[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

I have made my peace with Taylor coming back, but i'm not happy that the team seems to have no interest in restructuring his contract or extending it to lower the cap hit. After a horrible 2008 season, the knee-jerk reaction would be to cut him, but i think keeping him is a smart move by our team. We gave up alot for him, he suffered a life-threatening injury early in the season that was difficult to recover from, and we were playing him at a position he had never played in before... so its really prudent to give Taylor a "pass" for his sub-par performance in 2008 and hope he rebounds in 2009.

Taylor is going into the season knowing it could be his last ever if he choses to retire when his current contract is up; Or, hes going into the season playing for his NEXT contract - either way, he has all the incentive in the world to play his guts out.

Also, 2009 will likely be Carters last year with the team, so having Taylor around puts us in a position where we wont have to be looking for two new DEs in 2010... if Taylor continues to play DE for us. I personally think we'll be better off in 2009 starting Evans and Carter at DE with Taylor taking Washingtons spot at OLB. Then, on passing downs, Evans can move inside and Taylor can slide down to DE.

Very good point, I think knee-jerk reactions have gotten this team in trouble in the past (i.e. the trade for Duckett).