With a depleted Patriots secondary struggling mightily through the first eight games of the season, Bill Belichick & Co. decided they couldn't just sit on the pieces they had if they wanted to contend for a Super Bowl. With that decision, the Patriots went out and acquired veteran cornerback Aqib Talib, along with a seventh-round draft pick, from the Tampa Buccaneers before Thursday's NFL trade deadline in exchange for a fourth-round pick. Talib is a 26-year-old former first-round pick who instantly becomes the team's best true cover cornerback, but he also comes with a lot of baggage. He's about to finish a four-game ban for Adderall on Monday, tested positive for marijuana three times while playing college ball at Kansas, and has had a number of conduct related issues since his NFL career began, including multiple arrests. This certainly isn't the first time the Pats have taken a low risk, high reward gamble on a player with a lot of on-the-field talent and off-the-field baggage. Sometimes it has worked out well for them in their pursuit of the Lombardi Trophy (see: Corey Dillon), other times...not so much (see: Albert Haynesworth). Only time will tell which category Talib will fall into, but clearly the Patriots felt like they needed to improve their secondary to make a serious run.
