Sean Taylor - What if...

[PSUSkinsFan21]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

OK, want a source? Here's you're daily dose of John Clayton...

From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET on weekdays, Hurricanes strength coach Andreu Swasey trains 17 to 20 players who could fill out a Pro Bowl roster.

Regulars include James, Shockey, Reggie Wayne of the Colts, Ed Reed of the Ravens, Duane Starks of the Patriots, Jonathan Vilma of the Jets, Javon Walker and Bubba Franks of the Packers, Plaxico Burress and William Joseph of the Giants, Jerome McDougle of the Eagles, Willis McGahee and Roscoe Parrish of the Bills, Clinton Portis, Santana Moss and Sean Taylor of the Redskins, and Antrel Rolle of the Cardinals.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/column...ohn&id=2057818

Ahh yes, I've seen that article. It speaks in general terms of all the guys that have stopped by the facility, but this article specifically addresses what Swasey has said about Taylor:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7755392/

Please note: "Redskins running back Clinton Portis has shown up now and then, and defensive back Sean Taylor, who has skipped the team's recent workouts, made one appearance -- and only to play a game of half-court basketball, Miami strength coach Andreu Swasey said. Both are former Hurricanes."

[Phinehas]

You're not alone. I also believe that character is more important than performance. If football were an individual sport, it wouldn't be that big of an issue, but you cannot discount how important a good team dynamic is to winning football games. I'd prefer to have someone that wasn't quite as productive individually, but that greatly enhanced the overall team dynamic because of their character. Taylor is showing disrespect to his coach and to his teamates. That sort of selfishness is anathema to a good team dynamic, and should not be tolerated lightly. I'd reserve judgement on benching him until I heard his side of the story and saw his interaction with teamates once he shows up, but I see no reason to believe that what gives every appearance of immaturity and selfishness is going to change overnight. I really hope that Sean turns things around, but if I were Gibbs, I wouldn't be going out of my way to resign Taylor or improve his current contract based on what I've seen so far.

--Phin

[Daseal]

But you don't bench him (unless he starts skipping mandatory practices). That's just plain moronic. Winning games is still the bottom line.

Amen - this thread was meant to leave the salary out of it completely.

[sportscurmudgeon]

If he shows up for camp without any contract "issues", I would think that Coach Gibbs would have every right to ask him for a direct answer to a simple question:

So how come you wouldn't return any of my calls?

There is a certain level of "courtesy" and "mutual respect" that gets lost when one person will not take or return calls from someone else and frankly Sean Taylor has not yet achieved the status where he can routinely "dis" an extablished NFL coach.

Will he start? Probably.

Will he play? Absolutely. Maybe he does not start the first quarter of the first game of the year, but he definitely plays after that.

Would I hold him out for a while in that first game - as they did last season? It would depend on if I really thought it would teach him something about how NFL life happens in the off-season. If I thought it would shock him into some sense of reality, I'd sit him for a quarter. If I thought it would be a good message to the rest of the team about how to behave when your coaching staff is trying to get in touch with you, I might sit him out for a quarter. Since I doubt he's gonna "learn much" and go through any great changes in his outlook, it won't do much good to sit him down. so what might be the effect on the rest of the team? That's the key question here...

And yes, I still believe that Sean Taylor is a MEATHEAD who has exceptional physical skills to play football...

[PSUSkinsFan21]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

If he shows up for camp without any contract "issues", I would think that Coach Gibbs would have every right to ask him for a direct answer to a simple question:

So how come you wouldn't return any of my calls?

There is a certain level of "courtesy" and "mutual respect" that gets lost when one person will not take or return calls from someone else and frankly Sean Taylor has not yet achieved the status where he can routinely "dis" an extablished NFL coach.

Will he start? Probably.

Will he play? Absolutely. Maybe he does not start the first quarter of the first game of the year, but he definitely plays after that.

Would I hold him out for a while in that first game - as they did last season? It would depend on if I really thought it would teach him something about how NFL life happens in the off-season. If I thought it would shock him into some sense of reality, I'd sit him for a quarter. If I thought it would be a good message to the rest of the team about how to behave when your coaching staff is trying to get in touch with you, I might sit him out for a quarter. Since I doubt he's gonna "learn much" and go through any great changes in his outlook, it won't do much good to sit him down. so what might be the effect on the rest of the team? That's the key question here...

And yes, I still believe that Sean Taylor is a MEATHEAD who has exceptional physical skills to play football...

Very good post Sports

[JWsleep]

Look, I'm willing to take this at face value, for the time being. We're all wondering how a kid could "burn out" (Portis's term) like this. It's not so hard to understand. He's a Florida guy all his life, plays in Miami in college where there's a strong support system of friends, family and teammates, and then he's thrown into the draft thing, has trouble getting an agent (probably receiving all kinds of contradictory advice from people who don't know sh**; signs a weak deal becuase he doesn't want to miss camp; hears from everyone how he blew it, switches agents, etc.

Then he skips the NFL thing and gets reamed; Gets a whack DWI thing where he's not even drunk, just speeding; he's just moved to a new town--it's cold, no friends, no family, a young guy on his own for the first time, and then it's a tough 6-10 season with the skins where he gets toasted by Vinny against the cowboys.

WInters are cold and nasty in DC if you're from Fla. So he goes home to lick his wounds. Man, it feels good to get away from all that. He needs to recharge the batteries and get his sh** together. He gets a new agent who most likely does say, hey you've got no real leverage, so the only thing you can do is make them miss you a bit by skipping the offseason stuff. And you can get it together for the moment down in FLA. So that's what he does.

