Sean Taylor - What if...

Thank God you're not the coach, PSU. Sorry, I missed your first post somehow. I can't believe you actually would keep Taylor out of the starting lineup for something this insignificant. If you follow that logic, you'd be sitting Javon Walker, Donovan Darius, and countless other players around the league who have held out for various reasons. And you'd end up losing games. Hell, you'd even have to sit Santana Moss. After all, he was under contract for one more year while he was sitting out waiting for his new contract, missing these voluntary practices.

If you do it to Taylor you have to do it to everyone else.

Think about sitting someone like Terrell Owens, who is calling out his QB in the media. But don't sit Sean Taylor for missing a series of practices that are taking place FIVE MONTHS before the season begins.

Said it before, say it again: #3 Defense in the NFL without Taylor starting a number of games. Sitting him for the first series in a few games is not going to cost anyone the game. It's not like second stringers in the NFL are completely incompetent. People are making it sound like without Taylor, there would just be some huge hole in the secondary. Like we'd have to play with 10 players on D until he plays again. Give me a break, he's really not that important. NO player is.

TO didn't play in the playoffs, and the Eagles won every game up to the super bowl, which he played in, and then they lost. I just think it's a mistake to put too much stock in any one player (except, perhaps your QB if you have a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady).

As for the other holdouts, see my last post above. ST is the ONLY guy in the NFL who is missing OTAs for, essentially, NO REASON AT ALL. I acknowledge that holding out for a contract is, considered by some, to be a valid tactic for increasing bargaining pressure. I certainly acknowledge that injuries are valid excuses as well. But what's ST's excuse? Really, what is the reason he is essentially flipping off the team and his coach? Because that's exactly what he's doing. Downplay it all you want that it's not "mandatory"........convince yourself that it's no big deal........but ST is giving a big "FU#K YOU" to the Redskins team and the coaching staff. Why it's so wrong to try to discipline a guy like that (the ONLY guy who misses OTAs without an excuse) is beyond me. (and NO, you're not going to lose a game by not starting ST......his not being the starter didn't account for a single one of our 10 losses last year, why would it this year?).

BTW,

Chill out everyone lest the mods "bench" you for inappropriate behavior. Save it for the Cowgirls.

To any moderators out there, I hope my posts in this thread were not viewed as inappropriate. I promise I will never cross the line into making personal attacks at people. But I do like these forums as a place to express strong opinions, and debate them with people.

To PSU, if I pissed you off I'm sorry man. Didn't mean it that way. To be honest, I enjoyed the conversation with you even though I threw an f-bomb in there, I enjoy spirited discussions. If I seem to attack somebody's opinion out there, just know that I'm attacking the opinion, but I'm not attacking you. It's a subtle difference, I guess.

I won't get personal, I promise. But I do think conflict needs to exist on the boards as long as it's handled maturely. If everything was peaches and cream 100% of the time wouldn't it get boring around here?

Like Daseal. I disagree with what that dude says like 99% of the time. But he's still my boy. After all, we're all Redskins fans.

You're my boy, Blue!

To any moderators out there, I hope my posts in this thread were not viewed as inappropriate. I promise I will never cross the line into making personal attacks at people. But I do like these forums as a place to express strong opinions, and debate them with people.

To PSU, if I pissed you off I'm sorry man. Didn't mean it that way. To be honest, I enjoyed the conversation with you even though I threw an f-bomb in there, I enjoy spirited discussions. If I seem to attack somebody's opinion out there, just know that I'm attacking the opinion, but I'm not attacking you. It's a subtle difference, I guess.

I won't get personal, I promise. But I do think conflict needs to exist on the boards as long as it's handled maturely. If everything was peaches and cream 100% of the time wouldn't it get boring around here?

I'm with you. I love debating, and if it's only my opinion that's being attacked......well then that just gives me something to debate.

I was probably too sensitive to the F-bomb.......didn't know where it was coming from........now I do, so we're all cool as far as I'm concerned.
Looking forward to our next topic worthy of "spirited discussion.":food-smil

Said it before, say it again: #3 Defense in the NFL without Taylor starting a number of games. Sitting him for the first series in a few games is not going to cost anyone the game. It's not like second stringers in the NFL are completely incompetent. People are making it sound like without Taylor, there would just be some huge hole in the secondary. Like we'd have to play with 10 players on D until he plays again. Give me a break, he's really not that important. NO player is.

