New England Patriots Matt Patricia on Aqib Talib

The New England Patriots secondary will receive the sizeable boost that they need going into Week 11’s game against Andrew Luck, Reggie Wayne, and the Indianapolis Colts when Talib will be able to join the Patriots after being traded by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is done serving his four-game suspension for Adderall after missing last week’s game against the Buffalo Bills, and it comes at a great time after both Kyle Arrington and Alfonzo Dennard struggled last week.

Matt Stamey-US PRESSWIRE

Matt Patricia talked about how transitioning at the cornerback position to a different scheme is not an easy task, “I don’t really think you can say any position in the NFL is easy to step into. I think obviously all the positions have fundamental skills and techniques along with different scheme responsibilities. I think they all have quite a bit of work that goes into playing them.”

When asked about how he would align Talib he said, “I think for us it definitely can depend on the week. Whatever it is we feel is going to be best for the game plan that week. We do try to be very multiple and all those things are taken into consideration when we do that. There are some instances when we do (assign cornerbacks to one side of the field) and when we don’t, so we do have the ability to do both.”

Of course, the New England Patriots love utilizing all of their players- especially CBs- on a matchup basis, but this last tidbit is of special note. It has been rumored that Alfonzo Dennard and Devin McCourty will bracket the opponent’s top receiver, with Aqib Talib playing on an island against the opponent’s No. 2 receiver.

If that’s the way it works out, Dennard and D-Mac will be on Wayne, and Talib will be tasked with covering T.Y. Hilton or the mercurial Donnie Avery.

Make no mistake, however, McCourty is still the best DB on this team at both safety and corner. If you think McCourty is inconsistent, wait till you see Talib. While Talib has better physical tools, he does get burned a little too easily at times when he either lacks concentration or relies on his physical ability too much. But overall, Talib is a very good corner and has All-Pro upside.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.