Talib: 'It's a dream come true'

Aqib Talib was introduced Monday as the Bucs first round pick. If first impressions count for anything, he's an easy guy to like.

Aside from his obvious size and speed, Talib brings energy to the room.

The Kansas cornerback was asked about the origin of his name, a discussion that produced a zinger from Jon Gruden.

"It's a Muslim name," Talib said. "I know my first name means, 'the last to come.' I'm the youngest of four kids so my first name means the last to come. My last name means ... I don't know."

"His name means 'good corner,' I hope," Gruden deadpanned.

The first thing you notice about Talib is his size. He's 6-foot-1, 206 pounds with long arms and big hands. And check out the link on our website to a video of his touchdown against Tulsa, when he somersaults more than 5-yards into the end zone.

Talib arrived in Tampa Sunday night after a long delay at the DFW airport. When Aqib was an eighth-grader, his older brother pushed for a move to Texas from New Jersey to help with their respective football careers.

We'll obviously write a lot more about Talib in tomorrow's edition, including how he has learned to deal with testing positive for marijuana three times at Kansas. Talib has dealt with the issue head on and appears to have put all that behind him.

"It's just wonderful," Talib said. "It's a dream come true for me. It's an honor to be able to start my NFL career with this team, with this defense, to have a chance to be around Ronde Barber, Derrick Brooks and guys like that. It's an honor for me. I'm excited to be a Buccaneer."

"It's been all smiles for me. I'm excited. I don't need no sleep, I don't need nothing. It's a dream come true. I don't want to wake up."

[Photo by Carrie Pratt, Times]

Comments

[johnny]

Another thug who is made a millionaire...

[Oliver]

Everyone makes mistakes when they are young - the guy might be the Ronde Barber of the organisation in 10 years.

Great talent to have here.

[Josh]

Just because this guy has tested positive doesn't mean he's a thug. Young people do stupid things. If he was a whtie kid caught underage drinking no one would care.

[Tom]

You're an idiot Johnny. You know nothing of this kid. You talk a tough game behind a keyboard.

[Tim]

remember when "pot" was a death-wish for draft picks.. How things change for the good .. I wish the man nothing but success ..

[James]

Amen Josh

[Reality]

Little "Johnny" sounds like a bitter loser clinging to jealousy of others success. You haven't made any mistakes in life yet little Johnny? Get out of Mom and Dads refrigerator and get on with your own life.

[Nole]

Hope the Tampa press is as hard on the Bucs as they are on the Noles. Hey Gator and Bucs fans have you welcomed Geno to the Bucs yet??

[JS]

I hope he doesn't screw up his dream... I hope Ronde and Derrick guide him the right way.

[TrentDilferFan]

I love how the pot smoking thing makes him a thug. Look next to you in your office...that guy and his wife smoked pot last night. Ever heard of Warren Sapp?

[Doug]

A pretty narrow minded and offensive comment to call him a thug...

Let's not start confusing a few past examples of marijuana use with anything other than what a majority of Americans have probably done themselves.

Would Mike Alstott be a thug if you found out he smoked in college?

At this point, Aqib Talib seems to be a pretty bright and passionate young man. I'm excited to have him as a Buccaneer.

[DR]

Marijuana should be legalized anyways. Alcohol is far worse than Mary Jane. The ganja has proven to be great for medicinal use too. Look at Sapp. He smoked up a few times and besides him being blunt and honest, he had a HOF career with no problems.

[me]

Strange how if you smoke pot you are a thug, but it's ok to take heavy duty addictive pain killers the NFL teams give their players.

[Mark]

aqib talib is a very talented corner......... he has great awareness and he was a steal for us! Good pick.....

[g-13]

Yeah, legalize pot man.

[Brent]

Mark,
Looks like you and I are the only ones who care about football. The Kid has sick talent and his past is his past... Great pick up and should fit in nicely with this team... Go BUCS!!!!

[Kevin in North Carolina]

Y'all can shut up with the race stuff, because I'm sick of it...If he was white and had background issues then I'd still be cautious, so we can shut up with that crap...I'm starting to take these race comments to heart now, and when black people make comments about how the white people has it made and no one would care if Mike Alstott was a pot head then it bothers me, because if Mike was a pot head then he would have the same treatment, so we can all shut up with the stupid race issues...Calling Talib a thug was definitely a stupid comment, so why waste your time worrying about ignorance...You people realize that there are idiots that come on here just to get a rise out of people like you, just so you can make racial comments back...Grow up!..Clearly Talib made some mistakes in the past, but moving forward let us hope that he can be a staple in the Bucs defense for years to come...Being white myself, I wish him all the well, because everyone deserves a chance at prosperity...Ronde Barber is definitely the person to teach him about professionalism...Maybe some of you people could find a mentor who could teach y'all about professionalism...

[Mike]

I just hope that we don't regret passing on Mike Jenkins...I thought he was supposed to be our guy...

[DR]

I truly hope you DO have regrets about passing on Mike Jenkins!

