Aqib Talib Is Not An Elite Player
May 15th, 2011
When Texas authorities accused Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib or pistol whipping and shooting at a fleeing victim recently, it was just another in an escalating series of violent acts by the Bucs former first round draft pick.
Many local media members demanded Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik jettison Talib the instant a CBA is in place, or the American judicial system orders NFL owners back to work as normal.
Many Bucs fans howled upon hearing this, claiming the Bucs would crumble before their very eyes and become the Yucs without Talib on the roster.
Khaled Elsayed of ProFootballFocus.com isn’t a Talib apologist. Though he writes that Talib is a good cornerback, Elsayed doesn’t see Talib among the NFL’s best.
Because you just can’t trust Aqib Talib. Regardless of whether this latest incident sees him facing any follow up action, do you really think Talib is going to turn into the model player? Even from an on the field point of view, it’s not as if Talib is one of the leagues’ elite corners that you can look past indiscretion after indiscretion. That’s not to say Talib isn’t a good player. He’s always had a positive grade in our coverage rankings, but never challenged the top guys with his tendency to give up too many touchdowns.
This reminds Joe of what his good friend Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch told Joe this past season: That Talib is a gambler. And what happens when you gamble? You get burned.
As Joe has written before, elite cornerbacks don’t volleyball touchdowns to the opponent like Talib did against Pittsburgh. Elite cornerbacks haul those passes in, not assist in two offensive touchdowns.
May 15th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
Lol, hop off aqibs d*ck.. your opinion of a volley ball pass is so stupid. one game, second year as a full starter. God im on your side now. I really hope he doesnt play just so i can laugh and say I told you so.
May 15th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Talib is an elite corner, he is also an elite d bag, cut him.
May 15th, 2011 at 6:30 pm
Elite or not, I want him in red n pewter next year. We will not digress to being the Yucs without him, but we will be better with him.
Thomas, if being an elite Dbag warranted being fired, unemployment rates would be even worse. Thered be no cops, society would run amok, and Tony Dungy would be president of the world.
May 15th, 2011 at 6:41 pm
Talib is a very good corner but not elite. He has great quickness and ball skills, but not elite closing speed. This is why when he lines up against an elite receiver, he gets burned deep at least once per game. When he gets beat, he stays beat, unlike the Deion’s or Revis’ who could recover even when a receiver gets a step on them.
May 15th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
Save revis, namdi, maybe woodson, possibly a couple more like mccourty, Talib is arguably a top 5 corner- elite by my def. Yes talib gambkes, so did darrell green. Talib does not have deion speed but who does, his speed is average to above average.
The prob with talib is he is an idiot and needs strong discipline and structure, this is the last place to find that. Rah is more likely to chest bump him than discipline him, so he must go.
May 15th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
Thank you he is not a top 5 DB period point blank !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 15th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
if talib could stay healthy and out of trouble then i think he could become an elite corner. as it stands now, he is an often injured trouble maker with the skills and potential to be the best in the game, but i doubt we’ll ever see him reach his pinacle
May 15th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
Well put and well justified now lets start the season already so Aqib can have a chip in his shoulder…
May 15th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Talib has elite talent. But I agree, he has yet to put it all together on the field….
May 15th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
Aqib Talib is an elite dumbass.
May 15th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
People are just looking for excuses so he can be cut. Talib is a damn good corner! 6 INT’s last year and he only played in 11 games! Biggers was ok but he couldn’t produce turnovers like Talib did!
Next excuse you’ll hear: He hasn’t been to one pro bowl. Ya know why? Cause he plays for the Bucs, and we never get the attention we deserve from the media.
May 15th, 2011 at 11:04 pm
I’ve said that for weeks. I doubt some of the readers will still listen. I hope they do, and realize that Talibs selfish behavior hurts the team, and that his selfish play also hurts the team. He has the talent to be a decent CB. His lack of respect for his team – on the field and off- makes him more of a problem than he is a solution. He won’t be hard to replace with an upgrade.
May 15th, 2011 at 11:13 pm
Still see people throwing out the word “Elite” regarding Talib. Haven’t seen anyone in the NFL- in any capacity- use that word regarding Aqib. Only see it posted here. If Talib was a shut down corner, we wouldn’t of had to play a 3-3-5 defense last season to protect the secondary for all the long TD passes we endured the year before. Do you guys remember two years ago? All the long TD passes that drove us all crazy? Who was our “Elite” CB? Yeah, same guy. How he went from hated two years ago, and torched frequently, to Elite this year- despite us having to play a 3-3-5 to cover for him, is just beyond me! Leave him alone in 4-3-4 coverage, and we would still be getting torched for 50+ yard TDs twice a game
May 15th, 2011 at 11:21 pm
And the same posters laugh at the idea that Penn is a top 5 LT. The only guy to start every game on the line, playing half the season on a line fulla Rookies. Blount got a 1000 TDs rushing, Freeman throws for 26 TDs, yet no one thinks Penn is top 5. I have great respect for all of my fellow posters here, but sometimes I wonder what team you’re watching? Except for BigMacAttack, who must break down tape to be on the mark that often!
