Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib is one of the most colorful players at the position in the league, as he became famous in Foxboro for jawing with other players in practice and delivering “Talib-isms”. Known as a headcase during his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Talib didn’t cause any issues for the New England Patriots, and he hasn’t made any missteps here in the first season of a lucrative contract with the Broncos. The Broncos-Patriots rivalry will resume tomorrow, with Talib getting a chance to square off against Tom Brady.
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Talib and Brady would compete against eachother fiercely in practice, often trading friendly banter back-and-forth. In an interview with the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe, Talib spoke about how practicing against Brady made him a better player, “It helps out a lot. He throws so accurate, the timing throws. He can read the leverage of the corner and everything, so he throws the perfect throw mostly all the time, so it sharpens up your technique that much more.”
It’s pretty standard stuff, but I think it lends one interesting storyline. Last season, most of us focused on how Wes Welker was lucky enough to catch passes from Brady and, now, Peyton Manning, but I wonder if Talib is just as lucky to have squared off against two of the best and smartest QBs in a practice setting. This season, Talib has been solid in coverage with six passes defended, and he has supported his ball skills with, as per the Pro Football Focus, a QB Rating allowed of less than 80. Brandon LaFell is quickly becoming a favorite playmaker of Brady’s, and it will be interesting to see Talib and LaFell (two former NFC South foes, though they weren’t exactly familiar) go at it, as both players are very physical.