Aquib Talib isn’t worried about Rams’ locker room...

Aqib Talib isn't worried about Rams' locker room, says 'ask Bill Belichick' how he was as teammate

Andrew Ortenberg

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

The Los Angeles Rams made a number of splashy acquisitions this offseason. With all the new faces, on paper, they’re arguably the most talented team in the entire league. Nobody can dispute the talent the team has assembled, so most media skepticism of the Rams has been about how they’ll be able to deal with all the big personalities — mostly on defense — that they have in the locker room. One of those so-called big personalities isn’t buying it, and is starting to push back on that narrative.

In a recent interview from training camp with Doug Gottlieb of Fox Sports, Aqib Talib rejected the notion there would be any locker room disharmony, saying “that’s just the stuff the media portrays” before imploring people to check his past.

“Go ask Bill Belichick, and guys like [former Patriots teammate] Devin McCourty what type of teammate I was,” he said.

Talib played for New England in 2012 and 2013 and he has a good point, Belichick isn’t the type to tolerate any locker room drama.

Talib didn’t just defend himself, he also came to the defense of his teammates who have faced similar whispers about their attitudes, saying “all of us, one thing we’ve got in common, we’ve been great teammates.”

“Go ask guys like [Derrick] Johnson and Eric Berry what type of teammate Marcus Peters was,” he continued. Once you dig into their respective pasts, “then you’ll see” what type of people they really are, Talib argued.

Talib summed it up by saying “the media sees one thing, they don’t see how we vibe as a team.” He’s got a right to be angry, as the collective character of the team has effectively been impugned with the constant questions about whether they’ll all get along. Talib and Peters have already formed a close bond, and Ndamukong Suh has transitioned onto the team seamlessly.

While it’s true that Suh, Peters, and Talib all have big personalities and reasonably sized egos, the issue is almost certainly overblown and likely concocted purely as a counter to all the positive hype surrounding the team. The players and coaches don’t seem at all concerned, and Rams fans have no reason to be at this point either.