Aqib Talib credits Patriots: ‘I really learned how to be a professional over there’
‘I went there a seven and came out a nine.’
There’s a reason Aqib Talib, a shutdown corner, cost the Patriots only a fourth-round draft pick in a trade in 2012.
The current Broncos cornerback has a checkered history, from battery charges, to aggravated assault allegations, to a performance enhancing drug suspension. But his trip to New England helped turn his career around on and off the field.
“One thing I have to say about that establishment over there: They’re very professional,’’ Talib told ESPN.com. “You go there for one season and you’re professionalism will go up a plus-2. If you’re at seven, you’ll be a nine.
“That definitely helped my professionalism as far as preparation for the game, how to handle the media, my behavior on the field — everything. I really learned how to be a professional over there. I went there a seven and came out a nine. I’m working on being a 10.’’
He hasn’t been perfect since his tenure with the Patriots, and was suspended for poking Dwayne Allen in the eye. But the Broncos awarded Talib a six-year, $57 million deal in 2014, and he’s earned the respect of Broncos players like Peyton Manning. According to ESPN, the cornerback works with Manning in film studies to break down coverages.
He’s also something of a big brother to the Denver Broncos’ secondary members. Talib texts his teammates every night, with more or less the same phrasing, to say, “Set your alarms. Be on time tomorrow.’’
That sounds like Super Bowl-winning work ethic.
Former Patriots in new uniforms
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