Watch CBS News

Quarterbacks Beware, Chris Harris & Aqib Talib Patrolling The 'No Fly Zone'

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - The Denver Broncos visit the Seattle Seahawks Friday night, and the very first depth chart comes out this week. There are three or four spots up for grabs, but the cornerback positions are filled -- by Chris Harris and Aqib Talib -- the two anchors of the Broncos' No Fly Zone.

Harris' wife actually came up with the name No Fly Zone.

"She's got some skills with that. So she came up with it and it kind of just stuck," Harris said.

"It's not just us though, it's not just me and Chris, it's all four of us in the back end," Talib said. "We're not having it."

Harris and Talib are the last members of the last great University of Kansas team. Kansas hasn't been the same since they left.

"He (Talib) was like the big brother. I was just trying to learn as much as possible. When you come in as a freshman I was playing opposite of an All American, head spinning, I was just trying to learn as much as possible," Harris said.

"I had to teach. We had a junior college corner who was there who probably was going to start. He shattered his wrist maybe the first day of pads," Talib said. "No offense to the corners we had there, but everybody knew it, Chris was 18 years old and new and was the best one there. Immediately I started vouching for him to play and helping as much as I can because I knew he was a hell of a player."

Chris Harris and Aqib Talib
Chris Harris and Aqib Talib (credit: CBS)

Talib said he had no doubt Harris would succeed in the NFL.

"He's probably one of the most competitive guys that I've played with, hands down, high school, college, NFL, period," he said. "That competitiveness right there, man that's going to take you a long way. I don't care what your speed is, your size … just that competitiveness alone, it will take you a long way, and it took Chris to about $50 million."

Harris said he wishes he had Talib's size.

"He's got that size to be able to match up and go against someone big, those super huge freakish receivers. That's something Aqib has been doing since we were in college, being able to track those big guys and be able to shut them down," he said. "We needed that in college and we still need it."

Aqib Talib
Cornerback Aqib Talib celebrates after his interception Sunday. (credit: Harry How/Getty Images)

Because of "Deflategate" some of Tom Brady's emails were made public. In one of the emails he call the Broncos' defense "dumb" because of some of the things they did last year. But Harris and Talib take exception to that.

"We've got an identity. That's something that last year we didn't really (have). We kind of switched it up too much last year. So now we've got an identity … I think having that going into a game is going to make us much better," Harris said.

CBS4's Vic Lobardi asked Harris and Talib who they think is the best cornerback in the league right now.

Chris Harris Makes A Tackle
Chris Harris (credit: Evan Semón/CBS4)

"I can't call that. I'll let you all do that," Talib replied.

"I'd say it's a good seven, good eight DBs that you could all say is on top," Harris said.

And Harris said two of them are on the Broncos.

The defense will have to play better than last year if the Broncos hope to win, and Harris said he believes they will.

"We've got a lot of Pro Bowlers on our defense, a lot of vets. The young guys are getting better and better every day, and that's what we need man," Harr said.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.