stwasm Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 As I type this, I find myself experiencing a full range of emotions right now, from shock to dismay to anger to guilt. Up until the events of last night and the tragic end early this morning, I had a number of conflicting feelings about Sean Taylor. Let me explain. I agreed with the move to select Sean Taylor with the fifth pick of the draft. Then, when I heard he blew off the rookie symposium, refused to return Joe Gibbs' phone calls and got into that legal trouble involving a gun, all I could think was here's another overpaid thug who has too much money and time on his hands, and doesn't have his head on straight. And while I gave him props for being a hard hitter, he struck me as someone more concerned about making bone-crushing hits to appear on SportsCenter than being a fundamentally sound player. And don't even get me started on when he spat at that player during the playoffs. Then, I started hearing from fans who met him, saying that he was one of the nicest people they'd ever met. I started seeing him act more committed to the team, participating in off-season workouts, studying game film and trying his best to be a more complete player and emerge as a leader on this team. I saw his play improve. He saw him cover the entire field like a pro, turning himself into the second coming of Ken Houston. My attitude towards him really started to change and I could feel myself turning into a Sean Taylor fan. With this maturation process, I told myself that the next time Taylor was appearing somewhere, whether it's on "Redskins Late Night" or an autograph show, I was going to make it a point to get there. I'm really sorry I never had a chance to meet the man, though I'm happy I did get to see him play to his potential on the field. I grieve for his family, friends, teammates and fans. It especially sickens me that his little girl will never know her daddy. That's the most tragic part of all of this. In spite of it all, there is one thing that warms my heart. You see a LOT of arguments on these boards when it comes to plays, coaching, players, the state of the team, etc. And I've engaged in a number of those, AHEM, discussions. Over the last 24 hours though, all the disagreements and hard feelings have been forgotten and we've all come together to mourn Sean Taylor. While it's a shame that it takes a tragedy for all of us to remember that we're ALL Redskins fans and we just want to see the team win, the outpouring of love and support for Taylor, the team and each other has been great! Value the people who are around you and touch your lives everyday. You just never know when it's their time or yours. R.I.P., Sean Taylor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sableholic Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 excellent post stwasm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riggins44 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Nicely done, stwasm. Sean's traffic death definitely puts everything in perspective. Today wins and losses don't seem to mean as much. My prayers are with Sean's family, friends, teammates, and fellow fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrowhead Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 stwasm, You've crystallized the thoughts of an entire fan base eloquently. Thank you for sharing your feelings. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskin-one Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 We will miss you Sean. God Bless your little girl & your family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HapHaszard Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 One of the better posts I have read today Stwasm, very well done. Thank you I think it says it for all of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aston Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Amen Stwasm. He was certainly rough around the edges, but it didn't take long before he was growing into the league's best safety. For me, the hit on Crayton during the MNF miracle in Dallas in '05 was the moment where I thanked the football gods we had this guy. And likewise, the spitting incident to me was his ultimate low point. But it seemed everything was turning around for the better, especially when Jackie was born. So sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomgraham Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Amen Stwasm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DariusCyrus Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 great thoughts.... I still can't believe my favorite player passed away... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scskinsfan Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Great post and very well expressed. My condolences to his family. They need our prayers more than ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldysknzfn1 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Good post! I admit that I felt the same way you did Stwasm back in those early days. I thought..."here we go w/a young man w/all the potential in the world and he's going to waste it doing stupid stuff". Like you I watched him grow into a more mature player and person! I loved how he was playing. He seemed like the kind of player every team would want. I know the heartbreak of losing a child and I know that his parents are inconsolable right now. I just hope that something good will come out of this somehow. I hope he was an organ donor. I know that sound harsh right now but it was the only way I could make something good out of my tragedy and I don't regret it one bit today. Someone lives in the midst of my loss. I hope his family will piece their lives back together and be an advocate against gun violence! God Bless the Taylor family and my Skins family. I'm praying for all of us today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evilskinzfan47 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Value the people who are around you and touch your lives everyday. You just never know when it's their time or yours. Just that that needed to be repeated.So very true. Great post man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chump Bailey Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Well said stwasm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[[ghost]] Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Why Sean Taylor? This is so unfair. