Favorite Broncos, No. 30

I miss football, and sports in general. I'm guessing you do, too. And in the place of actual games, we've been seeing a lot of countdowns of classic games, players, etc. And that got me thinking about my own favorite team, the Denver Broncos. I have loved the Denver Broncos since I was a little kid, more than 30 years of fandom. I started watching them in the late 1980s, and have been faithful ever since. So I thought it might be fun to take a little walk down memory lane and consider my favorite players from those teams. So this is just a personal list, that will be presented in reverse order starting at number 30. Agree, disagree, have your own stories? Share them in the comments.

No. 30 Aqib Talib (2014-2017)
About: Talib is one of several players on this list that were previously with teams I considered rivals. In fact, Talib was on the field for the Patriots during the AFC Championship game that sent the Broncos to their first Super Bowl with Peyton Manning. He started his career with the Buccaneers and then was traded to the Patriots. He was an integral part of their defense for a season and a half, then came to the Broncos via free agency. That was a big off-season, where John Elway the GM moved to build the defense. Talib was part of a group of free agent signings that included T.J. Ward and DeMarcus Ware that helped build the core of the Super Bowl winning team in 2015. And Talib was a huge piece of that on the field. He brought a swagger and intensity to the secondary, which became the legendary No Fly Zone. And his work on the field was crucial in Denver being dominant on defense. In four seasons and 58 games, Talib grabbed 11 INTs, two force fumbles and scored six touchdowns. That made him a game-changer, and he always seemed to come up with a big play when it was needed. Talib burned bright and fierce, and burned out after a short four-year period with the Broncos. He's since gone to the Rams and now is looking for his next team. But I will remember what he brought to the Broncos and the impact he made for the team that won Super Bowl 50. I'll also remember the personality her brought to the team, things like his feud with Michael Crabtree, and how that made games more fun at times, too. For that, he makes it onto this list of my 30 favorite players to wear the Broncos' colors.