Aqib Talib (cornerback, #31) was truly a blessing to the Patriots' defense when Bill Belichick made a deal to get him earlier this season.

To give you a little background on Talib, he was a first-team All-American at the University of Kansas in his final season as a junior, and topped his career off with an MVP performance at the Orange Bowl. He was ranked a top 10 prospect, but was chosen 20th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft (chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Talib has gotten into his fair share of trouble, including getting into a fistfight with another Tampa Bay rookie, punching a taxi driver, pointing a gun at his sister's boyfriend, and getting suspended for using a performance enhancing drug. 3 weeks into his 4-game suspension earlier this season, he became a member of the Patriots.

“I had heard about the Patriots and the way they do things, all that stuff,” said Talib. “You know what? It’s true. This is heaven. This is football heaven.”

All of Talib's teammates have amazing things to say about him and the way he plays:

“I don’t think people realize how good of a football player Aqib is,” said Patriots backup wide receiver and special teams wizard, Matthew Slater. “He’s got size. He’s got athleticism. He added a dimension to our defense that we didn’t have. He’s not only brought a lot to our defense, but he’s brought a lot to our team.”

”I love him. Everybody here loves him,” said Patriots safety Patrick Chung. “He has fit in really well. He has a lot of confidence. He can cover. He can tackle. I couldn’t say enough good things about Aqib. He’s the real deal.”

During the two short months that Talib has been with the Patriots, none of the trouble has followed him. He truly is a wonderful addition to the Patriots and will help them so much in their Super Bowl attempt this season. It will be exciting to see how far he goes individually and how far he can help take the team in seasons to come.