May 16th, 2011 at 3:29 am
Capt.,
Sorry, but I can just about guarantee you the 3-3-5 defense was not created to cover for Aqib Talib. That’s pure silly talk. I think deep down you know it too. I do not remember us getting torched by the long ball 2 years ago, but even if it did, that would have been his rookie year. All I remember from that year is the last 4 games, every team running it down our throat play after play after play. I don’t recall ANYONE hating him for his play on the field. And not to be a smart arse (although I guess I am being one), isn’t anyone replaceable with an upgrade? Besides Nmadi (who I don’t believe we are going to make a big play for), I don’t see any other upgrades that are available.
I personally don’t think Talib is elite yet, but I think he is on the doorstep. I don’t think there is much doubt that he would have been a Pro-bowl player last year had he not been injured. That may not be elite, but certainly very good. He does get beat too often to be elite, but he makes a lot of plays also. I think with time and maturity (on the field maturity), he will reduce those mistakes. For the record, I do think Donald Penn is elite.
Again, you have every right to dislike Talib. He’s earned that from the fans for his actions. I don’t even care if Thomas trashes him. I don’t think we should cut him (if he’s found to have not used the gun), but if we do I won’t shed a tear. However, you are making like he’s some scrub out there that has been holding us back for 3 years. That is absolutely 100% ridiculous. We don’t beat Cincinnati, and probably not Arizona, without him last year. That is 2 wins. Granted he screwed up against Pittsburgh, but let’s be honest, we weren’t beating them no matter what. I think you are setting yourself up for major disappointment, because I think there is a very strong chance we don’t cut Talib this year.
May 16th, 2011 at 6:38 am
Sooo, does anyone remember waaaay back two whole years ago, when we were giving up 2+ TDs a game of over 40 yards? We actually fired a defensive co- ordinator, and Raheem took over a pretty much helpless defense? Ya know, they have proven that goldfish remember up to 6 months. Please tell me that Buc fans remember two seasons ago!!! And Hawaiian, if we didn’t Play a 3-3-5 defense to protect the secondary- why did we play it? It sure wasn’t helping to stop the run!!! You think we were playing it just to “silly”???. Unbelievable! We were arguing for weeks about the 3-3-5 defense just a couple of months ago, with Steve White -among others- stating that we played a 3-3-5 as a base defense last season. Again- no one remembers Us giving up long TDs every game two seasons ago?
May 16th, 2011 at 6:44 am
Geez Joe, they won’t believe Talib isn’t “Elite”, despite all the expert opinions you’ve produced. Maybe if you reprinted an article from Two years ago, complete with their comments, -regarding our pass defense two years ago! Maybe that might dispel the illusion of Aqib the elite! You’ve certainly done a great job providing evidence to the contrary, but some just remain convinced that Talib is the second coming of Lester Hayes or Darrell Green!
May 16th, 2011 at 7:18 am
I liked the earlier comment about Talib being an elite dumbass. A whole lotta truth in that characterization.
Talib is a retarded thug, makes Raheem look like man genius.
Anyone who apologizes for Talib are dumb thugs too. You know who you are dummies 😀
May 16th, 2011 at 7:22 am
Tim you are right about our defense getting bombed. Huluhoop doesnt want to even acknowledge the Bucs two years ago. In fact, he tried to mistake it for Grudens last year. Sad that people cant just admit the truth when it comes to making this team better. All they want to do is to protect they thug brothas.
May 16th, 2011 at 7:32 am
THe NFLPA voted Talib the Defensive Back of the Year for 2010 despite playing only 11 games.
I think that is a collection of “experts” who votes him not only Elite and top 5, but the best defensive back in the NFL.
Argument over. Next.
May 16th, 2011 at 7:57 am
The NFLPA vote is always political. It was a show of support for Talib during (I think) the cabbie incident. None of the same players voted for him to go to the ProBowl, you’ll notice. The NFLPA is a political organization with an agenda. That’s why no one really publizes or pays attention to their votes!
May 16th, 2011 at 8:49 am
Come on tim. Think about how ridiculous that is: the nflpa got together and schemed to make aqib talib d back of the year for “political reasons” related to talib punching a cabby even after criminal, civil and league action was concluded. Huh? What political sense does that make?
Sometimes it is better to stop digging when you are stuck in a hole.
May 16th, 2011 at 9:32 am
Thomas 2.2 inches, that , friend, is advice I believe best to be heeded by you. You have lived in a hole on this site since I got here, years ago .
