Alright, I'll admit it. Jason Taylor's performance on Dancing With The Stars last week peeked my interest. And it did so enough for me to actually watch his performances from here on out.
But that's not why I'm writing about dancing, of all things, on this site. I really planned on not even bringing up the topic. But then I stumbled upon a blog that Jason Taylor is doing for ESPN. And that really caught my attention. Specifically, the following excerpt:
They're making a big deal about nothing.
Now? I'll be up at 7:30 and go lift. Then I'll head over to the dance studio and I'll dance from 11 to 2. Then I'll eat lunch for an hour and then come back and dance another three hours. I'll dance six hours a day. It's a different training for a minute-and-a-half or two-minute dance. In football you train to play 10 second plays for 60 minutes. But there's no better way right now for me to get in shape and burn fat than what I'm doing. I've got more lean muscle than I've had in probably 10 years. I'm seeing my abs again. I was getting a little chubby smoking cigars and playing golf.
So I guess this can really put an end to the idea that this dancing crap is going to affect Taylor's football training. The bottom line is Taylor is likely going to be in better shape than he has been in a long time.
One other interesting tidbit is below:
We haven't really gotten a whole lot of support from the Dolphins or from the NFL for this thing, which blows my mind. We've got so many problems in the league right now that are so public. Then you have someone bringing positive recognition to the NFL and to Miami Dolphins on a weekly basis in front of 25 million people, and nobody seems to want to get on board. That makes my teammates support mean even more.
First off, it's great to hear how Tony Sparano sent Taylor a text following his performance. Sure, it isn't really a big deal or anything. But the fact that not only his teammates, but also his head coach, is supporting him is a good sign and really should end the questions about his loyalty to the Fins. Clearly, he has the support of his head coach and teammates.
I do wonder, though, why the Dolphins organization and the NFL both haven't backed Taylor more in this endeavor and JT makes a really good point. The NFL has been involved in some recent negative headlines. The Michael Vick thing and Pacman Jones thing come to mind right away. And here's Taylor, working his butt off and doing something that, while some fans might find ridiculous, is a positive PR move. And neither the team nor the league are really supporting him. Go figure.
Either way, for those interested, Taylor will perform again tonight at 8 pm eastern on ABC. So be sure to check it out if you got the time.