Tank Johnson: Vigilante Justice

There seems to be a very hasty rush to judgment to throw Tank Johnson off the team. In fact, recent reports have Judge Dredd, err, I mean Jerry Angelo throwing Tank off the team on Monday. I think this might set a very dangerous precedent. While I do concede that Tank has used poor judgment, he has after all only committed a misdemeanor weapons charge. This should not be enough to release him. Secondly, the fact that his friend was murdered at a swanky River North club should have no bearing, no pun intended, on his dismissal.

To be honest, Ricky Manning Jr.'s assault charge was far more serious than anything Tank has done. Jerry Angelo's claims that he has high character guys didn't apply there. Is Jerry going to dismiss everyone who has a misdemeanor? I don't think so. Jerry really needs to be consistent and let the justice system take care of this.

Finally, why jeopardize an already depleted defense that has just given up over 30 points to the worst offensive team in the NFL. I'm not advocating accepting anyone on the team in order to win , but I also don't believe this Bears team should pretend like they are holier than though. If the Bears can put together a successful playoff run and win the Super Bowl, no one will remember or care about Tank's problems. If however, the Bears claim the moral high ground and they go down in the playoffs, no one will salute them for their foolish decision. Jerry, let the courts do their job and leave Tank on the team. Your fans will thank you.

Tank: Still In The Hood

Tank Johnson, nosegaurd for the Bears, was arrested today on six counts of gun possession. Oh, he also forgot to get a permit. Apparently he thought someone was going to come up on him in his mansion in Gurnee. If anyone is stuck on stupid this fool is. He is still on probation for felony gun possession in 2005 and was arrested for fighting a cop last year.

This was no ordinary bust, the Feds had been watching his house for one month; they also found 2.5 onces of dope which he claims is his girlfriends. Tank had hadguns, sawed off shotguns and a military m-16. Why the Feds were watching him is not yet clear.

Aside from his possible loss to the Bears, the larger issue is what lengths the team has to go to in order to keep these guys out of trouble. I have no issue with guns, booze and brawling, but perhaps these activities should be done individually. Remember last year when the FBI let the O-line use its private gun range, after which they went out drinking and Kreutz and Miller thought multiple contusions and sutures would be a great way to end the night.

The Tank will surely be suspended by the league and with the additional loss of Harris, the Defense will continue to struggle against decent teams. The background on this episode hasn't yet played out, but be sure Johnson is going to get tanked.