Yes, hard to believe the Players associationcould be politically motivated in their actions! Have you read Faines bungled “anchovies and Crackers” speech? That was a text book issuance from the Player’s association! Except our dear center confused” anchovies” instead of “sardines”, thus making the entire message laughable!! Yeah, you don’t think the NFLPA is a political body- watch the lock out videoes!
May 16th, 2011 at 10:40 am
Tim,
You know I wasnt saying that there is nothing political about the NFLPA. There are very political as it relates to Player compensation, working condictions, member safety issues etc. I don’t know what Anchovies and Sardines has to do with Aqib Talib being an elite corner.
Lets summarize; you said:”Still see people throwing out the word “Elite” regarding Talib. Haven’t seen anyone in the NFL- in any capacity- use that word regarding Aqib. Only see it posted here.”
I said to disprove your statement: “THe NFLPA voted Talib the Defensive Back of the Year for 2010 despite playing only 11 games.”
The NFLPA is part of the NFL community and they don’t post here. Any political components of the organization have nothing to do with Talib getting that award, or anchovies or sardines. Your opinions, arguments are ludicrous as always. You wont admit Talib is excellent b/c it doesnt serve your narrative that Gruden didnt acquire any good young talent. Talib, T Jax, D Joseph, Faine, Ruud Caddy, E Graham, Zuttah, all quality players (even though some have character issues).
Injuecting Sardines and Anchovies really stunk up your credibility.
May 16th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Tim,
First of all, it wasn’t the NFLPA that voted him D-Back of the year. It was the NFL Alumni, big difference. Second, I said the 3-3-5 wasn’t there to protect Talib specifically.
When you said 2 years ago, I was thinking 2008 (Gruden’s last year). But I guess that would be 3 years ago now, my bad. Still yet, Talib was not the problem that year in my opinion. You can’t blame one man for the struggles of an entire defense. Whether or not he is elite is arguable. However, he is our best CB, and he is at minimum a very good player. I really don’t see how anyone can argue that. Scumbag, probably; very good player, definitely.
May 16th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
@RWBRB
It’s hula hoop, moron. Learn to spell if you are going to try to criticize. It makes you appear less stupid, which is very important for you.
I am not protecting Talib. If you could read, you would know that. Like I said, if we cut him, that’s fine with me. He did it to himself, and it is completely justified. However, it’s crazy for people to make as if Talib is not a good player. They are confusing his play on the field with his behavior off of it.
May 16th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
This is getting old. You post one persons opinion, and the heavens open up and it must be true. WTF ever. On the field dude is the best we have to line up everyplay at DB. We ran 3-3-5 to protect lesser talented players *cough* Biggers, Mack. Lewis has potential and Rhonde is the ageless wonder who has to run out of juice at somepoint. So he can’t be relied on. We have no one else to put out there. Sign one of the 3 big name FA CBs and I will shut up. (Nnamdi, Cromartie, Joseph). But until then, Talib is the best we have. And he gets along great with the team and works his ass off in practice. Thats not a bad teammate. Buy him a babysitter, because if we get no one else to replace him. This will be a very long year because we have no true cover corners if he is gone! Period!!!
May 16th, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Thank you Hawaiian Buc. His play on the field is being downgraded because of his off field problems. They are two unrelated things, when your talking about a players talent on the field.
May 17th, 2011 at 6:21 am
While trying to injure our All pro left tackle( who truly is irreplaceable) with his helmet, he split Torrie cox face open, exposing Bone, and requiring surgery. I don’t know where you guys get your info, or if you make it up, but Talib has no friends on the team, Carter was one of the few guys that didn’t dislike the squeaky Lil guy.
May 17th, 2011 at 6:31 am
If you read the the article by the Reporter who covered his college, he said Aqib was the worst Jerk he ever met. If you read Jeff Faine’s quotes, it was obvious that he hates the guy( common among Buc Players)! Where do you get “good teammate” from? The Bucs tried to get a quote from the team, to do damage control after Talibs latest event. The only player to speak up for Aqib was Carter, who has been gone for Three years, but still wants a try out! He is openly hostile to local media! How many ways can people tell you guys that this kid is an ignorant thug?????
May 17th, 2011 at 9:12 am
Capt.Tim:
Who is this mysterious “the Reporter?”
Joe is quite certain the Jayhawks have more than one reporter covering their games, both home and on the road.
May 17th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Last season he had no issues. He produced great numbers on the field and everyone knew coming out of college he was a trouble maker. I was very upset when we drafted this guy! Rashard Mendenhall and Chris Johnson were both still there. And Gruden picks a guy who was a “thug” and knew he wasn’t going to change.
After saying that…he is on our team. And, his talent level on the field is top 10 no doubt and you can’t argue that. We need to atleast get a draft pick for him. You just can’t cut someone this good!!!