Ice up, son. Ice up.
That phrase rekindled a long-standing, trash-talking, high-emotion feud between Aqib Talib and Steve Smith, which was brought to light in the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots Monday night game on Nov. 18, 2013.
Though both wore different jerseys at the time, Talib and Smith got in scuffle after scuffle, showing a blatant dislike for each other. Sunday, they’ll match up for the first time since that game, with Talib now playing cornerback for the Broncos and Smith playing wide receiver for Baltimore.
“I don’t look forward to the confrontation, I look forward to the competition,” Talib said.
Added Smith: “(Aqib) Talib, he’s a good player. We’ve had our battles, but there’s no animosity. It is high-competitive juices going.”
Let bygones be bygones. It’s all over, right? Not so fast. Talib, like many of the other top cornerbacks in the NFL, is well aware of public perception. And it’s widely accepted that he lost that battle two years ago.
It’s time for round two. Whether that’s intense trash-talking, some pushing and shoving after the whistle, or an actual scuffle, it’s more probable than not that these two will go at it again Sunday.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Smith will be focused on football and he very well may. But football is a man’s sport and rivalries usually don’t end unless the beef is settled, one way or the other.
“I’m a hot head, so I’m not sure,” Smith said on how he would control his emotions against Talib.
If the Floyd Mayweather-Andre Berto fight disappoints on Saturday, Smith-Talib could be the main event Sunday. Get the popcorn ready.
CHEW ON THIS
• Denver Post sports reporters Troy Renck, Nicki Jhabvala and Cameron Wolfe went on camera for a Sunday:
• Is ? Denver Post sports columnist Mark Kiszla examined this question.
• Who has the edge between the ? Cameron Wolfe looks at this and other key battles on each side of the ball.
• Three former Lincoln High School basketball stars — Francisco Cruz, Jorge Gutierrez and Hector Hernandez — are .
• Former Colorado head football coach Bill McCartney and his co-national champion Buffaloes squad is the .
• Former tennis star James Blake told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that he wants an apology from New York City police after he said , the Associated Press reported.
• Did against Manny Pacquiao? An SB Nation report said that while the fluids the welterweight took were legal, any IV that’s more than 50 mL is banned.
WATCH THIS
Have you seen Boulder’s Zak Maytum longboarding down a Colorado hill at speeds that reached nearly 70 mph? It’s a trip. :
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy 26th birthday to Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall! Not the former Broncos and now Jets receiver Brandon Marshall, lately. …
Cameron Wolfe: cwolfe@denverpost.com or twitter.com/cameronwolfe
Joe Nguyen contributed to this story
