Talib doesn't regret decision to come to Denver

In March of 2014 Aqib Talib “definitely came close” to re-signing with the New England Patriots, as he told the Boston Herald at the time, instead he signed with the Denver Broncos for six years and $57 million, including $26 million guaranteed, citing only the language of the contract as the deciding factor.

Talib had a successful season in 2014, helping the Broncos to a 12-4 record, but the Broncos, as you know, bowed out of the playoffs in the first round, while the team that he almost signed with went on to win the Super Bowl.

On Thursday, Talib was asked if a small part of him felt like he missed out on something, he answered quickly and bluntly.

“Nope,” he said before the reporter could even finish his question.

He’s glad to be here and the Broncos are glad to have him.

“Aqib is a clearly an outstanding corner,” quarterback Peyton Manning said of his teammate. “But he just has an awesome, high-energy personality that I think is contagious to not just the other defensive players, but the offensive players as well. He’s a great student of the game. I enjoy talking to him about coverages, route combinations and his understanding of some things that he sees that have helped me as a quarterback.

“Anytime you can have a veteran corner on your team that’s not only a great athlete but a great student of the game,” Manning added “And then you combine that with just being a funny guy with a great passion for life and football–I’ve really enjoyed playing with him these past couple of years.”

The Pro-Bowl corner did reflect a little bit on his time in New England.

“I learned how to be a professional,” Talib said. “Everything is straight up about football over there, no time for any extra stuff, straight football and they hold you accountable over there, I learned those two things.”

Talib now has the opportunity to make up for that Super Bowl trip he missed out on last year, a chance to leave the Patriots in the dust again on the way to the Super Bowl.

“I think I saw a quote from him a few days ago about how important this opportunity was to him,” head coach Gary Kubiak said of Talib. “The older you get, I think you begin to realize that these things don’t come around very often and you appreciate them. I think that’s what he was trying to say, but he’s always been a great team guy. He’s an emotional leader with the group. You lead when you work and he’s a worker.”

For Aqib and his teammates to take advantage of this opportunity, though, he and the rest of the defense are going to need to get aligned correctly.

“The greatest challenge is just getting in your right spot,” Talib explained. “They go so fast, they give you so many motions, smoke and mirrors and things like that. They try to confuse you, you just have to watch that tape, know where they’re going to end up and know where you’re supposed to be.”

It going to be a massive challenge for the entire Broncos defense, going against Tom Brady and a full compliment of weapons, and with Chris Harris laboring a shoulder injury, the Broncos might more grateful now than ever before that Talib decided to put on the orange and blue.