Sean Taylor The Football Player
As you all know, on the night of November 26th, 2007, the Redskins
faithful and all sports fans in general were shocked with the terrible
news that Sean Taylor had been shot through his left leg during a home
invasion. Tragically, Taylor lost his life during the morning of
November 27th, at the tender age of 24. He left behind a loving
girlfriend in Jackie Garcia, a baby daughter also named Jackie, a
devastated family including his father, Florida City police chief Pedro
Taylor, thousands of stunned fans and a somber football team and
organization in the Redskins.
A Redskins fan mourns Taylor at the huge #21 pained at Redskins Park
A 'Skins fan mourns Taylor at the huge #21 painted in the grass at Redskins park.
In his memory, the Redskins' defense only fielded ten players for their
first play against Buffalo, before Reed Doughty replaced Taylor in the
starting lineup. (See video in comments please!) They also wore #21
stickers on their helmets, as did every team in the NFL. His close
friend and college teammate, Clinton Portis, wore a tee shirt bearing
Taylor's face under his pads and exposed the likeness of his fallen
friend after each touchdown he scored. Also, the other Pro Bowl
Redskins, TE Chris Cooley, LT Chris Samuels and LS Ethan Albright, all
wore #21 at the Pro Bowl game in Hawaii. Perhaps most fitting of all,
the Redskins won their final 4 games and made the playoffs against all
odds, with Taylor's memory seemingly fueling the fire.
CP honors his friend.
However, the purpose of this article is not to write a stirring tribute
about his life or preach to you about values, and about how we must not
take one moment for granted. It isn't about condemning the ones
responsible for this heinous crime (they'll get theirs in the end) or
about trying to end violence in general.
Sean Taylor was my favorite Redskin (okay, tied with Chris Cooley),
meaning he was my favorite football player. I was shocked, angry, and
saddened when it happened but to be quite honest, I didn't really
comprehend what happened until yesterday. I was browsing aimlessly
around YouTube and stumbled upon a Taylor highlight video. It was while
watching this, that for a few moments, I finally, actually, missed Sean
Taylor.
Was he a perfect human being? Far from perfect, as we all are. He made
a lot of mistakes in his life and had some trouble with the law. But
the bottom line is: he was a hell of a football player. He was
lightning fast, a good cover guy with exceptional ball skills,
aggressive, and most of all, he was an intimidating and ferocious
hitter. He made big play after big play, and no offense had an answer
for him. Sooner or later, he was going to track you down, and when he
did, it would not be pretty. It is safe to say that Taylor was the
hardest hitter in the NFL.
Another day at the office for ST.
In my opinion he was also the BEST safety in the NFL at the time he
died, and would have won NFL defensive player of the year honors soon
enough, if not this year over Bob Sanders. He led the NFL in
interceptions at the time of his death and was voted to his second Pro
Bowl. More Pro Bowls would be a given, and teamed with LaRon Landry and
Carlos Rogers, the trio would anchor the secondary for years to come,
hopefully culminating with the Redskins fourth Lombardi trophy.
Yes, this article will honor Sean Taylor the FOOTBALL PLAYER, the one
who gave me and every other Redskins fan a reason to get pumped up
every Sunday, and a reason to believe we had a bright future. So it is
my pleasure to share with you the top plays of his NFL career.
In his rookie year of 2004-2005, Sean Taylor makes his first career
start in week 3 versus the Dallas Cowboys. The birth of a true Redskin!
In week 7 at Chicago, Taylor finally showed flashes of the player he
would soon become. He notched six tackles, a sack, and snagged the
game-winning interception which was also the first of his career. He
finishes the year with 61 tackles, 4 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles
and a sack.
Another great play from his rookie year is when he out-jumped Randy Moss on a deep pass while in one-on-one coverage.
The play against Moss. Included in a video below.
In 2005-2006 there was no sophomore slump for Taylor as he had a solid
72 tackles, 2 interceptions and a sack. He started the season off with
a bang.
After defeating Chicago in week 1, the Skins headed to Dallas for an
early but critical Monday night matchup. Trailing 13-0 in the fourth,
Mark Brunell hooked up with Santana Moss for two long touchdown passes
to give the Redskins, who had played poorly all night, an improbable
14-13 lead. But would the defense hold?
With 1:57 remaining, the Cowboys faced a 3rd and 4 from the Redskins 42
yard line. A field goal would give Dallas the lead. Drew Bledsoe
dropped back and found Patrick Crayton wide open past the first down
marker.... But then Taylor came out of nowhere and delivered an
absolutely punishing blow to Crayton causing him to drop the pass. It
was an insane hit and probably saved the game for the Redskins.
