ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- If anything, Aqib Talib knows people think of him a certain way.

Perhaps they've seen the video of him as he hung a gold chain around the neck of former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and announced "we be drippin'" as the two laughed together. Or his postgame promise in Tennessee to "beat his ass" after he was angered by a low hit by Tennessee Titans wide receiver Harry Douglas on teammate Chris Harris Jr.

Or perhaps it's some of the off-field issues Talib has had in his career, including missing the Broncos' trip to the White House a little more than a year ago because he had suffered a gunshot wound to his leg. It's all there as Talib now finds himself to be something of an elder statesman on the Broncos' roster.

He's 31 and headed for his 10th NFL season. Nose tackle Domata Peko, at 32, is the only Broncos defensive player older than Talib, and Peko just arrived in March via free agency.

"I kind of like that oldest guy on D right now," Talib said. "That's true, can't hide from that, but I feel great. I think I'm better as a person and I'm better as a player. I didn't used to do the right things, but now I know, I take advantage of everything, all the resources they have here, to be better."

Talib's voice is distinctive, in pitch and in delivery, and it's easy to know when he has entered a conversation. He's opinionated, funny and a more-than-willing participant in any verbal jousting.

But somewhere in all of that is the football mentality usually reserved for those who played before the internet was a part of daily life. Former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak consistently said that was one of the most surprising things about Talib.

"I knew of Aqib from watching him play, from other coaches, so you knew that part of it," Kubiak said. "But what I didn't know is how he looked at the game, how he understands so much about what goes on and how hard he practices every day. It's a mindset he has. I didn't know that."

Talib says he feels he's like an old-school football guy.

"When I was 7 years old, I knew the whole Dallas Cowboys offensive line," Talib said. "I'm just a real fan, a real fan of the game and sometimes it comes out."

Talib was part of the Broncos' free agency binge of 2014; safety T.J. Ward, former Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders were the others signed that offseason. At that time, Talib was considered a gifted player who had found some trouble off the field but flashed dominant, elite play.

Since his arrival in Denver, he has made three of his four career Pro Bowl trips and won a Super Bowl ring. He also has shown a throwback approach to the game at times.

He has been overheard, on the practice field, giving long explanations to some of the younger Broncos about the importance of line play in the team's fortunes. Not interceptions, not glamour throws by the quarterback, but line play.

"Hey man, that wins games for you," Talib said. "You can show your experience in the game, your love in the game and you pay attention to those things. You look and those guys who have the tough O-lines, tough D-lines, running the ball, who played D later in the season, those are the guys winning the championships."

Broncos coach Vance Joseph, a longtime defensive backs coach as an NFL assistant, said Talib "has that attitude."

"He understands the game, knows the game, plays with instinct and knowledge," Joseph said. "And what [Kubiak] said is right, he practices as hard as any player I've been around. All those guys in our secondary, they come prepared every day to push everybody around them."

Talib has yet to play 16 games in a season and was dealing with a back injury as 2016 drew to a close. But he said he has been far more aware of how he goes about his job than he was as a young player.

And that, as he heads into the fourth year of the six-year deal he signed with the Broncos, allows him to keep fighting the career clock, something about which he never used to worry.

"When I first got in the league, I was just happy to have a lot of money, to do whatever I wanted to do," Talib said. "I wasn't getting a lot of sleep. I used to get hurt late in the season because all I did was stay out late, fried food and all that.

"That ain't going to work for a long time; you have to come to that thinking, man. I definitely feel like this team can win a lot of games and I want to play with these guys and win a lot of games for as long as possible."