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TAMPA, Fla. - During his first public appearance as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, cornerback Aqib Talib was asked the origin of his rather unusual name.
Its roots, he explained, are Muslim.
"I know my first name means, `Last to Come.' I'm the youngest of four kids," Talib said. "My last name, I don't know."
Moments later, Bucs Coach Jon Gruden posed with his prized rookie for a photo opportunity. Together, they held up a red Tampa Bay No. 1 jersey, signifying the high draft choice the Bucs invested in the All-American from Kansas. The player's last name was emblazoned in white block letters across the back.
"That name means `Good Corner,' I hope," Gruden said.
The room erupted in laughter.
The Bucs hope Talib continues to bring smiles to a franchise that invested a first-round draft choice - and ultimately will pay a contract probably in the $14 million range - on a defensive back for the first time since 1986. Tampa Bay used the 20th overall pick for a player with obvious athletic gifts and more size (6 feet 1, 209 pounds) than defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is used to trotting out on the edge of his secondary.
"It comes in handy for certain parts of the game," Talib said.
So does another pivotal part of his skills set.
"The thing about Talib is he can run," Kiffin said. "We can take a guy and we can teach him to play cover-2, but you can't teach him to run fast backward or cover guys deep unless he has some talent."
Talib can start showcasing it all for his new coaches Friday when his joins his six other 2008 draft classmates (along with a handful of undrafted free-agent signees) for a three-day rookie minicamp. That's when Talib can begin learning the intricacies of Kiffin's "Tampa-2." He'll need to know them to compete with Ronde Barber, Phillip Buchanon and Eugene Wilson for playing time as a rookie.
The confident Talib has every intention of being on the field in 2008.
"I think they (the other cornerbacks) want me to come in and compete and . . . help them win a championship," said Talib, who looks for playing time on a unit that finished No. 2 in total defense and No. 1 against the pass last year. "I think I'll fit right in. I'm a people person."
thepruitt21 
