Tag: Fred Taylor

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.

5 takeaways from Darius Slay’s in-depth Pivot Podcast interview

Philadelphia Eagles’ star cornerback Darius Slay talked about Justin Jefferson, Matt Patricia, Dak Prescott’s thumb injury, the Cowboys, and more on The Pivot Podcast

The Eagles are preparing for a huge Monday night matchup against the Vikings and looking to build up the momentum; Ryan Clark and The Pivot Podcast popped up on Eagles All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay.

One of the NFL’s more entertaining and insightful players, Slay opened up about his upbringing, outlook on life, and Philadelphia’s prospects for a postseason run in 2022.

The All-Pro talked about Justin Jefferson as well, calling him the second-best pass catcher in the NFL.

With the Monday night matchup now 72 hours away, here are five takeaways from Slay’s visit with The Pivot Podcast.

Fred Taylor: Trevor Lawrence proved his leadership during ‘debacle’ of 2021

Jaguars legend Fred Taylor says there was a silver lining in the “debacle” that was the 2021 season.

There weren’t many positives about the 2021 season for the Jacksonville Jaguars when the team finished with the worst record in the NFL at 3-14. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was drafted No. 1 overall last year, finished his rookie season with an NFL-most 17 interceptions and just 12 touchdown passes.

But the silver lining, according to Jaguars legend Fred Taylor, is that Lawrence proved his character during a challenging first season in the NFL.

“I am definitely looking forward to seeing his progression,” Taylor told Jaguars reporter J.P. Shadrick on a podcast appearance. “As a player, he’s always an amazing leader. He’s been that throughout college.

“I thought he showed poise and leadership a year ago in the midst of that debacle there with the offensive system and the coaching stuff. I truly believe that he has a consummate pro in Coach [Doug] Pederson in his corner. A former quarterback, someone who knows offenses, who knows what the player likes, what he wants, what he’s good at. We saw glimpses of that this offseason and this preseason, as well, so hopefully it translates to success for this offense.”

Urban Meyer was the head coach for the majority of Lawrence’s rookie season before getting fired in December after a 2-11 start to the year. Several scandals eventually led to Meyer’s dismissal, including the coach allegedly kicking the team’s kicker and apologizing for a viral video that showed him at a bar with a woman other than his wife.

Earlier this week, Lawrence said “the culture has really flipped” for the team in 2022 after hiring Pederson as the team’s new head coach in February.

Maurice Jones-Drew: Jaguars will have a two-headed monster like 2007

Will Travis Etienne and James Robinson be the next great Jaguars rushing tandem? @MJD thinks so.

When Maurice Jones-Drew was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, he joined a team that already had a star running back in Fred Taylor.

After the duo led the team to an 8-8 record in Jones-Drew’s rookie season, the pair of running backs led the way for an 11-5 team in 2007 that finished second in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

Fifteen years later, Jones-Drew thinks the Jaguars have recreated that offense with the duo of James Robinson and Travis Etienne in the backfield.

“I think the Jags are going to go back to what we had when I was there with myself, Fred Taylor, Greg Jones, LaBrandon Toefield, earlier in my career when we had multiple guys who could come in and make plays,” Jones-Drew said on ESPN 690 AM in Jacksonville on Tuesday. “Let’s remember Doug Pederson loves to run the football so if you can get a running game going, it’s going to help a young quarterback. … I think they will be one of the top tandems.”

The Jaguars’ multi-faceted rushing attack of yesteryear was short-lived with Toefield joining the Carolina Panthers in 2008, and Fred Taylor getting released in February 2009.

With Robinson and Etienne at ages 24 and 23, respectively, the Jaguars potentially have a rushing duo for the next several years.

Fred Taylor says he wanted to play for this rival team to Jags after he was cut

In the latest episode of “The Pivot” Fred Taylor said he had two teams he wanted to play for when the Jags released him. One was a longtime Jags rival from the AFC.

The Jacksonville Jaguars finally will get to see a player drafted by their franchise go to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year in former left tackle Tony Boselli. With him set to get his gold jacket soon, fans have started to discuss what Jaguar they want to see inducted next, and former running back Fred Taylor seems to be a popular choice.

Taylor’s career with the Jags lasted 11 seasons, and in 2009, the team made the tough decision to release him. He still ended up retiring with the Jags after a few seasons with the New England Patriots, though, so his career came to a close exactly how he and the fans wanted.

While Taylor hasn’t said it, the period where he wasn’t a Jag likely marked a strange time for him as he had been a Jaguar all his career. However, in the latest episode of “The Pivot” Podcast which featured Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin as a guest, Taylor said he had two teams in mind that he’d play for when he was released.

Of course, one was the Patriots, who he ended up going to, which was likely due to the desire to win a championship. As for the other team, it was Tomlin’s Steelers, who had several notable battles with Taylor in the past.

“I’ve been waiting 14 years for this,” Taylor said to Tomlin. “You just talked about being patient. 2009, the Jacksonville Jaguars released me, and there was only two teams I wanted to hear from: one was the Patriots and the other one was the Pittsburgh Steelers. Why you ain’t hit me up, boss?”

While it brought a laugh into the room, Tomlin admitted that he had “no idea” why the Steelers didn’t call. Nonetheless, it still worked out for both as they are now two of the most respected names in the history of football.

