvd., by the Middleton High School Alumni Association. The recognition will come at a formal Scholarship Ball, which will culminate two days of ac- tivities. The theme is “Bridging The Gap: A Royal Legacy.”
All persons who were crowned Miss Middleton from 1934-1971 or Homecoming King & Queen from 2002-2018 will be admitted to the Ball free of charge. All former Middle- ton students who want to vol- unteer for a committee or who want to purchase tickets are in- vited to attend the monthly meeting Saturday, Febru- ary 2, 2019, 9:30 a. m. at the Tampa Police Department District III Office, 3808 N. 22nd Street. The regular monthly alumni association meeting follows at 11 a. m.
Pictured here is Ms. Linda Owens Williams, Miss Middleton for the Class of 1968. Tigers -- if you want the Miss Middleton or Homecom- ing King and Queen for your class to register for their com- plimentary ticket to the Schol- arship Ball, have them contact yvonnedouglas1968@yahoo.co m or nicolejdonnell@- gmail.com by February 16,
2019.
To reserve a room at the
hotel for the Middleton High School Alumni Weekend, call 1-888-236-2427 or call Ralph Alderman at (813) 287-2555. Ask for the Middleton High School Alumni rate of $129 per night. Activities begin with the casual, Maroon and Gold Pool Party and Hospitality, at 6 p. m. on Friday, April 26.
The fun continues at 6 p. m. Saturday with a formal re- ception, silent auction, photo- graphs, Miss Middletons/Kings & Queens Promenade, fashion show, live entertainment by professional songstress Tanya LaReese, recognition of all classes, the banquet program, dinner and dancing with popular DJ Ran-
dall C.
Each member of the gradu- ating class with the largest number of classmates attend- ing the ball will receive a spe- cial gift. Tickets for the weekend are available at African Extravaganza, 1409 Tampa Park Plaza (813) 228- 7272, at Middleton High School from Rosemary Buchanan (813) 233-3360, paypal.me/gsmalumnischolar- ship or from Scholarship Ball Committee members.
All proceeds benefit Mid- dleton High School students. Luvator Nelson is president of the alumni association and Phan O. Boston (Miss Mid- dleton of 1965) is chairman of the 2019 Scholarship Ball Committee.
THEN NOW
LINDA OWENS WILLIAMS ... Miss Middleton, 1968
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