Bucs' Tanard Jackson Suspended 4 Games

"The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will open the season without safety Tanard Jackson, who apologized Tuesday for his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substances of abuse policy.

"I can't really go into the details of the situation, but I can let people know that I'm obviously disappointed in decisions that I made that got me in this situation," the third-year pro said after practice.

"I'm definitely disappointed in myself. I let my team down ... a lot of people down. The fans, I'd like to apologize to them. ... I'll be out four games and I'm apologetic. When I come back, I'm hoping to get back on track and move on."

The safety's suspension begins Sept. 5 and will continue through the Bucs' Oct. 4 game against the Washington Redskins. He will be eligible to return on Oct. 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles (Sportsline)."

This could really hurt Tampa as he has been a starter for them ever since he was drafted in 2007. I am not real high on Tampa this year, and I think their defense could actually turn into the weakness this year for the first time in a long time. Obviously this suspension will not help that cause.