Thank You Sean Taylor Thread...

[dall-assblows]

only the good die young.

how fitting

[Campbell17]

My favorite memories:

1) When he scared Todd Pinkston from going up for a ball in 2004.

2) His INT return for a TD to seal a playoff spot in 2005.

3) His return off the blocked kick to set up a game winning FG vs Dallas last year.

4) His hit to the punter on Buffalo in the Pro-Bowl.

[SkinsLove24/7]

When I think of Taylor the phrase.."Let you play do your talking" comes to mind. You look at guys like TO and Chad Johnson who run their mouths about whatever and its such crap. Taylor kept his mouth shut and his nasty style and attitude set the tone. This is still unbelieveable. We will miss you Sean.

[MonkManiac]

Best moment has to be the fumble recovery for a TD against Philly that sealed our playoff berth and truly epitomized the magical end of the 2005 season. Those five wins in a row (plus the sixth in the playoffs) really returned some of the wonderment to football for me, which was that much sweeter given all of the lean years before and since that season.

Those six games were about believing in a team that nobody else believed in. It was a pretty great feeling. Sean Taylor's heart made all of us believe that nobody could stop him or the Washington Redskins. Even though Sean is in a better place now, nothing can take away those memories - he will live on in all of our hearts forever.

Thanks Sean.

[JWsleep]

For everything. Hard to believe you're gone. Thanks for the brief but memorable time, ended all too soon.

Thank you Sean. We will miss you.

[KLHJ2]

Thanks for being the epitome of playing every down like it is your last, and playing beyond the constraints of your body. Sean will always be an example to every kid I coach in the future.

[Redskin]

I dont understand why it feels like I close friend when I don't even know you, maybe it is becuase I spent the last few years listening to you speak to me through your play. I thank you for being a true redskin. I thank you for inspiring and giving hope to me, to us. The big comback in big D where his hit jarred the ball lose and gave old man brunell one more shot to pull it off. Invaluable loss of a unique talent and person you will be sorely missed and never be replaced. You fought to hang on for us, your baby girl, your fiance, but not even your strength, your perserverance could pull you through, god must have bigger plans for you then the redskins ever did. Enjoy picking off jonny unitas in heaven

[SkinsFan6388]

Thank you for everything you've done for the city of Washington, the Redskins franchise and all the fans of the team. may god rest your soul and look after your beautiful baby girl. RIP Sean, it won't be nearly the same with out you.

[HOGTIMUS PRIME]

A very misunderstood individual because of his desire to shun the spot light, could have been the greatest safety to ever play the game, there was never a safety who was able to do it all as well as him, IMO not even Lott, who I feel was the best of all time. I will never forget that hit on Patrick Crayton on Monday night sending the ball flying the opposite direction 15 yards. Maybe the best way to describe Sean was imperfect, but special! There was something special about him for so many people including myself to feel as if they lost someone close to them in an individual most of us never met.

[scheermadness]

If it were another player on the Redskins, would the reaction be the same? Would there be this visceral, nauseating feeling in so many of our guts?
Is it because he was already a tragic figure that we rooted for him that much more?
Or, if there were no 18 month old daughter, would we shrug our shoulders and write it off in the same way we do every other murder victim, in order to wake up in the morning and go about our daily lives?
Or, was there something more there for us? By ‘us,’ I mean the fans of the storied Redskins organization and the meaning it has brought to our lives over the years.
I’ve been struggling with why I feel so angry, helpless, and in a strange way, special.
Maybe it’s because I live on the West coast now, and coverage of my teams entail (“Breaking News: Gilbert Arenas out for 3 Months) on the ESPN scroll… then (Breaking News: Redskins Sean Taylor in critical condition after shooting), then, well, I don’t need to say more. (by the way, when does a “shooting” become a murder?

I know that many of our identities are somewhat constituted on being a ‘Skins fan. I’m curious, though, being in 49er land, among a fan base that has experienced the greatest highs, followed by major expectations, only to be met by major disappointments (sound familiar?) if having such a devotion to a team makes me feel as if I have some true connection, if not ownership of the wins, the losses, the owners, and coaches, and especially, the guys dressed in burgundy and gold who play the game. A few years ago I vowed never to buy another jersey again (with the exception of Riggo, Darrell, Sonny, Sam, etc, but you get the idea) because the names on the jersey’s I owned eventually played for other teams.
I never felt that way about Sean. I guess I didn’t know how to feel about the guy other than I loved the way he played. He was old school. Ask Butkus if anything that Sean did in the past few years would have garnered a fine when he played. Ask anyone if Sean intentionally tried to put the “prince” or quarterback out of the game. He built a reputation with the NFL by missing a rookie symposium. He probably got fined more because of his reputation than his actions. He did spit in the dude’s face. He did that in a game that he scored a touchdown – a strange paradox. He had some growing to do. Any man over the age of 30 reading this right now, just assimilate your own experience. Did you do some stupid things at that age? If you were being monitored by 30 cameras and a group of referees, would you have been found innocent? Do you hold yourself to the same standard you do professional athletes, including Sean Taylor? Please. It’s so easy for all of us to judge. In fact, that judgment is what allows us to make sense of tragedy. …Sean Taylor was all caught up with the thug life….blah, blah, blah,….why the hell are so many people, who have never met the guy, much less heard him speak, lining up to light a candle and try to make sense of it?
This isn’t about the NFL exactly, although the NFL has certainly capitalized on it.
We (some of us) choose to identify ourselves and ally ourselves based on our football team. (People hate the Cowboys, Yankees, Raiders, and Duke BB, because people who have never stepped foot in the state where those teams play, much less gone to a game, claim them as their own.) Those of us who claim our own (home town), sometimes (if not often) flawed and failed teams, who suffer through the lengthy droughts (Boston, you should, but may not identify), take pride in the devotion.

[oldhog44]

He gave us a defensive identity
We knew as fans that he had our back
He always gave us a chance

Prayers from Texas (i hate living down here i wish i could be up there with yall right now)

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

I feel we lost an irreplaceable guy. I was just telling my Cowboys friend that he should be worried about the Week 17 meeting since T.O. doesn't do squat when Taylor is in the lineup. I feel like we lost the free safety position forever. NO ONE and I mean NO ONE ever got me as excited about Redskins football as Sean Taylor and I don't think anyone will ever be the Redskins free safety that Sean was.

I still can't believe I will never see #21 lining up in the defensive backfield again. I actually liked seeing teams try to go deep on us this year. The only team that did so several times was Green Bay and ST made them pay. Whereas in the pre-ST era I hated seeing our D on the field, I actually enjoyed seeing our D on the field in the ST era. ST was the best part of any Redskins game.

[MTK]

Taylor was a very rare player. Indeed it will be a long time before we see a player of his caliber in our lineup.

[Skinner]

Thank you Sean for puttin Fear in offense players. Thank you for the hit on Crayton, the fumble returns against Philly and Tampa. You made me care about defense. I will no longer be able to scream with excitement when you make a big play. I have lost my favorite player and hero, I only have memories,thank you Sean

[EternalEnigma21]

Thank you for being the best . Sean, you quickly became my favorite redskin and the gave me so many hours of excitement.

There are so many individual plays, but Thank you SO MUCH for knocking the ball out of crayton's hands when they converted at the end of that game...

I was so sick of hearing how "Bill Parcells is 77-0 when leading by 10 or more points going into the fourth quarter"

Now he's 77-1. I wish you were still with us so much, but it looks like God drafts in November.