Tag: Sean Taylor

Sean Taylor’s brother makes game-clinching INT on 14th anniversary of NFL star’s death

Sean Taylor’s younger brother with a game-clinching pick for Rice

November 27 carries a sad meaning to the family of Sean Taylor.

The great Washington Football Team DB was murdered in 2007 on this date.

On Saturday, his younger brother, Gabe, was playing for Rice against Louisiana Tech.

As the game came down to the final seconds, Louisiana Tech threw a deep pass, and waiting to pick it off at the other end of the field was none other than Gabe Taylor.

Gabe Taylor is a 5-foot-10, 190-pound freshman from Miami, Florida. This was his third interception and second in two weeks.

His Rice bio:

Leads team with 32 unassisted tackles… Earned multiple weekly honors for his performance in the Owls win over UAB… Credited with a career-best 10 tackles, forced a fumble and knocked down a game-ending Hail Mary pass in the Owls’ 30-24 win over the defending conference champions,,, Set up the Owls second touchdown in the opening minutes of the game by forcing a fumble on the Blazers first play from scrimmage after the Owls had taken a 7-0 lead… Two of his ten tackles forced Blazers punts at the end of the second and start of the third quarter with Rice holding a 20-14 lead and he ended the game by knocking down Dylan Flower’s final pass attempt as the clock ran out… Picked off his first career pass at Texas… Added a career-best seven tackles against the Longhorns.

SEE IT: Chase Young honors Sean Taylor with taped face mask

Chase Young honors Sean Taylor with his signature taped face mask.

Sunday’s Week 6 game against the Kansas City Chiefs is special for many Washington Football Team fans. Washington will retire legendary safety Sean Taylor’s No. 21 jersey at halftime of the game.

Taylor, the legendary safety, who played for Washington from 2004-07, is the franchise’s most iconic player over the last 20 years. For some Washington fans who didn’t experience the glory years of the 1980 and early 1990s, Taylor’s era represents the glory years.

With Taylor’s family in town, including his daughter Jackie, Washington renamed the road leading into FedEx Field “Sean Taylor Road,” in addition to retiring his jersey.

One of Washington’s current young stars, defensive end Chase Young, the 2020 NFL defensive rookie of the year, also honored Taylor on Sunday. Young taped his face mask the same way Taylor did when he played.

The best way to honor would be for Washington to pull off the upset and take down the Chiefs. Washington’s last — and only — win against Kansas City was in 1983.

 

Washington apologizes for late announcement on Sean Taylor’s jersey retirement

Washington apologized for the timing of Sean Taylor’s jersey retirement on Thursday.

On Thursday, the Washington Football Team announced it was retiring legendary safety Sean Taylor’s jersey before the team’s Week 6 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

While most fans believe this was long overdue, there was criticism this was a PR move considering recent events involving the Beth Wilkinson investigation into the team’s toxic workplace culture. While Wilkinson completed her investigation earlier in the year, emails from former team president Bruce Allen over the last decade were leaked, costing Jon Gruden his job with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The NFLPA and many others are demanding the NFL release the emails, which the NFL is refusing to do.

So, when the news broke on Thursday morning the team would be retiring Taylor’s No. 21, the timing was suspect since it only gave fans four days’ notice of the event.

Washington released a statement apologizing to fans:

“We apologize to fans who would have liked more notice and will continue to share with fans ways we will be celebrating Sean Taylor’s legacy over the next month,” the statement read.

Team president Jason Wright also apologized.

Former Washington player Ryan Clark, who now works for ESPN, tweeted he received an invitation for Washington alumni weekend back in September that was scheduled for Sunday.

It does appear Washington has been planning to honor Taylor all along. It is inexplicable it was not announced until the Thursday before the game. Once again, Washington fumbles something so easy — honoring its most popular player over the last 20 years — which should be something announced in advance.

Some things never change.

 

It’s sad Washington completely botched Sean Taylor’s number retirement

Sean Taylor, his family, and his fans deserve so much better than this.

Sean Taylor was just hitting the peak of his NFL career when he was murdered inside his Miami home during the 2007 season.

He was just 24 years old.

