Derrick Brooks Believes Aqib Talib Is A “Changed Man”

Buccaneer great Derrick Brooks believes that Aqib Talib is now on the straight and narrow and that was one of the points he hit on Wednesday morning when he visited the Ron and Ian Show on 620 WDAE.

“I honestly believe that Talib is a changed man,” Brooks said as he talked about the current state of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “I’ve been in touch with him and I believe that.”

Brooks also pointed out that Talib has a clean slate with the new coaching staff. “Schiano knows about the past stuff but he’s also got a clean slate with the new staff and he’s doing everything that they ask of him.”

Talib, who had charges against him in Dallas dismissed this week, could still face action from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

When Brooks was asked about the reported incident where defensive tackle Brian Price allegedly punched first round pick Mark Barron in a team meeting room, Brooks was quick to point out his views on fighting:

“You know how Tony Dungy felt about fighting. If you wanted a day off, just get in a fight at practice and see how fast you were sent to the locker room. Fighting at practice, as far as Tony Dungy was concerned, showed a lack of discipline and he believed that lack of discipline could show up on game day.”

Brooks also said that Barron needs to respect the veteran players on the roster. “I know Warren Sapp had that problem,” Brooks said, recounting Sapp’s rookie year. “Once Warren got that under control, he ended up having a really good second half of the season.”

Brooks also touched on the defense. “You have to buy in to the new staff,” he said. “People forget that our team lost six games in a row back then. We looked undisciplined in the process, while we were learning (the new system).”

Brooks also said he wants to see Gerald McCoy play a full 16-game season. “I want to see him healthy, I want to see him play 16 games, then we’ll know what he’s got. At times, you could see that spark in him, but I want to see him play 16 games.”

Brooks also said the team was in need of discipline “in all facets.” He also said that when a disciplinarian comes in, sometimes it doesn’t set well with veteran players. “When Mike Tomlin first went to Pittsburgh,” Brooks recalled, “the veterans hated him. They complained about college-type discipline. But three or four years later, they all loved him.”

Brooks cited the obvious lack of discipline during the 2011 season. “You could see it on the field,” he said.