[kp]

I hope the problems stay in the past and he becomes a terror!

Josh why are you going racist on us. No one mentioned his color except you!Get over it all ready!

[Angry Black Man]

yo Kevin in North Carolina ... you aiight with me

look for a kwanza card this year

PEACE OUT

[Kevin in North Carolina]

thanks ABM!
I hoped that I was doing enough black booty smoochin' around here to get me in favor with the bruthas.

Keep it real Home-Skillet!

[George]

He deserves a chance. Time will tell.

George

[Kevin in North Carolina]

While I am at it, does anyone need a mentor to show them how to kiss the colored man's rear end? I will even teach you how to tongue it real fast to absolve you of your guilt from the 60's. Try it ... it's liberating in a non-threatening way.

[Wayne]

"Johnny" is probably a Troll who supports some other team like the Eagles or the Rams.

[Sim]

Congrats Kevin, your last comment takes Johnny off the hook for his ignorance and utter stupidity.

[Aqib]

Our draft s*cked. Bruce Allen is a complete clown. Can we fire these idiots already?

Superbowl was an achievement, but it was done with Dungy's talent. Since then? A big pile of stinking dog doo.

[epbuc16]

johnny is a straight out dumbass who probably has no talent...and needs o shut up

[Kevin in North Carolina]

Yeah, legalize pot man.

[TAE AND KEV]

LETS REMEMBER GAINES SMOKED DOPE AND HE HAS TURNED OUT TO BE ALL RIGHT, MAYBE ALL OF THE BUCS SHOULD HIT THE BLUNT A TIME OR TWO.......

[Phil J.]

I HOPE he IS a thug....on the football field. I want to see him stealing passes, jacking up receivers and knocking anyone who comes across the middle tha hell OUT!

[jordan]

the kid who put his name under aquib is a d bag. the bucs didnt have a bad draft u idiot. I think that Talib was a great pick cuz he has speed and isnt afriad to hit someone. 2nd round was a nasty pick dexter jackson. no one knows of this kid, he has talent and could use him for special teams.this zuttah kid hasnt let up a sack in 2 years i dont know but that is saying something. and dre moore is just a huge d tackle that is fast and physical. I hate kids that dont know anything about our team.

[Kevin in North Carolina]

Again, ignorance is bliss...People pose as others to stir up things...The real Kevin in North Carolina doesn't post stupid things SIM...There will be posers, so if its ignorant then it ain't from me...The first message that and now this one is from me...

[Chance]

No one will be talking about this stupid marijuana thing or Jenkins when Talib shuts down a big reciever in a game...or when he is running back an interception for the game winning touchdown because our offense can't score any points! Then we won't be hearing a thing about POT! They will be saying, "YEA...I LOVE TALIB!"

You people are freaking morons. Pot is ILLEGAL. That means YOU CANNOT DO IT. Who cares if your average Joe does it? Nobody. But when you are auditioning to be a millionare and involuntary role model.

[Kevin in North Carolina]

on 2nd thought, you can't spell T-A-L-I-B-A-N without Talib

so he's a brutha of a terrorist mutha

back to Mayberry for me

OUT

[Tupac]

Remember what Tupac say:

"Thug Life"

[Sky]

I hope many of you were at Raymond James for the draft party...if you were when they called Aqib Talib's name, and I was the ONLY ONE JUMPING FOR JOY, I hope that you can learn to appreciate his talent! I called this pick out back in football season, which yes I am a Kansas fan and Alum, but he does fit Buc Ball. I am truly honored an so happy that Aqib is a Buccaneer...LET'S PLAY SOME FOOTBALL, Oh by the way...we ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL THIS YEAR IN TAMPA!!! BELIEVE IT!!! SKYRIDER

[Zain]

I looked it up.
Talib means STUDENT.

He's certainly no brother of a terrorist. It's wrong to criticize or stereotype people based on their name.

[Valrico Rick]

What did you guys do before blogs came along? Stand around a broken down car in your garage, drinking beer and raggin' on your crummy life. This kid took his athletic ability and turned himself into a professional athlete. Now he's rich and black and you can't stand it because your poor, white, and stupid. Do any of you honestly believe that this conversation has anything to do with pot? Jealousy motivates this kind of nonsense. Football blog anybody?

[Antidisestablishmentarianism]

Ignore the blog trolls, they have nothing better to do with their pathetic lives, until they find a fly to pull the wings off of.

[john]

WILL YOU GUYS PLEASE FORGET DUNGY HE DIDNT GET THE JOB DONE GRUDEN DID.GRUDEN GAVE US ENOUGH SCORING TO WIN GAMES ALL DUNGY COULD DO IS KICK FIELD GOALS.

[Kevin in North Cackalacky]

huh ha, legalize pot man.

[Tuck]

Some mistakes can be forgiven and some can't. Smoking pot in college will pretty much only keep you out of the CIA and the FBI – totally forgivable everywhere else. Shoot, didn't President Bill Clinton spark up? As long as Aqib's days of reefer-madness are behind him, I couldn't care less.

