Aqib Talib Ready To Move Forward

Last Summer the Broncos faced uncertainty regarding their star CB Aqib Talib who accidentally shot himself in the leg, this season he is moving forward.

Last summer the Broncos worried about the NFL suspending Aqib Talib for an offseason incident that saw him hospitalized for an accidental self inflicted gunshot wound to the leg.

However the NFL announced last week that Talib will not be facing any league discipline for the incident. Huge sigh of relief for Broncos fans and for Talib himself.

"Definitely a relief. Just glad I can put it behind me, move onto the season and worry about what I really need to worry about."

What does Talib need to worry about? In my opinion it specifically relates to keeping his back healthy and avoiding setbacks related to it.

Talib missed three games last season due to a back injury that arrived unexpectedly during the season. Outside of that, Talib needs to keep shutting down opposing wide receivers and playing at an elite level.

"This is the time you deal with those back issues. I’m about eight months removed from the gunshot wound, so this is the time to heal all that stuff up, heal everything and get healthy. This is how you deal with it instead of sitting on the couch. Waking up every morning and going to do something productive."

Talib was referring to was being around his teammates and being on the field, whether that means taking mental reps if the ability to produce physical ones isn’t an option. Talib has shown a lot of growth since the incident and even into last season.

Aside from Von Miller, Talib was also one of the Broncos most dominant defenders. His level of play gave him the respect and recognition deserved as he was voted to the Pro Bowl.

With Denver’s first day of mini-camp in the books, Talib mentioned how important urgency was at this point.

"I feel like our urgency is there. In all honesty, I don’t think our urgency was there last year. We were kind of in recover mode the whole offseason. Our urgency is there. I think that is where it starts. We’re going to work. It’s just about how urgent we are. I feel like the urgency is definitely there."

Embracing Change:

The biggest change for Talib and the Broncos as a whole revolve around coaching and culture. Wade Phillips is gone, Gary Kubiak is also gone. Enter Joe Woods and Vance Joseph.

When Talib asked how these changes may impact the defense, Talib switched the narrative to how things can remain similar.

"It’s still a real Joe Woods-like feeling in our room with ‘Marc-Rob’ (Marcus Robertson, Denver’s new Defensive Backs Coach) and Johnnie Lynn. It’s very similar as a matter of fact. A few new things, but it’s pretty similar”Talib’s Draft Takes:"

As the NFL Draft approaches, Talib reflected on his draft day experience  and gave reporters a glimpse of what he would like the Broncos to do on Thursday.

"A couple of GMs that said they were going to pick me didn’t pick me. Jon Gruden was a man of his word. He said if I get there at No.20, he was going to pick me. As soon as 20 came, I saw that 813 area code. It was a great day."

When asked what type of players he likes in this draft, Talib remarked:

“Guys who can do multiple things.” (McCaffrey hint?) However, Talib hinted that he really liked Adoree’ Jackson, Cornerback from USC.

"I really like Adoree’ Jackson, the guy from ‘SC.’ I think he’s going to be the one of out of this class. He just has that ‘it’ factor. Any time you leave college scoring that many touchdowns doing that many things, you’re a hell of a football player."

Who knows, maybe Jackson will end up as a Denver Bronco. It would add another versatile play-maker to the defense, but us defensive back gurus are biased when it comes to good DBs.

Could Denver potentially draft a future replacement of Talib? It’s quite possible.

Closing Remarks

Aqib Talib spoke briefly on how important it was in his opinion that the Broncos picked up Domata Peko and Zach Kerr to beef up the defensive line.

"They have size in there. I felt like we were kind of light inside last year."

Adding those key players may be the answer to Denver’s issue last season in stopping the run.

"That size, just that size, that beef in there, is going to help us out a lot."

Talib was asked how DeMarcus Ware’s retirement may affect his approach in leading this season on the field. “I don’t feel pressure, but I feel like it’s my job. it’s definitely my job and my role. I take on that role anyway.”

If you would like to catch Talib’s press conference you can catch all of the highlights below!

What are your thoughts Broncos Country?