Like the Patriots, the Steelers had a consistent and winning culture, so it makes sense that Taylor would want to play for them. That’s not to say he made the wrong decision when he decided to play for the Patriots, though. After all, they had Tom Brady in his prime at the time, as well as the man many feels is the best football coach ever: Bill Belichick.

Taylor ultimately finished his career with a good amount of success against the Steelers, garnering a 6-4 record against them through 215 carries for 934 yards and seven touchdowns. With that kind of success against the Steelers, Tomlin undoubtedly had a great deal of respect for Taylor when he was released (and still does), but it appears the timing wasn’t right. That’s something Jags fans certainly won’t complain about, as it would’ve been hard to see one of the franchise’s greats in black and yellow.

“Touchdown Jaguars!” will be published weekly, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast to hear the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and feel free to rate and comment. 

Ranking the all-time winningest head coaches in Ohio State basketball history by number of wins

Here’s a ranking of Ohio State basketball coaches by the number of wins with winning percentage also noted. You probably know who is on top, but how does it stack up from there?

The Ohio State basketball program may not be known as a blue blood on the hardcourt like it is on the gridiron, but it’s still got a history many programs would be jealous of. In fact, OSU is among the leaders in Final Four appearances and Big Ten championships.

To reach those ends, the Buckeye program has had to be led by some pretty talented coaches throughout history. Whether it be Fred Taylor, Thad Matta, or the current guy pulling the strings, Chris Holtmann, there’s been some pretty good coaches putting together some pretty memorable seasons on the banks of the Olentangy.

But when you put the list of head coaches together at Ohio State, who leads in all-time wins and winning percentage? We know you have a pretty good idea of the top two, but what other coaches are up there, and how does a place known more for slinging the pigskin around line up?

Here’s a look at Ohio State basketball coaching history and who leads the way in all-time wins. We rank from the least amount of wins to the most with winning percentage also noted.

Fred Taylor on Jags’ 2022 season: ‘They will be above .500’

With Urban Meyer out of the picture and Trevor Lawrence proving that he’s wired for the NFL, Fred Taylor believes the Jags can be better than .500 this season.

While the draft is yet to arrive, many feel the Jacksonville Jaguars will be better than they were a year ago. Some of that is because they got rid of the man some would say was the worst coach in NFL history, Urban Meyer, but there are other factors that many think helped the Jags improve.

Some think it will be Doug Pederson to propel the Jags, while others believe it will be Trevor Lawrence taking another step that will help the team improve. However, Jags legend Fred Taylor believes it will be a mix of everything mentioned.

Not only does he believe the team will improve, but Taylor is expecting the team to take a drastic leap. On the latest episode of Bussin’ With The Boys, he told hosts Will Compton and Taylor Lewan that he believes the Jags will be over .500. 

“I do think that coach Peterson having taken a year off, having some time to evaluate the NFL and know how the game is going now, get creative while he’s at home [will help the team],” Taylor said. “He’s an offensive genius, the things he’s done in Philly for those four years, winning the Super Bowl. [He’s a] former quarterback who’s going to be a great quarterback coach.

“I just think that, along with the quarterback [is huge]. [Lawrence’s] confidence is amazing. I think he’s going to be great man. Now that the drama is gone, he gets to settle down. I’d like to see what Travis Etienne is going to do to help James Robinson to take some pressure off Lawrence. Yeah, I’m expecting the Jags to have a big year — and not just saying that because I’m a former player. Just seeing how all the pieces can fall into play, I think they definitely will win… they will be above 500.”

This all came after Taylor said he believes the Jags were right to fire Meyer after several red flags occurred before and during the season.

As for Taylor’s predictions, they are pretty high. To go from three wins to nine or more won’t be easy when looking at the talent level of the roster, but a strong draft could help the Jags who have the luxury of picking first in most rounds. Something that could also help the Jags is the fact that their strength of schedule ranks seventh in terms of being the easiest.

When looking at Pederson’s stint in Philadelphia he only had a losing season twice. Those seasons were his first and last as the Eagles’ head coach, and he went 7-9 and 4-11, respectively in those seasons. He’s won nine games or more in the other three seasons, so Taylor may be on to something when it comes to believing in the former Super Bowl LII winner.

Fred Taylor made out like a bandit when he picked Florida… literally

This is the wildest story you’ll hear this week.

In an interview on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast hosted by Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, former Gator great [autotag]Fred Taylor[/autotag] was asked about an event from his past that sounds like it was taken right out of a Hollywood film. A rivalry, a large sum of cash and a swindle are all parts of this wild plot.

Initially, the host made an inquiry about an alleged duffel bag that contained $30,000 given to him by liaisons from the University of Georgia in an effort to recruit him for their football team, which Taylor took and never paid back after choosing Florida. The co-host quickly corrected him, suggesting the amount was actually $50,000. You can watch the exchange below.

Taylor did not deny the allegations but humorously noted that the money was not delivered in a duffel bag. When pressed about the full amount paid out, the star running back offered, “It was up there… it was closer to 50 (thousand).” He went on to describe the distribution of smaller amounts of cash he received when he made visits, typically in the low thousands.

This story is one of many from the wild west of collegiate athletics that existed back in the 1990s involving shady hush-hush payments to preps. The cherry on top for Gators fans is that the Orange and Blue also won that deal, getting four years out of one of the best running backs to ever tear up the Swamp turf while producing a should-be NFL Hall of Famer for the nearby Jacksonville Jaguars.

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