One play later the 'Skins D kicked Dallas off the field with no damage sustained, and held on for the W.
His biggest play of the year came in week 17 against the Eagles.
Leading 24-20 late in the 4th quarter with the Redskins needing a win
to make the playoffs, Philly's offense took the field to try and ruin
the Redskins season. The ball was stripped from Koy Detmer by Phillip
Daniels and rolled around uncontrollably on the ground. Taylor flew
upfield from his coverage and scooped the ball up, and then raced 39
yards for a touchdown! The score cemented a 31-20 victory for the Skins
and sent them to the playoffs.
In round one of the playoffs, Taylor would strike yet again. Leading
the Bucs 7-0 in the 1st quarter, Tampa RB Carnell Williams took the
handoff up the gut and was stripped by Marcus Washington. Again, the
opportunistic Taylor scooped the ball up and jetted 51 yards to
paydirt, giving the Redskins a 14-0 lead they would not relinquish.
They earned the 17-10 road victory.
In 2006-2007 Taylor had perhaps his finest season as a Pro, earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl. He made 129 total tackles.
In a week 9 game against the hated Cowboys, Taylor saved the day yet
again! With the game tied at 19, the Cowboys were primed to win with a
last second field goal. With 6 seconds remaining, Mike Vanderjagt lined
up for a chipshot. But Troy Vincent got a piece of the ball and our
hero did his favorite thing: scooped up the ball and hauled ass! He ran
to the Dallas 44 yard line and could only be stopped by a 15-yard
facemask penalty, which gave the Skins their own shot at a game winning
field goal with the clock reading :00! Nick Novak buried the kick and
the Redskins escaped with a dramatic 22-19 win, thanks to Taylor's
awareness and hustle.
Taylor scoops up the blocked FG. SKINS WIN!!!
A few weeks later the Redskins were holding on to a slim 17-13
advantage over the Panthers. With 1:10 left and the ball on the
Redskins 41, Jake Delhomme threw a 1st and 10 pass to Steve Smith over
deep middle. You have to know what happens next... Taylor flies in and
picks it off! All Jason Campbell had to do was kneel on the ball.
In his first Pro-Bowl, he came up on a fake punt and absolutely
de-cleated AFC punter Brian Moorman. WHO THE HELL CRUSHES THE PUNTER IN
A PRO BOWL GAME???? Sean Taylor, that's who! The guy played 110% at all
times and was always looking to make a play. Some say the hit on the
punter was uncalled for, but that just shows what kind of player he
was. If he had his helmet and pads on, someone was going to get hit,
and get hit hard. The NFL would be lucky to have more players that
exert the amount of effort he gave on every play.
In 2007-2008, Taylor started the season on fire, snaring 5
interceptions and 46 tackles in the first 9 games. He had a pick
against Superbowl MVP Eli Manning, two against Brett Favre and one
against Kurt Warner which he returned a career long 48 yards. Come to
think of it, has anyone else ever picked off three Superbowl MVPs in
the same season? Definitely sounds rare to me.
He led the NFL in picks when in week 10, he left the Eagles game with a
knee injury. Sadly this was to be the last game Sean ever played.
For his career, Sean Taylor played 55 regular season games and started
53. He picked off 12 passes, swatted 43, caused 8 fumbles, recorded 2
sacks, recovered 1 fumble, scored one touchdown and notched over 300
total tackles. In just two playoff games he recovered a fumble and
scored a touchdown.
His career was way too short and was filled with highlights anyway. He
went to two Pro Bowls and was selected to the All Pro team in 2007, the
year of his tragic death.
It hurts me knowing that we are being neglected of countless other
game-saving interceptions, bonecrushing tackles and spectacular fumble
returns. Just remember him for the excellent football player that he
was. He played the game the way it was meant to be played- hard and
fast. He had no holes in his game, except for maybe his temper!
A nickname that his teammates gave him was "Meast" meaning Half man, Half BEAST! Truer words have never been spoken.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the highlights. Use them as a
reminder of one of the best defensive backs to ever strap it up and of
how a person should play football. If big players make big plays in big
situations, then Sean Taylor was gigantic.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS
HAIL VICTORY
HAIL SEAN TAYLOR!
hail2daredskinz is an avid football fan, and he loves to talk sports. He enjoys football talk.
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