Acquired in a trade from Tampa Bay on Nov. 1, Aqib Talib hasn’t made anyone forget Ty Law -- he’s been hit-or-miss at times, and it’s taken time for him to get acclimated to the New England defensive scheme -- but he’s given the Patriots increased depth in the secondary and provided a big, physical presence at corner. And he’s allowed New England to do some different things defensively that they didn’t (or couldn’t) necessarily do earlier in the season, bringing more pressure on a consistent basis than it did earlier in the year.

It hasn’t been perfect -- earlier in the year against the Dolphins, there were clearly communication issues between Talib and Steve Gregory, particularly on one play where Talib let a receiver go thinking he had safety help. That help wasn’t there, and the corner was clearly peeved at Gregory. (The only thing that prevented a big play was the fact that the ball was overthrown.) But for the most part, Talib has managed to fit in nicely with the rest of New England’s defensive backs, and as a result, the numbers that had been sliding through the course of the season have leveled off since he arrived.

•Over the first nine games of the season without Talib, the Patriots allowed 49 passes of 20 yards or more, and 15 of 30 yards or more. In the six games since Talib was inserted into the starting lineup, the Patriots have allowed 21 passes of 20 yards or more and seven that have gone for 30 or more.

•The yards allowed has also decreased: Going into the Colts game, the Patriots were 32nd in the league in pass defense, having yielded an average of 307.5 yards per game. In the six games since Talib arrived, the Patriots are now allowing 275.5 passing yards per game, an average of 32 fewer passing yards. And before Talib, they were last in total defense, having allowed an average of 409.8 yards per game. Since Talib’s arrival, that number has fallen to 381.1 yards per game, a drop of 28.7 yards.

Not a drastic dip, but for a defense that had taken its share of slings and arrows over the course of the season, it’s the sort of direction the New England defense needs to be heading in as the playoffs loom.

While he’s not a shutdown corner in the mold of a Darrelle Revis or Champ Bailey, he has worked in an individual capacity against some of the better receivers in the league while with the Patriots. In New England’s game with the Colts, he worked against Reggie Wayne, and while he was frequently targeted by the Indianapolis passing game, he ended up with (at least statistically), his best game, with seven tackles (five solo) a pass defensed and an interception, which he returned for a touchdown. Against the Texans, Talib shadowed Andre Johnson, allowing the Patriots to operate in man coverage until Talib left at the end of the first half with a hip injury. (One NFL personnel man was surprised in the wake of that game just how much man coverage the Patriots used -- New England usually prefers to play a mixture, doing as much to disguise as possible.) While Talib certainly didn’t lock either Wayne or Johnson down, he limited their effectiveness, and helped pave the way for two New England victories.

One thing that has become clear is that the number of passes that have come his way since he first arrived has dropped dramatically. After facing a lot in his first game against the Colts (a review of the tape showed that at least 10 passes came his way while he was on the field), he’s seen a lot fewer action. Keeping in mind that there are a lot of different variables that go into pass defense (as well as offensive game-planning), after watching the last six games on tape, it’s clear that there’s a book on the New England pass defense -- steer clear of Talib. While he struggled at times against the Dolphins, over the last three games (really, 1.5 games because of his hip problems), Talib has been thrown at eight times and has allowed approximately 50 yards. While it’s important to remember he’s not considered an elite corner, those are the sort of numbers the Patriots will happily take going forward into the playoffs as top-flight receivers loom.

Talib has also freed things up for the rest of the New England secondary to play to its strengths. Kyle Arrington has had a better stretch back at slot than he did on the outside earlier this year. Devin McCourty has moved to safety, a position where he appears far more comfortable -- he’s picked off a pair of passes over the last three weeks while playing centerfield on passes intended for the end zone. And with McCourty moving to safety, it has meant that rookie defensive back Tavon Wilson, who was playing serious minutes at the start of the season, has been bumped back down the depth chart to more of a reserve role, and lessened the urgency to force younger, untested players into the mix.

The Patriots were reminded about what life was like before Talib last Sunday against the Jags, when the corner, nursing a hip injury, was limited. He didn’t start for the first time in his relatively brief Patriots career, and ended up playing just eight of a possible 80 defensive snaps. While it’s important to remember the Patriots’ defense was trying some different combinations -- including moving McCourty back to corner -- and getting some other starters some rest (and so the numbers weren’t a true representation of where New England defense is at this time of year), the 348 passing yards from Jacksonville quarterback Chad Henne were the most from an opposing quarterback since Buffalo’s Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 350 yards in Sept. 30 win for New England over the Bills in Buffalo.

Going forward, Talib is in an interesting position. The 26-year-old is in the final year of a contract he signed as a rookie with Tampa Bay, and if he and his agent Todd France are interested in sticking around New England past the 2012 season, they would likely be inclined to keep a tape of the Jacksonville game on file when they go in and try and negotiate a new deal with the Patriots. The defensive back probably won’t break the bank if he does decide to stay in Foxboro, but provided he stays healthy and keeps his head on straight for the rest of the season, there’s certainly no reason he couldn’t find some long-term security (three years?) in New England, particularly when you consider the free-agent market for cornerbacks this offseason.

Ultimately, through six games, the partnership has been a positive two-way street -- like many players who have been dogged by character issues have discovered in New England, Talib has found that playing for the Patriots is a chance to reinvent yourself as a solid citizen committed to winning. Meanwhile, New England has improved its secondary, and going into the playoffs, is in a far better situation than the end of last season when it was relying on converted wide receivers to fill in at defensive back. While it remains to be seen if the relationship will continue past the 2012 season, six games in, it’s clear that both sides like what they’ve seen to this point.