Taylor Made

Attention all Miami Dolphins fans: there is a missing man in your city. Yes, I’m sure you’ve heard this before but this time it’s serious. And when I say serious, I mean it. The guy is 6-6 and weighs well over 250 lbs. When the sunlight hits his head the entire city of Miami lights up (why the electricity price hikes are affecting your fair city, I still have no clue), he smiles consistently, and he has put years and years of service in as a defensive end for your very storied NFL franchise.

Has ANYONE seen Jason Taylor?

The sarcastic and most obnoxious answer would be “Why yes, I have seen Jason Taylor. He was on Dancing With the Stars and he finished in 2nd place because he’s awesome”. The second most obnoxious answer would be “Who the hell is Jason Taylor?”. Obviously he plays football, as explained in the missing persons description. He is tall and weighs a lot and is very skilled at what he does. In fact, he’s one of the best, not just presently but in the history of the NFL.

So obviously, when I ask if anyone has seen Jason Taylor, it is in reference to his presence on the football field. It is referring to the fact that he has stated that he won’t be attending anything related to the Miami Dolphins football training camps, workouts, or related activities. He wants to make his disassociation with the team very public. There is no Jason Taylor of the Miami Dolphins. The two entities are completely separate.

So get it straight. Says J.T.

The Dolphins aren’t denying anything. It would be stupid of them to attempt to do so. Taylor publicly stated his disapproval of the team’s handling of him and he has claimed several times that he wants out. Covering that up would be like trying to explain to an 18 year old kid that Santa Clause really does exist. But was their official statement, given by first year coach Tony Sparano, a little over the top? Did it delve too far into the deep thinking mind of the organization?

“I know that Jason is not going to be at any OTAs. I know that Jason will not be at any minicamps. I know that right now Jason is not going to be at training camp.”

May the truth be told. Sparano took it upon himself to let the nation know that their top defensive player has the ball in his court. Taylor has voiced his displeasure with the organization’s decision making as well as their attempts to please him by trading him away. Sparano further enforced Taylor’s remarks by personally stating that the Dolphins would not support a player, regardless of who he is, that did not want to be a part of the team. The voice of one cannot overpower the voice of hundreds that are involved.

Or can it?

With Sparano’s comments being made, the media addressed and attacked. They tore apart every word, mangling the very speech that left the rookie head coach’s mouth. With ruthless aggression, the heat against Tony Sparano intensified; each hour brought on more and more criticism. And as the smoke has begun to clear, as the confusion and the belligerence is settling, the avid sports fan can only ask one question: Why did he finish second on that stupid TV show?

But more importantly, were the Miami Dolphins wrong in publicly addressing the NFL world and stating that Taylor, while under contract, was still being disassociated by the team in accordance with the ruling of the front office? Were the Dolphins correct in taking an assumption that was made based on Taylor’s personal comments and twisting them into something that they obviously feel has a reason to be an issue that the rest of the league needs to know about?

For one, Jason Taylor went to the media with his own personal opinion. He let everybody know that he was the most disgruntled profiled name in the Dolphin’s organization. If you had no clue before, you should know now that Jason Taylor was not happy playing for a team that finished with a single win last season, a team that averaged less than 100 yards rushing per game, and a defense that had 14 (yes, only 14) interceptions all year. Or maybe it was the fact that starting QB Cleo Lemon threw for a grand total of 6 touchdowns all season (granted he wasn’t the starter for the ENTIRE season, let’s face it, he did start 9 games), the starting RB was 400 yards short of a respectable season, or that 30 total sacks as a team is what Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Dallas claim as a stat against division rivals ONLY.

While he was injury plagued, that very fact may have made his decision easier; he had the pleasure of watching the future of failure in Miami from the sideline. He had the chance to get to personally know a roster consisting of 75% of players that won’t be wearing an NFL uniform in two years.

So was Jason Taylor right in throwing his team under the bus? Was he correct in claiming that he would not play for the Miami Dolphins because they botched attempts to rebuild by ignoring the future? Many can argue that he was in the wrong by going public about his disapproval of the front office. Fans can claim that Taylor should have kept his mouth shut and played the game through any rebuilding effort that the Dolphins might throw at him.

But it’s hard to see it. Miami has their pillow to cry on in Dan Marino; he was by far the best Quarterback to never win a Superbowl ring. It’s the excuse we all hear so there isn’t any way around it, Dolphins fans. Poor ol’ Dan. He suffered through his career with Miami in hopes to win that Super Bowl and it never came about. He played game after game after game. He came close but was never close enough.

And so Marino’s career ended with bare knuckles. Clenched, bloodless, white bare knuckles, balled into a fist of frustration. But more importantly, fists of frustration without a ring to compliment them.

Enter jason Taylor, another Dolphin who hasn’t won a ring and would like one before his career is over. The guy will be 35 years old this September and so time is obviously not on his side. The playing years are winding down which leads us to the debate…

Should we sympathize with the old man? Or is he just a grumpy grouch who wants more than he deserves?

Either way, it’s been a fascinating journey through the mind of an NFL superstar in Jason Taylor as well as an NFL franchise. There is still a lot of time set between now and the beginning of serious training camp sessions. For the next two months, Jason Taylor and the Miami Dolphins will be trying to figure each other out. But at the end, don’t be surprised to see the Dolphins dancing victoriously. Except that they’ll be dancing WITHOUT the stars because Taylor will be long gone and the Dolphins will be well on their way to rebuilding a respectable franchise without him.

Explore posts in the same categories: EDITORIAL, Tyson Heck

Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Cleo Lemons, Dallas Cowboys, Dan Marino, Dancing with the Stars, debate, defense, FOX, Jason Taylor, media attention, Miami Dolphins, NFL, offense, Peyton Manning, Pittsburgh Steelers, public, Ronnie Brown, Super Bowl, Tony Sparano, training camp

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