The Denver Broncos are the reigning Super Bowl champions, but one member of their stellar defense does not feel that the team is getting the credit it deserves heading into 2016.
Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib says Broncos players still talk among themselves about the lack of respect the media has been showing them.
“We still have conversations about our respect level. We still don’t feel like it’s there,” Talib recently told Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post. “I don’t know why. You all do all the writing and all the talking, and there a lot of questions, stuff about our performance. We still have a chip. We are going to make it a period instead of a question mark.”
The main question mark surrounding the Broncos is that the most experienced quarterback currently on their roster is Mark Sanchez. While Sanchez seems convinced he can win the starting job, some people doubt whether Denver’s defense will be enough to carry another team to a championship with mediocre play. Plus, as Talib mentioned, the Broncos will be treated like champions by opponents.
“It does feel different. We have a target on our back,” he said. “If they didn’t bring their best last year, they are going to now.”
Another issue for Denver is that Von Miller has yet to sign his franchise tender and the two sides are not close on a long-term extension. The situation could end up getting ugly, and you can read more about that here.
It would be very unwise to take the Broncos lightly heading into next season. But the team has some holes, and Talib might be interpreting the discussion about those holes as disrespect. If that helps motivate him and his teammates, more power to them.
H/T Shutdown Corner