TO didn't play in the playoffs, and the Eagles won every game up to the super bowl, which he played in, and then they lost. I just think it's a mistake to put too much stock in any one player (except, perhaps your QB if you have a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady).

As for the other holdouts, see my last post above. ST is the ONLY guy in the NFL who is missing OTAs for, essentially, NO REASON AT ALL. I acknowledge that holding out for a contract is, considered by some, to be a valid tactic for increasing bargaining pressure. I certainly acknowledge that injuries are valid excuses as well. But what's ST's excuse? Really, what is the reason he is essentially flipping off the team and his coach? Because that's exactly what he's doing. Downplay it all you want that it's not "mandatory"........convince yourself that it's no big deal........but ST is giving a big "FU#K YOU" to the Redskins team and the coaching staff. Why it's so wrong to try to discipline a guy like that (the ONLY guy who misses OTAs without an excuse) is beyond me. (and NO, you're not going to lose a game by not starting ST......his not being the starter didn't account for a single one of our 10 losses last year, why would it this year?).

You make good points here, but we've heard Gregg Williams say how important Taylor is. He has said Sean Taylor does things that you can't coach, with his speed and ability to cover such a large part of the field. That's the part you can't replace, I think Sean Taylor adds flexibility to the defense, because he has the ability to cover for mistakes that teammates might make just by his pure speed.

Plus, I'm concerned about our MLB position. Without a brain like Pierce calling the shots, we might have more defenders caught out of position this year. I think we're going to need Sean Taylor's recovery skills in there. Hopefully somebody can step up to be the QB of the D this year.

Sean Taylor is definitely a punk, that much we can agree on! :food-smil

You make good points here, but we've heard Gregg Williams say how important Taylor is. He has said Sean Taylor does things that you can't coach, with his speed and ability to cover such a large part of the field. That's the part you can't replace, I think Sean Taylor adds flexibility to the defense, because he has the ability to cover for mistakes that teammates might make just by his pure speed.

Plus, I'm concerned about our MLB position. Without a brain like Pierce calling the shots, we might have more defenders caught out of position this year. I think we're going to need Sean Taylor's recovery skills in there. Hopefully somebody can step up to be the QB of the D this year.

Sean Taylor is definitely a punk, that much we can agree on! :food-smil

I do agree with what you are saying here. There's no doubt that Taylor has got some amazing football skills. I think, and hope, that he realizes all of his talents and becomes the pro bowler most of us believe he can become. And I think he's a valuable part of our Defense (I too have some concerns at MLB). No doubt about that. In all my negativity I don't want it to be lost that I believe he can be the best safety in football in a very short time. To get there, though, he needs to get his head in the game. I would hope that having his "starter" title stripped from him for a few games might do that, but I'm probably just naive to think it would work given his attitude so far.

I think the only place we really differed in this whole discussion was what, if any, actions should be taken to discipline him for what he's done so far. We can agree to disagree on that and both hope for an improved, more mature Sean Taylor to develop throughout 2005 and beyond.:biggthump

ST does have amazing football skills but what he needs to develop even more are his mental skills. He needs to learn to read QBs better and recognize routes faster. Thsi is why his missing any of these workouts or even mini camp is be so bad. His body will be ready but his mind might not be and thats where games are won & lost.

Personally I don't like Ed Reed that much, he's smarter (due to massive game preperation) than Taylor but lacks the physical gifts. I think Ray Lewis is the most over-rated player in the NFL, but damned if he isn't an amazing leader, if the skins could get a veteran guy that the young ones expected, watch film at his house, etc. I think it would help rookies like this.

Taylor is still young though, he has a nasty mean streak, and how many times did you see (after the ball was thrown) him leave his position and be only one step away from making a huge play. I don't even really think Dallas was his fault, of course you're going to double up Keyshawn, not the UDFA WR. But, that can be debated forever.

Daseal:

The really great players are the ones who are not one-step away from making huge plays...

SC, it was his rookie season, Taylor will be a year wiser and no slower athletically.

He'll be really great this season.