The Bucs picked up a hyper-talented, play-making corner. I think that Gruden finally realizes that this franchise wins with great defense; Bruce Allen did a very good job with the draft; and nobody is happier today than Monte Kiffin.

GO BUCS!!!

[John Klopfer]

How many readers haven't smoked pot? Even President Clinton smoked (even though he did not inhale) and we gave him the keys to the nuclear arsenal. I think we should cut the kid a break. Another troubled college "pot smoker" that spent a little time in Tampa...
Warren Sapp.

yea brent I agree with you!!!!!!!!!!!

[john]

talib is awsome great pick chucky and bruce.all of chucky and bruce haters are dumdasses.

[Rube]

Talib is a better cover corner than Jenkins and his upside is immense compared to him. He was a top 10 pick that fell because of those drug tests. Sound familiar? How about Warren Sapp back in the day. Jenkins will be a solid corner and perhaps safety later on in his career, Talib is a pro bowl corner!

[Geoff]

Hey guys, i have been coming here for awhile now but haven't really posted before, but after seeing all these dumb comments about Talib it has pissed me off a little so here we go: Talib is far better against the run then Mike Jenkins and his tackling skills are sick. Yeah he gets a little over zealous at times, but if i remember and i do because i watched him all year long, he had one bad game, actually one bad series all YEAR long. This guy is going to be a stud. It all starts with Talib and Gaines now, are defense will get younger and better. By the way Johnny and any other dummy who leaves thoughtless comments, your idiots. It would not let me post what i really thought.

[Geoff]

Hey guys, i have been coming here for awhile now but haven't really posted before, but after seeing all these dumb comments about Talib it has pissed me off a little so here we go: Talib is far better against the run then Mike Jenkins and his tackling skills are sick. Yeah he gets a little over zealous at times, but if i remember and i do because i watched him all year long, he had one bad game, actually one bad series all YEAR long. This guy is going to be a stud. It all starts with Talib and Gaines now, are defense will get younger and better. By the way Johnny and any other dummy who leaves thoughtless comments, your idiots. It would not let me post what i really thought.

[The Grader]

"By the way Johnny and any other dummy who leaves thoughtless comments, your idiots. It would not let me post what i really thought."

actually Einstein, you should have said:
YOU'RE idiots

you get a D for the day

THE ENGLISH LESSONS ARE FREE ON TUESDAYS

[GFrantz]

That's it? That is your come back? Wow you really are lame.

[The Grader]

some village is obviously short an idiot today --- go back home

but you're right ... how could I miss the following errors from G-Frantz, mental midget???

"Talib is far better against the run then Mike Jenkins and his tackling skills are sick."
it's THAN ... not "then"

"It all starts with Talib and Gaines now, are defense will get younger and better."
it should be OUR defense ...not "are"

your grade = F
attitude = Unacceptable

[Adam]

I stayed away from drugs my whole life. No pot, no nothing. I don't understand what's so hard about it? Anyone who tried drugs is a weak-minded person who doesn't have the guts and the fortitude to take on life using pure oxygen.

[GFrantz]

Oooooohhhhh mental midget, you got me there. Is that all you have, spelling issues? So i made some grammer mistakes sorry for being HUMAN. Anyway why so angry? Are you that 40yr old that is still livig with his mom in her basement. On the comp all day acting like you are tuff behind your KB? Or are you that 16yr old who just likes to talk smack all day on these websites? And that is how you feel good about yourself.

[GFrantz]

Adam, Sorry Talib is not perfect like you. Just because you try drugs doesn't mean you are weak minded. So because in my past when i was his age when i tried weed, i was weak minded? Haha i don't think so. Some people are built differently than others in this not so perfect world. So if someone wants to try weed while they are in college then go ahead. I just hope he understands that this isn't college and that this is the real world, which by his interview i think he does.

[GFrantz]

I'm not a smart man Jenny, but I know what weed does.

[The Grader]

If you’re trying to insult or come off witty, start by making a statement, not asking a question. Anyway why so angry? Are you that 40yr old that is still livig with his mom in her basement. No, say it with more conviction. Get out of your moms house, by the way living has an N in it not livig,and there should be a question mark after basement.

your grade = F
attitude = Unacceptable

[GFrantz]

Sorry if i am at work and don't have all day to check my spelling like you! Anyway i'm out!!!!

[The Grader]

The I in i'm out!!!! Should be capitalized

you get a D for the day

THE ENGLISH LESSONS ARE FREE ON TUESDAYS

[Joe Nigro]

I am a Bucs fan and a huge follower of College Football. A great talant was missed in the draft. He is a receiver from Nebraska named Murice Purify. If anyone know anyone in the Bucs organisation please tell them to sign this free agent and take a look. They will be shocked that he was missed.

[Jose de Mierda]

thanks Joe ... I get right on that for you amigo