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natmagic Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 ...:::Redskin Family:::... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Execution56 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 S.T. 21 R.I.P :point2sky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbuccaro Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Well said... I can't help but to look at my own family, my children, my wife and to realize how lucky I am to be here and how fragile this all is. God bless his family, I pray that their faith will help them through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stwasm Posted November 27, 2007 Author Share Posted November 27, 2007 Now I understand why my parents tried to "over-protect" me when I was growing up. Everyday, I appreciate that more and more, and Sean Taylor's death really brings that point home I must admit, when I first wrote this, I thought I was just rambling, not making any sense. Now, I'm glad I did. Keep your thoughts and prayers coming. I think this will serve as part of the healing process for all of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonnyRules Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Thanks for sharing. It's a sad day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StJoe4Life Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Excellent post. We really had watched a boy grow into a man and it is tragic that everything did not work out the way it should've in the end. He really got himself together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cakmoney61 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Well said!!! I am still trying to wrap my mind around this. Not quite sure what I'm feeling...I guess it's unbelief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulane Skins Fan Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 You see a LOT of arguments on these boards when it comes to plays, coaching, players, the state of the team, etc. And I've engaged in a number of those, AHEM, discussions. This just made me think... I don't think you can find an argument on this board about the play of Sean Taylor. NO ONE would ever say that he wasn't going full speed, or making a difference in the game. He gave us everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMetal Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 I feel like I lost someone in my own family today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoEd Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Stwasm, hope you don't mind if I post this here. I tossed and turned all night thinking about Sean and this tragic incident. This was before I logged on to ES at 0600 to find out that he didn't make it. While thinking of Sean I couldn't quit thinking about a young Airmen of mine. Demond Wells was probably the sharpest troop I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Well discliplined, smart, always sharp and professional. Demond loved sports but most of all he loved football. I knew how much he loved the game so during fan appreciation day I loaded him and another young troop of mine up in the truck and drove to Ashburn from Andrews. I didn't tell them where we were going until we arrived at Redskin park. Demond was so excited and the first words out of his mouth was, Sgt Huffman you're crazy, I want to see Sean Taylor. Demond played safety for a farm team there in MD and from what I hear he was pretty damn good. He played HS ball in Sumter SC and according to the coach I spoke to he wasn't the most physically gifted player he'd coached when he first walked on the field but because of hard work and dedication he was hands down the best he'd ever coached when he left. Demond chose the Air Force but never lost his passion for the game. Let me tell you this kid was a physical specimen. When we did CPR class everyone joked that the six pack having dummy was Demond. Dude was jacked and took great pride in being fit. He was in awe of Sean on the field and even though he was a pretty big kid all he could talk about was Seans physical abilities. Although this kid wasn't a Redskin fan he was a huge Sean Taylor fan. We spent about 2 hours at the field that day and he couldn't take his eyes off Sean. "Look how that dude stalks the field", "look at him close, Oh my God he's fast!", "there is no way a guy that big should be able to move like that." On and on it's all he could talk about. He looked up to Sean, idolized him. Unfortunately Demond wasn't able to continue his pursuit of football. Just a few weeks later he died in a motor cycle accident at 20 yrs of age. I went to his funeral to honor him and to tell his mother and father how wonderful their son was. No matter how bad I was hurting it was obvious his mother and father hurt a thousand times worse. Finding out Sean died has made me relive this all over again and it hurts pretty damn bad but I can't help but think how bad those close to him must feel. My thoughts and prayers go out to them and especially that little girl who's father was senselessly taken away from her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byner21 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Great post stwasm. You pretty much said it all right there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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