In his three-and-a-half years in the league, Taylor became a fan favorite in Washington and was named to two Pro Bowls.

The intensity he played with and his passion for the game made it very easy for Washington fans to fall in love with a young man who gave everything he had for his team, his fans, and the city of Washington D.C.

Somehow it has been almost 14 years since his death and the number he wore during his too-brief time with Washington still hasn’t been retired.

But today, of all the days and of all the weeks, we learned that his No. 21 will finally be retired by the only franchise he played for.

When will it be retired, you ask?

Sunday — three days from now.

Take that in for a second. Taylor was murdered in 2007 and here we are in 2021 and Dan Snyder’s franchise is finally retiring his number by giving fans just three days notice about a ceremony for a player whose legacy deserves much more recognition than this.

Three. Days. Notice.

Is anyone really surprised by this move from a franchise that seemingly always finds a way to do the wrong thing?

I’m not. And many Washington fans aren’t either.

The team later released this statement after so many fans ripped them for announcing this just three days before the game:

Come. On.

The franchise has been in the news this week for all the wrong reasons yet again. The investigation surrounding allegations of workplace misconduct led to the findings of some racist/homophobic/misogynistic emails from Jon Gruden that led to him stepping down as coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Many people have rightfully demanded that the NFL release all of the information discovered in the private investigation as a result.

And now, just a few days later, Washington decides to go public with the Sean Taylor celebration news?

Disgusting.

Sean Taylor and his family deserve so much better than this and it wouldn’t be hard for Washington to do just that. I mean, it’s not hard to pick a date months in advance to give fans who loved Taylor time to plan for the event, especially those who’d probably make travel plans just to attend the game.

This whole thing isn’t fair for so many people and fans are right to be upset with the franchise.

Sean Taylor, his family, and his fans deserve so much better than this. But, unfortunately, that’s just not how this horrible franchise does things.

And that’s sad.

Washington to officially retire Sean Taylor’s No. 21 on Sunday

The Washington Football Team will retire Sean Taylor’s No. 21 on Sunday.

The Washington Football Team announced on Thursday that it would retire former safety Sean Taylor’s No. 21 on Sunday during a pre-game ceremony before its Week 6 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Taylor, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft, played four seasons for Washington before his life was tragically cut short in Nov. 2007, during a robbery attempt of his home.

Taylor immediately became a star for Washington in 2004 and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2006. He was posthumously named to the Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro in 2007.

In just under four NFL seasons, Taylor started 55 games, finished with 299 tackles, 12 interceptions, eight forced fumbles and two sacks.

His No. 21 jersey has not been worn since his death, although it was not officially retired. Over the years, new acquisitions, such as Landon Collins, flirted with the idea of wearing the No. 21, pending team permission, of course, but it was always received negatively by fans.

In addition to honoring Taylor, the team will honor nearly 100 alumni during pre-game festivities. Washington will also rename the road leading to FedEx Field “Sean Taylor Road,” and his family will have the opportunity to visit his locker on the Club Level, which has been preserved since his last game.

Team president Jason Wright offered the following statement, per the team’s official website:

I came into the NFL the same year as Sean Taylor and immediately his athletic ability, resilience, grit, and relentless work ethic set him apart. I and many others looked to him as a role model. The fact that he was tragically taken so early hurt our player community, but also our fans, coaches, and staff. We will continue to remember him and hold him up as an example of professionalism and excellence, and we will all strive to mirror his excellence in our own ways.

Taylor was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2008.

The first 10,000 fans to enter the gates on Sunday will receive a commemorative Sean Taylor rally towel similar to the one initially created after his death in 2007.

Players will wear No. 21 decals on their helmets, and full-time staff members will wear a No. 21 lapel pin on game day.

Taylor’s No. 21 will be only the third number in franchise history to be retired.

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick describes being sacked by Sean Taylor

Ryan Fitzpatrick flinches at the sight of a Sean Taylor jersey during Washington’s training camp. He was joking — we think.

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Ryan Fitzpatrick entered the NFL all the way back in 2005 as a seventh-round pick of the St. Louis Rams. His first NFL start came on Dec. 4, 2005, against the Washington Football Team.

