It seems to be a constant in sports—player returns to face a former team and shows out proving even the most motivated individuals can dig deeper under certain circumstances.
On Sunday, in his homecoming to the team that drafted him in 2008, Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib didn’t waste any time in reintroducing himself to Tampa Bay. Talib intercepted Jameis Winston’s very first pass, returning it to the Tampa Bay 11-yard-line.
After that everything seemed to be downhill for the visiting Broncos, as Trevor Siemian found Demaryius Thomas for a touchdown on the very next play.
“Vincent Jackson was my man,” said Talib, explaining the play. “He ran under, he got cut by the inside guy, and I knew they were going to run a ‘follow’—it’s a route concept called a ‘follow,’—I knew they [were] running ‘follow,’ so I kind of waited for Chris [Harris, Jr.] to run it and jumped it. Good call by coach, man. We had a good idea what they [were] going to run. Good call by coach. We capitalized on it.”
Much like the rest of the Broncos defense, Talib is playing at an extremely high level this season, having already made his share of game breaking plays.
“He’s playing special,” said head coach Gary Kubiak about his star defensive back. “Obviously, he’s having a big year. We’re only one month into it, which is where you got to start. I had him talk to the team last night. Aqib was a hell of a player. He’s really turning into a leader and obviously played big today.”
As a leader on the Broncos all-world defense, Talib already has three interceptions this year, returning one for a touchdown. After his first pick Sunday, the former Kansas Jayhawk came through once again with the game all tied up at a touchdown apiece, picking off Winston a second time and putting Denver in great field position.
“With the assist, yeah,” said Trevor Siemian, the beneficiary of Talib’s two turnovers. “We were really fortunate to turn those into touchdowns. When you get [interceptions] you want to get touchdowns instead of field goals. We were really fortunate to do that there.”
As for his return to his former home, Talib didn’t downplay things.
“It was special, man,” said No. 21. “I got a warm welcome off the plane, into the hotel, on the field. Got a warm welcome, and to be able to put on show like that in front of the fans that I still have in Tampa, man, it was special.”
With the added motivation in his return to Florida, Talib also spoke on some tendencies he and his teammates noticed in the Bucs talented QB.
“Definitely, man. We were watching tape,” said Talib about the defense preparing for Winston. “We [saw] how confident he was in his arm so we knew we would have five to six opportunities today to get our hands on the football. I think we capitalized on three of them, so we’ll take that.”
The Broncos are now 4-0, with Talib’s interceptions changing the game for Denver much like his pick-six did Week 2 against the Colts. In his ninth season in the NFL, Talib is becoming a leader on and off the field. His return to Tampa proving that while he’s always been talented he’s transformed into a complete player who always seems to make the best of his opportunities.
