Month: July 2017

Aqib Talib

Aqib Talib:  A Cornerback’s 

Story

Aqib Talib
Aqib Talib

Early Life

Aqib Talib is the cornerback for the Denver Broncos in his 10th season in the NFL and was part of the Super Bowl 50 Championship team. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, with his parents, Theodore and Donna Henry, and three other siblings. At the age of 13, his parents divorced and Aqib moved to Texas with his mother, where he attended Berkner High School in Richmond.

Date of birth: February 13, 1986 (age 31)
Place of birth: Cleveland, Ohio
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)

High School Career

Aqib excelled in football, track and field, and baseball during his high school days; he was named the Defensive Back of the Year at Berkner High School and was awarded first-team all-district and first-team all-city honors. Despite being considered to play college football at Wyoming, Tulsa, Kansas State, and Baylor, Aqib chose to play for the University of Kansas. By his junior in college, Aqib was known as one of the best defensive players in college football.

NFL Draft

His biggest accolade came in the 2008 Orange Bowl when he returned an interception for a touchdown and won the game’s Most Valuable Player award. After a great junior season, Aqib decided to skip his senior year and enter the 2008 NFL draft.  Aqib Talib was drafted in 2008 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the 20th pick of the 1st round. There he racked up many interceptions and proved why he was a first round pick. Due to tensions with the coaching staff and a suspension due to taking performance enhancing drugs, Talib was traded to the New England Patriots in 2012. During his first game as a Patriot, Aqib Talib returned an interception 59 yards for a touchdown, proving his tenacity on the defensive end.

Career History

Aqib Talib NFL Career

In his one year with the Patriots, Aqib Talib proved to be one of the leagues best defensive players, racking up multiple interceptions and suppressing some of the leagues greatest wide-receivers such as Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons and Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints.

Though he suffered a hip injury during the AFC Championship Game, he was selected for the 2013 Pro-Bowl and honored for the 2013 All-Team at cornerback. In March 2014, Aqib Talib signed a six-year, 57-million dollar contract with the Denver Broncos. During the 2015 season, Talib improved the Broncos defense with his strict coverage on some of the league’s premier receivers, ultimately helping the Broncos make a run for the championship in Super Bowl 50. The Broncos faced the Carolina Panthers, and it was the first Super Bowl appearance for Talib.

He picked up 2 personal fouls during the game, but racked up five tackles and two deflected passes, as the Broncos went on to defeat the Panthers and win their 3rd Super Bowl Championship. Some of Aqib Talib’s best stats include: 33 career interceptions, 337 combined tackles, and 3 fumbles forced. Aqib Talib had 12 pass deflections in the 2016 season with the Broncos. One of those interceptions was returned for a 46-yard touchdown to win the game in week 2 of the season, Marking his 5th return for a touchdown and setting a new franchise record. Talib was ranked 34th in the 2016 Top 100 players in the NFL. He is now a 4-time Pro Bowl attendee and was named First Team All-Pro in 2016.

Career stats

Aqib Talib picked up 2 personal fouls during the game, but racked up five tackles and two deflected passes, as the Broncos went on to defeat the Panthers and win their 3rd Super Bowl Championship.Some of Aqib Talib’s best stats include: 33 career interceptions, 337 combined tackles, and 3 fumbles forced. Aqib Talib had 12 pass deflections in the 2016 season with the Broncos. One of those interceptions was returned for a 46-yard touchdown to win the game in week 2 of the season, Marking his 5th return for a touchdown and setting a new franchise record. Talib ranked 34th in the 2016 Top 100 players in the NFL. He is now a 4-time Pro Bowl attendee and was named First Team All-Pro in 2016. 

Aqib Talib Career stats at Broncos

Year
Team
COMB
AST
Sack
INT
YDS
TD
2016
Broncos
43
11
0.0
3
86
1
2015
Broncos
45
6
0.0
3
123
2
2014
Broncos
64
9
1.0
4
62
2

See also

  • Top 10 Best Broncos Players 2017… Read More
  • 10 Best Broncos Players of All Time…. Read More

Ray Rice

Ray Rice

Baltimore Ravens Running Back

Ray Rice (Raymell Mourice Rice) was born January 22, 1987 New York. Rice’s interest in football began back in high school, when he was the main running back of the Huguenots team, coached by Lou DiRienzo. Rice’s High School team was almost unbeatable during the three seasons when Ray was part of the team, losing a single game in each of the three seasons. Rice is the state record holder in yards distance in one full game, during which he has scored a total 462 yards on 42 carries. During his college years at Rutgers, when Ray Rice played for the Scarlet Knights team, he led the team to its first victory in 25 years. In 2006 his team got it’s highest ever season ending rank in the national polls.

Professional Career:

Rice’s first NFL game was in 2008 season against Bengals. He achieved a team-high 22 carries, in a total of 64 yards. Ray Rice completed his 2008 season with 107 carries in 546 rushing yards and 273 receiving yards in thirty-three receptions. During 2009, Ray Rice was chosen to the 2010 Pro Bowl, for the first time in his career. He was recruited by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2008 NFL draft and agreed to a 4-years deal worth $2.8 million plus plus a $1.1 signing bonus. In 2012 Rice has signed a 5-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens for $35 million, after he was franchise tagged during the off-season. On February 3, 2013, in Super Bowl XLVII, the Baltimore Ravens won against San Francisco 49-ers , and Rice earned his first Super Bowl Ring.

Career Statistics:

During his professional career, Ray Rice has played a total of 92 games with 1430 Rushing attempts totaling 6,180 yards and 369 receptions for a total of 3,034 yards. Throughout his career, Rice received several awards:
Super Bowl Champion (XLVII), AFC Rushing touchdowns leader (2011) and NFL scrimmage yards leader (2011).
Rice was selected for Pro Bowl three times (2009, 2011, 2012) and twice for Second-team All-Pro (2009 and 2011).

Contribution to Baltimore Ravens:

During his career in the Ravens, Rice has achieved several records for the team. On December 20, 2010 in a game with the New Orleans Saints team, Rice made a career-best 233 yards and two touchdowns. That was the third biggest distance in the history of the Baltimore Ravens. Following that achievement, Rice has been awarded with his first “AFC offensive player of the week” award. On January 9, 2011, in a game versus Kansas City Chiefs, he became the first running back of the Ravens team to get a receiving touchdown within a playoff game. While he was suspended for domestic violence, Rice got released by the Baltimore Ravens on September 8, 2014.

 

Recommended Articles on Ray Rice

  • Momentum Building For Ray Rice to Possibly Return This Season | ESPN
  •  Ray Rice’s Amazing Story… Read More. 
  • Fueled by tragedy, Ravens’ Rice never has forgotten roots on ascent to NFL stardom .. Read More