I'm as sick of this story as anyone right now. But it just won't die, and this time that is thanks to Jason Taylor himself. In a blog for ESPN The Magazine, Taylor wrote the following:
It'll be strange to see [Zach Thomas] in another uniform this coming season but that's the league nowadays. He'll go continue his legacy in Dallas, and I'll go and continue my legacy in…oh, I'm not talking about that right now.
Continue your legacy where? Where, Jason? Tell us!
Seriously, this is something he didn't have to write. This story had seemed to quiet down for now since the draft last month. But then Taylor, who is a smart guy, just had to add in that little part above. Think about it. Taylor could have easily said he'd be continuing his legacy in Miami, and then that would be that. And even if it wasn't true and he did still want out of South Florida, he could have just written "Miami" just to keep things quiet for now. Or he could have not said anything at all about his future. Instead, though, he made that comment. And there has to be a reason for it.
Perhaps he's just trying to stay in the football headlines while he finishes his dancing. Or it could be that there is a potential trade in the works (or even already done) that won't become official until he completes his time on Dancing With The Stars. After all, any team trading for Taylor would likely want to wait and make sure he doesn't suffer some kind of injury while dancing. You also should take into consideration that Drew Rosenhaus, on his local TV show on Sunday night, said that a "Taylor for Lito Sheppard" trade would make sense for both sides. Could he know something? Maybe, though he doesn't represent either of them.
Adding a little more fuel to this fire is a comment by Omar Kelly in his latest blog:
One of Bill Parcells' former players recently told me the Dolphins new warden is a firm believer that when an athlete starts setting himself up for life after football Parcells concludes "he's done."
This is one thing that I tend to believe as well. And that's why I really do question Taylor's commitment level to this team and to football in general. But more importantly, if Parcells is questioning if Taylor's heart is still in football, perhaps a trade at some point is still likely. Honestly, I have no idea or no feeling one way or the other on if I think a trade will happen. But again, where there's smoke, there is usually fire. And Taylor's most recent comments in that ESPN blog he wrote were a huge "smoke-maker." So is there fire? We'll have to wait and see.
My 2 Cents
I really don't want to come off as a "Jason Taylor hater" or anything because that's not true. He's easily one of my top 5 all-time favorite players. But I don't know what else to say other than to ask, "Is anyone else tired of this god damn losing?" I am. I can't stand it anymore. And if you agree with Parcells' belief that once a player starts planning his life after football, he's done, then there's nothing left to say to Taylor other than "goodbye."
Taylor has always put his team before himself and has always given his heart and soul to this organization. But that's not the case anymore. And it makes me wonder if it might be best for everyone involved to part ways and move on. After all, to turn this thing around in Miami, it's going to take the entire team giving everything they have (even during the offseason). And I'm just sick and tired of losing. I want to win. I want to win badly. And if Taylor doesn't have that same fire he once had to win in the NFL, or at least with this franchise (and it seems right now that he doesn't), then as much as I like him, he needs to go.
Maybe this is just me talking out of frustration, the kind of frustration that comes from not having made the playoffs since 2001 and not having won a playoff game since 2000. However, the feeling I'm getting right now is that Taylor's heart just isn't in this game of football any longer.
But damn, I really hope he proves me wrong.