Tag: Fred Taylor

Florida reaching out more to Gator greats, Emmitt Smith opens up

He’s been invited back on campus many times, but legendary UF alum Emmitt Smith told the Pivot Podcast that this time, he was invited back in a unique way.

When having a conversation about the greatest players in Florida Gators’ football history, you won’t get too far before you mention Pro Football Hall of Fame running back [autotag]Emmitt Smith[/autotag]. Before he won the Offensive Player of the Year award, NFL MVP, three Super Bowls, a Super Bowl MVP, and was named a four-time first-team All-Pro player, the Pensacola native was tearing it up for the Orange and Blue.

In a recent appearance on the Pivot Podcast, Smith joined ESPN’s Ryan Clark and his co-hosts, former Florida Gators Channing Crowder and [autotag]Fred Taylor[/autotag], in a wide-ranging conversation. Notably, the first two minutes or so are dominated by Smith talking about how the University of Florida recently sent him a gift package that included four tickets to any home sporting event of his choice, among other things.

Once you get past the realization that three of the four members of the show are Gators, and two of the greatest running backs in Florida football history are sitting next to each other, the weight of the conversation starts to kick in. While Smith notes that it’s not the first time he’s been invited back to Gainesville, he did reveal that it is the first time they have made such an effort with the gift package. Crowder, Taylor, and Smith proceed to discuss how much effort the current regime is putting into the Gators’ storied history. Taylor even went so far as to say Smith deserves a statue outside The Swamp.

The more often a public discourse about the Gators occurs, the better. It’s even more powerful when three former Gator Greats are the ones holding up their alma mater, something head coach Billy Napier seems sware of if he’s making such an effort to bring the legends of Florida football’s past into the fold.

In his time playing for the Florida Gators, Smith broke 58 school records, scored 38 touchdowns, was named the 1989 SEC Player of the Year, finished top ten in the Heisman Trophy race, and was a three-time All-SEC pick. He was drafted in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys, where he spent 13 of his 15 NFL seasons. He received his degree in Health and Human Performance in 1996 and is a member of the Gator Football Ring of Honor.

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Fred Taylor again not named finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Four years in a row as a Hall of Fame semifinalist and Fred Taylor has still never been a finalist.

For the fourth straight year, former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor was named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame but didn’t advance to the list of 15 finalists.

On Wednesday, the Hall of Fame narrowed its list of candidates for the Class of 2023 from 28 to 15 and Taylor was one of the 13 who didn’t make the cut. The only finalist who played for the Jaguars is former wide receiver Torry Holt, although he’s much more well known for his decade with the St. Louis Rams rather than his career-capping season in Jacksonville.

No running backs are on the list of finalists. Among the others who didn’t make the cut Wednesday was former 49ers, Eagles, and Seahawks running back Ricky Watters.

Taylor, 46, finished his NFL career with 11,695 rushing yards and is 17th on the all-time rushing list. Frank Gore, Adrian Peterson, and 14 Hall of Famers are the only players above Taylor on the leaderboard.

The only Jaguars player in the Hall of Fame is the team’s former offensive tackle Tony Boselli, who was inducted in August 2022.

Watch: Fred Taylor joins ESPN’s First Take to talk Cowboys’ ‘big fat L’

Fred Taylor joined ESPN’s First Take to let Michael Irvin hear it about the Jaguars’ win

A day after the Jacksonville Jaguars made a statement, coming back from a 17-point deficit to beat the Dallas Cowboys with an overtime pick six.

Among the many excited to talk about the dramatic win was Jaguars legend Fred Taylor, who was a special guest on ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith, Ryan Clark, and Cowboys legend Michael Irvin.

After much of the conversation turned to discuss the failures of the Cowboys defense, Dak Prescott, and Dallas coaches, Taylor made sure to end the talk by setting the record straight.

“We’re talking about the Dallas Cowboys, but I don’t want to give them that type of credit because my team played lights out yesterday,” Taylor said. “It isn’t as much about the Cowboys as it is about the Jaguars. They showed up to play. … Cowboys, the only credit you deserve is that big fat L you get to cash in today.”

Taylor, 46, spent 11 seasons with the Jaguars after he was drafted by the team in the top 10 of the 1998 NFL Draft. He recorded 11,271 rushing yards, 2,361 receiving yards, and 70 touchdowns with the Jaguars before finishing his career with two seasons with the New England Patriots.

In November, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Taylor is a semifinalist for induction for a fourth straight year.

Two Florida players named to the Freshman All-SEC team

Trevor Etienne and Shemar James have been named to the Freshman All-SEC team after their standout 2022 seasons.

