Rodney Harrison: Talib was "Out of Line"

If anyone knows anything about toeing the line, it's Rodney Harrison. The former Patriots safety earned his reputation as a ferocious hitter (some would say dirty) and passionate leader who brought a palpable intensity boost to every game he played in. He made plenty of enemies in his career, and jawed with plenty of them on the field.

However, it's hard to remember Rodney Harrison losing his composure to the point of hurting his team. That's what he believed Aqib Talib did during the Patriots Monday Night loss to the Panthers.

Via the Herald:

''I thought it was out-of-line. It's one thing to go up and jam a guy and to play press coverage and have that physicality at the line of scrimmage. But the way he grabbed and lost his composure, I knew it was over for him."

''Steve Smith, he lives for this. When you elevate Steve Smith's game by trying to outphysical him - I played against him in the Super Bowl - you can't. You can't intimidate him. He's one of the toughest guys to ever put on a football uniform at any position. That's what Steve does. He's a veteran player. He knows how to get in your head. He's going to irk you, and egg you on all game long. And I thought (Aqib) lost his composure and it ultimately hurt the team.''

There's not much to add here; Rodney is absolutely right.

The Talib-Smith matchup was one we were anticipating all week. It's a battle going back to Talib's time with the Bucs, playing Smith and the Panthers twice a year in the NFC South. It was a matchup that everyone knew would get testy, considering the trash-talking bravado of both players.

4 catches, 62 yards, 2 costly penalties and 2 memorable burns later, it was clear who the victor was. It was an embarrassing performance, as a national audience watched Talib allow Smith to redefine what it means to be inside an opponents head.

A quick glance at the Patriots schedule reveals matchups with Demaryius Thomas, Andre Johnson and Josh Gordon in the next three weeks. Here's to hoping Talib's hip allows him to turn this embarrassment into motivation to recall his early season shutdown form.