(I think this is exactly the wrong thing to do, BTW--he should have toughed it out, bonded with his teammates, and gotten used to DC--made some friends, hang out with Lavar and his 57 plasma screens, etc.)

I don't think it's unbelievable to think that this is what happened, and he'll be back with something to prove in June. If that's that case, of course he should start. He's got to mend some fences, but Coach Williams has played it VERY cool, and that's the guy who matters, really. Unless he skips non-voluntary stuff, he'll be our starting pro-bowl bound kick ass free safety.

[PSUSkinsFan21]

Originally Posted by JWsleep

Look, I'm willing to take this at face value, for the time being. We're all wondering how a kid could "burn out" (Portis's term) like this. It's not so hard to understand. He's a Florida guy all his life, plays in Miami in college where there's a strong support system of friends, family and teammates, and then he's thrown into the draft thing, has trouble getting an agent (probably receiving all kinds of contradictory advice from people who don't know sh**; signs a weak deal becuase he doesn't want to miss camp; hears from everyone how he blew it, switches agents, etc.

Probably could have spent some of that $7.2 million signing bonus on some plane tickets for those friend and familiy then, huh? Sorry, but being paid like an NFL player would cure my homesickness...........Oh, and having 3-4 months off to hang at Miami would probably be enough too (which he's already had). I have a tough time feeling sorry for guys who get paid millions of dollars to work out, learn football, and play a game.........but then again, that's just me.

[Daseal]

Good post JWsleep, sometimes we forget that these guys are only 21/22 and it isn't always easy to adjust.

[PSUSkinsFan21]

Originally Posted by Daseal

Good post JWsleep, sometimes we forget that these guys are only 21/22 and it isn't always easy to adjust.

Yah, when I was away from home at college without the money to fly my friends and family out to see me when I was 18-22, I nearly didn't make dean's list one semester. Come on........time to cut the cord and grow up.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by PSUSkinsFan21

Yah, when I was away from home at college without the money to fly my friends and family out to see me when I was 18-22, I nearly didn't make dean's list one semester. Come on........time to cut the cord and grow up.

PSU Fan, I hear you ranting and raving about Sean Taylor and how he needs to get his act together and how you don't feel sorry for him and how you have no sympathy for someone making that much money...

But answer the mother-fu*king question, would you bench him for missing voluntary workouts?

I'm on board with your rants about him, he's frustrating, but it's going way too far to bench him at this point. He'll have to take it to the next level and miss mandatory stuff before I'd consider sitting him down.

[PSUSkinsFan21]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

PSU Fan, I hear you ranting and raving about Sean Taylor and how he needs to get his act together and how you don't feel sorry for him and how you have no sympathy for someone making that much money...

But answer the mother-fu*king question, would you bench him for missing voluntary workouts?

I'm on board with your rants about him, he's frustrating, but it's going way too far to bench him at this point. He'll have to take it to the next level and miss mandatory stuff before I'd consider sitting him down.

Sorry to everyone else for having to repeat myself.

Well Schneed, if you had read my initial post on page one of this thread, you would see that I did, in fact, answer the mother-fu*king question. And I QUOTE:

"I say sit him. I'm sick of catering to pouting 22 year-olds who think they're somehow above the team and can make up and live by their own rules. Not for the whole season, but send a message that he's not indispensible.

Last year we had the #3 D in the entire NFL, and we did that without him being a starter the first few games, without Arrington for most of the season, without Daniels for most of the season, without Barrow (who was the projected starter going into the year), without Bowen for a host of games, and without other defensive players for games here and there througout the season. I have no reason to believe this year will be any different. It's GW's system that makes our defense great, not Sean Taylor."

I've also addressed the "voluntary" issue when I said:

"And I don't buy this "voluntary" argument. That's BS. EVERY OTHER teammate who can be there is there right now. If it's so "voluntary", then why doesn't the whole rest of the team have a problem showing up? Come on, he's looking like a punk right now, plain and simple. He's got absolutely NO REASON to not be there with the team. NONE."

Any more questions?

[PSUSkinsFan21]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

PSU Fan, I hear you ranting and raving about Sean Taylor and how he needs to get his act together and how you don't feel sorry for him and how you have no sympathy for someone making that much money...

But answer the mother-fu*king question, would you bench him for missing voluntary workouts?

I'm on board with your rants about him, he's frustrating, but it's going way too far to bench him at this point. He'll have to take it to the next level and miss mandatory stuff before I'd consider sitting him down.

Now let me ask you a question: What the FU*K is up with getting belligerent with me?

[JWsleep]

PSUskinsFan21--you heartless monster! j/k

No, I hear you. I'm not saying this excuses his behavior (especially the phone calls--c'mon). It's just that I can get the picture this way. And like I said, I think the solution would have been to tough it out (aka, be a man) and settle in with your new teammates in your new home. Cooley did it, and the culture shock was probably way greater for a small town westerner like him. But he did it, and it looks to me like he digs it, going to events, wearing a cat-in-the-hat hat, reading to kids, etc. Taylor could learn from that, if he'd only get up here.

But my point was only that it's not "incomprehensible"--and that if he shows for the manditory stuff, he should still start, IMHO.

[Longtimefan]

PSU I'm kicking it with you man. We can make all the inexcusable excuses we want to make for a man who has made nothing but negative headlines since he came on the scene. How good a player he is, is a moot point when you can't be counted on to be part of a team, and that's what this is about "TEAM".

[PSUSkinsFan21]

Originally Posted by Longtimefan

PSU I'm kicking it with you man. We can make all the inexcusable excuses we want to make for a man who has made nothing but negative headlines since he came on the scene. How good a player he is, is a moot point when you can't be counted on to be part of a team, and that's what this is about "TEAM".