Talib, a first-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2008, has been a borderline shutdown cornerback when he’s been at his best. He hasn’t yet gotten to that level in his four games with the Patriots, but he has delivered an attitude to the secondary, which has attacked the ball with more frequency.
That’s not all on Talib. The Patriots added emphasis to that area after an atrocious game against the Bills in Week 10, which coincidentally was their last week without Talib. Then again, they’ve credited his work ethic and willingness to buy into the program behind the scenes. They like working with him, and they trusted him with a starting job right away, which has led to more defined roles, added comfort in responsibility and a heightened desire to take more chances with schemes and plays on the ball.
“I think his ability as a football player to learn things, new concepts — just like everyone else out there — enables us to do those things,” defensive back Devin McCourty said. “I think him along with Alfonzo Dennard have done a good job of playing on the outside and then Kyle (Arrington) had another big game inside at the nickel.”
In Week 11, the Patriots added some picket-fence looks at the line to confuse Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, and that’s when the blitzes increased. In Week 13, they added more of a pass-rushing element up front by replacing Kyle Love with Brandon Deaderick. And last week, they utilized Talib in a shadowing role.
There’s no doubt Belichick has shown an added interest in trying new things with his defense in the last month, and Talib has played a part in that.