[BringBackJoeT]

No doubt, as others have already said, the loss of life of any Redskin would be devastating. You root for a team, you develop a special connection to the players, and when something like this happens, you feel awful. But there is also no question that Sean Taylor stood out for Redskin fans, and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he never wore any other jersey as a pro. The bottom line is that what has stood out more about this franchise over the course of the last decade than anything else is its attempt to bring in so many players who have made their marks on other teams. This list is legion. Before Sean arrived, we saw the likes of Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Jeff George, Dana Stubblefield, Mark Carrier, etc., come and go. Since he arrived, we've seen ARE, Andre Carter, Santana Moss, Marcus Washington, Shawn Springs, and even Clinton Portis join the Redskin ranks. But Sean was from the start our own. He was a Redskin draft pick who became a superstar WHILE wearing the burgandy and gold. Who measures up? Lavar? Not quite. Sure, Lavar was a pro-bowler, but he was our best player during some of the franchise's most depressing years. Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen? Now there are two guys who we all probably have some special feelings for, and Cooley as well. But as much as we love them, isn't it true that Sean still stood out? I think it is true. Look, in addition to being a Redskin from the get-go, there is also the sheer football factor. What I mean by that this is the game of football, a truly violent game, and Sean walked around the field with that intense stare, with a level of confidence - and a swagger - that every football fan has to admit loving. I remember seeing on tv Lawrence Taylor saying to the crowd at the Meadowlands the day they retired his jersey that, while Lawrence Taylor could have played football for any NFL team, without the Giant fans there never would have been an L-T. Say what you will about LT, but what he was saying to Giant fans was that there was an inter-connection between the Giant fans love for LT and the degree to which he became a superstar. Giant fans loved Phil Sims and Jim Burt, but LT defined the Giants the way that Giant fans wanted the team defined, and LT thrived on that. I think that holds true for Sean and the Redskins. We were excited about him from the start, and he seemed to feed on that. Witness the many examples people have put up on this site about how he welcomed Redskin fanfare. Yeah, there was that same inter-connection. I definitely believe this has so much to do with why his death is impacting us all so sharply.