Aqib Talib: Steve Smith’s trash talk ‘never personal’
By Mike Dyce
The game between the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots on Monday night got off to a physical start. Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib and Panthers wide receiver got physical well after the whistle a couple of times early on. They were also clearly talking to one another, highlighted by one instance where Smith got in his face, but Talib says it isn’t personal.
“Never personal, man. It’s never personal,” Talib said, on Wednesday’s “Around the League Podcast.” “I’m sure if I see Steve, it’d be, ‘What’s up, how you doing?’ It’s never personal, man. Him and the other guy from St. Louis (cornerback Janoris Jenkins), that was personal. He didn’t say he was going to punch me in my face after the game. He just told me to go get in the tub.”
Smith did seem to be playful after the game.
“Holding my leg and not letting me go? I play with my kids like that sometimes, but other than that, I really haven’t had that,” Smith said, smiling. “Just another notch on the bedpost.”
Albert Breer asked Smith what happened and Smith responds” “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask him cause he didn’t finish the game.”
“Ice up son, ice up.”
The comments Smith made about Jenkins and Talib are different. At some point people are going to stop trying to get in his head.