Talib suffered no structural damage to knee
The now infamous hit delivered by Wes Welker to Patriots star cornerback Aqib Talib on Sunday did not apparently cause any serious injury to Talib, which is somewhat surprising given the fact the corner was unable to return to the game for another snap.
According to Nick Underhill of MassLive.com, Talib suffered no structural damage to his knee (although the injury was originally reported as being rib-related) and was in fact just "banged up."
It seems hard to believe that Talib wouldn't have at least made an attempt to get back in the game if he was just a bit dinged up, especially as the receiver he had held to one catch through the first quarter, Demayrius Thomas, torched Alfonzo Dennard.
All that being said, it is good to hear that Talib does not have any serious injury, as it remains possible he could be back next year and into the future. In the early stages of the season, Talib showed his ability to be one of the top corners in the game when healthy. However, he never played at that level again since a seemingly chronic hip issue (which knocked him out of last year's AFC Championship game) flared up in Week 6 against the Saints.
While Talib has apparently developed a strong bond with coach Bill Belichick and developed a reputation as a great teammate as well, whether or not the team is willing to invest big bucks (which Talib will certainly command in free agency) is still very much up in the air. The last time they had a corner as talented as Talib (Asante Samuel) they let him walk.
Along with Julian Edelman, Talib will be the most sought-after free agent who could potentially hit the market come March. We will see if the notoriously penny-pinching Pats are willing to fork over the dough for their trash-talking, shutdown defender.
@LiamPCunningham
@PatriotsLife
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| Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images |
According to Nick Underhill of MassLive.com, Talib suffered no structural damage to his knee (although the injury was originally reported as being rib-related) and was in fact just "banged up."
It seems hard to believe that Talib wouldn't have at least made an attempt to get back in the game if he was just a bit dinged up, especially as the receiver he had held to one catch through the first quarter, Demayrius Thomas, torched Alfonzo Dennard.
All that being said, it is good to hear that Talib does not have any serious injury, as it remains possible he could be back next year and into the future. In the early stages of the season, Talib showed his ability to be one of the top corners in the game when healthy. However, he never played at that level again since a seemingly chronic hip issue (which knocked him out of last year's AFC Championship game) flared up in Week 6 against the Saints.
While Talib has apparently developed a strong bond with coach Bill Belichick and developed a reputation as a great teammate as well, whether or not the team is willing to invest big bucks (which Talib will certainly command in free agency) is still very much up in the air. The last time they had a corner as talented as Talib (Asante Samuel) they let him walk.
Along with Julian Edelman, Talib will be the most sought-after free agent who could potentially hit the market come March. We will see if the notoriously penny-pinching Pats are willing to fork over the dough for their trash-talking, shutdown defender.
@LiamPCunningham
@PatriotsLife