Fitzpatrick made his NFL debut the week before, coming off the bench to replace injured starter Jamie Martin, and led the Rams to a come-from-behind win over the Houston Texans.

Roaming Washington’s secondary that day was the late, great Sean Taylor. In that game, Taylor brought down Fitzpatrick for a sack in what would be a 24-9 Washington win.

Fitzpatrick met with the media on Thursday after practice and was asked about that game.

“I just saw a Sean Taylor jersey out there and flinched,” Fitzpatrick said. “He was obviously an incredible player. At that time, I probably didn’t know who sacked me because I was trying to figure out what I was in the huddle with. He was obviously a great player.”

It was a cool moment in Fitzpatrick’s press conference, which certainly made plenty of longtime Washington fans smile.

Ryan Fitzpatrick describes being sacked by Sean Taylor

Ryan Fitzpatrick flinches at the sight of a Sean Taylor jersey during Washington’s training camp. He was joking — we think.

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Ryan Fitzpatrick entered the NFL all the way back in 2005 as a seventh-round pick of the St. Louis Rams. His first NFL start came on Dec. 4, 2005, against the Washington Football Team.

Fitzpatrick made his NFL debut the week before, coming off the bench to replace injured starter Jamie Martin, and led the Rams to a come-from-behind win over the Houston Texans.

Roaming Washington’s secondary that day was the late, great Sean Taylor. In that game, Taylor brought down Fitzpatrick for a sack in what would be a 24-9 Washington win.

Fitzpatrick met with the media on Thursday after practice and was asked about that game.

“I just saw a Sean Taylor jersey out there and flinched,” Fitzpatrick said. “He was obviously an incredible player. At that time, I probably didn’t know who sacked me because I was trying to figure out what I was in the huddle with. He was obviously a great player.”

It was a cool moment in Fitzpatrick’s press conference, which certainly made plenty of longtime Washington fans smile.

ESPN analyst Louis Riddick discusses how Washington almost didn’t draft Sean Taylor

Before he was one of the better football analysts on ESPN, Louis Riddick was once a scout and director of player personnel for Washington

Before he was one of the better football analysts on ESPN, Louis Riddick was once a scout and director of player personnel for the Washington Football Team from 2001-07.

It was during that time that Washington drafted one of the most popular players in franchise history.

Back in 2004, WFT drafted Miami safety Sean Taylor, No. 5 overall.

According to Riddick, in an appearance on “Get Up” on ESPN, Washington almost didn’t draft Taylor.

It was between Taylor and his Miami teammate, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. The legendary Joe Gibbs, who had returned as Washington’s coach, loved Winslow’s ability to stretch the field from the tight end position.

“When I was with Washington, and we drafted Sean Taylor, the night before the draft, we had Kellen Winslow Jr. ranked ahead of Sean Taylor,” Riddick said via Jaylon Thompson of 247Sports.

We had a meeting the night before the draft, the entire personnel department, the entire coaching staff, all of us in a room. And it got heated. It got heated as far as debating who was going to have the greater impact, who was going to have the greater career, which guy would present the best value for us picking that year.

Needless to say, Taylor won out. And, it was the right choice. In four years, Taylor’s impact was legendary. His life was tragically cut short in Nov. 2007.

Taylor’s blend of size, speed, instincts and intelligence hasn’t been seen in the NFL since. It’s why he remains the idol of so many younger safeties currently in the NFL, including Washington’s own Landon Collins.

13 quotes from coaches and teammates explaining what made Sean Taylor so special

A look back on Taylor’s career on what would have been his 38th birthday.

Sean Taylor would have been 38 today. The Washington Football Team safety may have still been on an NFL roster, or maybe he would have been a couple of years away from heading to Canton. But 14 years ago, at the age of 24, he was shot and killed by burglars in his Miami home, cutting short what should have been a brilliant NFL career.

Taylor was everything NFL teams looked for in a safety. He could hit like a linebacker, cover ground like a corner and had the instincts of a 15-year vet. Imagine the Seahawks’ tandem of Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor rolled into one player. He was that good.

We’ve collected quotes from players and coaches who worked with Taylor during his short NFL career to capture just how special a player and person Taylor was before his untimely death…