ENGLEWOOD – John Elway had read about Aqib Talib’s criticism of his work.
Talib was a four-time Pro Bowl cornerback in his four years with the Broncos. His hot competitive temper got him in trouble on the field, but his nature also was laced with candidness, which he unleashed when the mood struck him.
He felt it during an interview with Monday Morning Quarterback when he was asked about the Broncos’ fall from Super Bowl 50 champs in 2015 to 5-11 in 2017.
“Maybe they should stop firing all the dogs,’’ Talib said in a not-so-veiled shot at Elway’s decision-making. “That team was full of dogs and now they’re all gone. So, stop firing all the dogs.’’
It was so Talib. You could hear him say it in that high-pitch voice of his.
“I laughed because I knew it came from Aqib,’’ Elway said while smiling during a sit-down interview with 9NEWS. “Aqib was a great player for us a long time. I like Aqib a lot. But he’s got his opinions and when he’s the GM he can keep all the dogs – whatever that means.’’
By dogs, Talib was no doubt referring to Malik Jackson, T.J. Ward and himself. Money was the big reason why the Broncos didn’t retain Jackson. They tried, but after paying him $1.5 million in 2015, it was difficult to match the contract he got in Jacksonville, which paid him $18 million in 2016.
Ward and Talib were let go because of the combination of their own fairly high salaries and the fact there were young players ready to replace them.
“Obviously, we had a lot of good players and we were so good on defense,’’ Elway said. “Danny Trevathan, throw Danny Tevathan in there. I’d have loved to keep everybody. It would have made my job a lot easier if we can keep everybody together all the time. But with the players and money that’s involved, it’s very difficult.’’
Talib was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in March for a fifth-round draft pick. That’s one way to put it. Another is Talib’s way, which is to say he got fired. The Rams plays the Broncos in Denver on October 14.
The Broncos will try to stop one of their old dogs from having a day.