Two breakthrough first-year players have been named to the Freshman All-SEC team for the 2022 season. Running back [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] are being recognized just two days after being Honorable Mentions on the College Football News Freshman All-American team.

Trevor Etienne took the reigns as the Gators’ primary running back option later on in the season after splitting duties with [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. for most of the season. Paired with [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag]’s rushing ability, that three-headed monster was the backbone of Florida’s offense.

Etienne recorded 704 rushing yards this season, with 129 of those yards coming in a career-high performance against Florida State. He became the fourth true freshman in Florida football history to rush for at least 700 yards, joining [autotag]Emmitt Smith[/autotag], Tony Green and [autotag]Fred Taylor[/autotag].

Shemar James played in all twelve games for the Gators with three starts. He recorded 40 tackles this season, good for the second-most among true freshman SEC linebackers and sixth-most for the Gators. James’ best game came against Eastern Washington, where he recorded a career-high eight tackles. He was one of Billy Napier’s best-recruiting wins in his transition class, as the former five-star was considered the No. 3 prospect in Alabama and the No. 6 linebacker nationally, per 247Sports.

Top players like Richardson, [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] and [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] have declared for the NFL draft and will not be playing against the Oregon State Beavers in the Las Vegas Bowl. Because of that and the over a dozen players that have entered the transfer portal, Etienne and James will play a big role on Dec. 17 starting at 2:30 p.m. EST and broadcast on ESPN.

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2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists include eight former Patriots

Eight ex-Patriots made the cut as semifinalists for the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The semifinalists for the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class were revealed on Tuesday, and eight of the names on that list were former New England Patriots players.

Of course, the two most noteworthy names from a Patriots perspective were former defensive stars Vince Wilfork and Rodney Harrison, both of whom have already been inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.

Darrelle Revis, one of the all-time great corners, is also on the list. He spent the brunt of his career serving as a division rival on the New York Jets, but he did sign with the Patriots for a one-and-done Super Bowl season in 2014.

The other names include linebacker James Harrison, receiver Reggie Wayne, running back Fred Taylor, receiver Torry Holt and tight end Henry Ellard.

There were a total of 28 players named as semifinalists, which means ex-Patriots make up a significant portion of the candidates left standing. The next step is whittling the list down to 15 and seeing which players are one step closer to being immortalized in Canton.

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Fred Taylor among 28 semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Fred Taylor is a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame for the fourth year in a row.

Jacksonville Jaguars legend Fred Taylor was one of 28 former players who made the cut Tuesday when the Pro Football Hall of Fame whittled down its list of 129 preliminary candidates to its list of semifinalists.

It’s the fourth straight year that Taylor has made it to this round of the Hall of Fame selection process, although he hasn’t yet advanced to the list of finalists.

Among the 101 candidates who didn’t make the cut was former Jaguars wide receiver Jimmy Smith.

The only other semifinalist who played for the Jaguars is wide receiver Torry Holt, who spent 10 seasons with the St. Louis Rams before ending his career with one season in Jacksonville.

Other notable candidates are first-time semifinalists Dwight Freeney, Darrelle Revis, and Joe Thomas. The only other running back on the list is former 49ers, Eagles, and Seahawks player Ricky Watters.

Taylor finished his career with 11,695 rushing yards (over 1,000 yards more than Watters) and is 17th on the all-time rushing list. Frank Gore, Adrian Peterson, and 14 Hall of Famers are the only players above Taylor on the list.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith: Jaguars still ‘5 players away from being relevant’

The Jaguars are earning a lot of believers this season. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is apparently not one of them.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are earning a lot of believers with their play so far in 2022. Stephen A. Smith of ESPN is apparently not one of them.

On Friday, Smith was joined on ESPN’s First Take by the hosts of the “Pivot” podcast, including Jaguars legend Fred Taylor. When asked which NFL team in Florida will go the furthest this season, Smith said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While he was willing to give the Jaguars a little bit of love (a very little bit), Smith said choosing Tom Brady was a no-brainer.

“I love the fact that Doug Pederson is Jacksonville’s new coach,” Smith said. “And they’re not sorry anymore. Give ’em a cookie. … I got Trevor Lawrence in his second year, I got Teddy Bridgewater, or I got Tom Brady. Who you think I’m rolling with? With Mike Evans, [Chris] Godwin back. I mean come on, let’s stop the nonsense.”

Taylor countered by telling Smith that the Buccaneers are “a lineman away from ending Tom [Brady]’s career.”

“And y’all are about five players away from being relevant,” was Smith’s retort about the Jaguars.

Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl two years ago and finished last season with an NFL-best 13-4 regular season record. After winning their first two games of 2022, the Buccaneers lost back-to-back games in the last two weeks.

Jaguars legend Fred Taylor says he was hungover for 234-yard game

Fred Taylor says his only career regret is that he was too hungover during his 234-yard game to break the NFL single-game rushing record.

In the three decades that the Pittsburgh Steelers played at Three Rivers Stadium, no player ran for more yards in a game than the day in 2000 when Fred Taylor of the Jacksonville Jaguars had 234 rushing yards.

But according to Taylor, that game is the only one from his 13-year NFL career that he regrets. In an appearance on Trey Wingo’s “Half-Forgotten History” podcast, Taylor said it could’ve been a historic day if he wasn’t hungover that day.

“It was the year 2000 at Three Rivers Stadium, I go for 234 [yards] and I missed, I don’t know, 10 minutes or so in the fourth quarter because I was dehydrated,” Taylor told Wingo on the podcast. “The few days leading up to it, myself and a few guys went down to Orlando to party. We had to be back Saturday morning for a team meeting at 8 o’clock. I think we rolled back to Jacksonville in a limo.

“We pull up to the stadium around 7:30, we get out and everybody’s leaking whatever they were drinking. We get in, we fly to Pittsburgh, thank God it was a Sunday night game, because the next day we were all hungover doing IVs … that didn’t work. We get out there and we start the game off, I’m cutting left and right, just chunks: 20, 10, eight, seven, 20, 30.

“I cramped up. Ask my teammates, it was crazy. I cramped up, I couldn’t finish the game. Walter Payton — he’s my idol, he’s the reason I started loving the running back position and I wanted to play running back — I wanted to break his single-game record that day. But I cramped up and couldn’t finish the game. So that’s my one big regret.”

Payton’s 275-yard day in 1977 was the NFL single-game rushing record at the beginning of the 2000 season. Corey Dillon of the Cincinnati Bengals broke it with a 278-yard performance in October 2000 before Taylor’s 234-yard day in November.

Since then, Jamal Lewis broke the record with the Baltimore Ravens in 2003 when he ran for 295 yards. Then Adrian Peterson ran for 296 during a game in 2007.

Fred Taylor, Jimmy Smith among preliminary nominees for 2023 Hall of Fame class

The Hall of Fame released its preliminary list of nominees for the Class of 2023, including a pair of Jaguars legends.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 129 nominees for the Class of 2023, including Jacksonville Jaguars legends Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith.

Both Taylor and Smith were also nominees for the Classes of 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Smith has been nominated for every class since his first year of eligibility in 2011, with the exception of 2019 when he was left off the list.

In November, the list of 129 will be cut to 25 semi-finalists and then to 15 finalists in January.

Last year, Taylor was named a semi-finalist for the third straight year. Smith has yet to advance past the preliminary list of nominees and Taylor has yet to become a finalist.

Taylor is 17th in NFL history in rushing yards, behind 14 Hall of Famers and the not-yet-eligible Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson. Smith is 25th all-time in receiving yards, but well behind several other Hall of Fame nominees, including Steve Smith, Reggie Wayne, and Andre Johnson.

Torry Holt, who had a brief stint with the Jaguars and was a finalist for the Class of 2022, is also ahead of Jimmy Smith in career receiving yardage.

Among the first-year eligible players for the Class of 2023 are running back Chris Johnson, offensive tackle Joe Thomas, and cornerback Darrelle Revis.

In August, the Jaguars got their first ever Hall of Famer when former offensive tackle Tony Boselli was inducted.

Watch: Travis Etienne pays homage to Jaguars legend Fred Taylor before Week 2

Travis Etienne showed up in style for his first ever regular season game at TIAA Bank Field.

Travis Etienne waited a long time for his home debut with the Jacksonville Jaguars after missing his entire rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury.

When he arrived Sunday for his long-awaited first regular season game at TIAA Bank Field, Etienne showed up in style with a throwback Fred Taylor jersey.

Taylor is the Jaguars all-time rushing leader after racking up 11,271 yards over an 11-season tenure with the franchise. He finished his career with two seasons as a member of the New England Patriots and is currently 17th all-time in rushing yards.

Etienne’s tribute to Taylor didn’t go unnoticed by the Jaguars legend.

Etienne made his NFL debut last week against the Washington Commanders, finishing with 47 rushing yards on four attempts and two receptions for 18 yards. Earlier this week, Etienne said the Jaguars plan to run the ball in Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts after a pass-heavy attack in Week 1.