TonyRomoProBowl Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 How many of you have seen Sean Taylor play LIVE….not on TV, but been to a game in which Sean Taylor was on the field and playing? I ask this question and pose it to Skins fans and in the ATN section, because some of you may know this, some don’t, some could care less, but I am a fan of this game. And more than even caring for and cheering for my own fav team (Dallas Cowboys) I have a passion for players that play this game, and a passion for this game as far as coaching it etc……..I don’t care to know what you think of me on a personal level and/or what you think of me as a coach. I do it because I love it, and yes, I am just a HS coach, and prolly will forever be a HS coach, but that does not stop me from dreaming of being much more than that. Yes, I would love to someday coach this game at the next level…whether it’s DIV 3 or 1AA (non BCS div)…or even JR college……I would love to someday coach it at the next level. Being that I am 40, that’s not a realistic dream, however what did Deon Sanders say “if your dreams aren’t bigger then you, then there is something wrong with your dreams” ….anyway….. The fact that I am passionate about the game and the players, regardless of team affiliation, I am able to look at the players with a very neutral look and to look at them for what they are……….and yes, of course, just like anyone else, I do haven the ability and to my fault….the ability of being a homer at times……I am not denying that, and at times I do let the colors of the jersey’s get in the way when grading out and/or judging players,……sometimes…. HOWEVER…….I still do like to look at the players and grade them out from time to time…..and as some may know, my passion is at LB……..however I have coached other positions and I have been a Head coach and I have been a DC, I also have coached, RB’s and DB’s as well……but my greatest passion is LB. I love the position and the players and love to coach em too……..and second to them is the Safety position, not lone over the other, Free VS Strong, but both,. I like systems, like the one Washington used in the Sean Taylor days which was a high and low safety and at times you didn’t know who was free and who was strong, because both players could do both jobs. Washington was able to play it that way because of Sean,. The same way the Ravens did so last year (a little bit of it anyway) because of the versatility of Ed Reed. …………speaking of Sean Taylor, let me get back on track and to then point of this post. I have seen Sean Play almost EVERY one of his games in the NFL…….on TV anyway, some of those I taped and re-watched……..and some I seen LIVE…..and this is why I ask the question because I am curious to see how many of you have seen him play live and how many times….etc. I have seen ST play live 5 times. 2004- in Was VS Dallas (Dallas won 21-18) 2005- in Dallas (the 14-13 game) L L 2005- in Wash VS Dallas (Wash 35-7) 2005- in Wash VS SD (Chargers 23-17) 2006- in Wash VS Dallas this was the blocked FG game Wash won 22-19…… Watching him play live is a treat beyond any sporting event treat I have ever seen. I mean it, for one…I am big on getting to the games early enough to be there and watch EVERY bit of warm ups. I do this for several reasons and I won’t bore you on those reasons. …However when you would go to see the skins warm up back in the 04-07…there was something so incredible odd yet special to see…..ST would literally stick out like a gigantic sore thumb. The very first thin g you notice is ST in warm ups with the DB’s. He looks exactly like a LB who snuck into the drills with the DB’s and stole a DB number…….and if you put a 50’s number on him he would fit in with the LB group……..that’s how much bigger he was on the field than anyone else in the position group. Forget about what the program said on him in regards to height and weight…..because it makes no difference what it says compared to how he looks. ….i am not joking either, and most of it was his size yet he wore the pads like a Champion……you have heard the phrase “he looks good in pad’s”…well ST most definitely looked good in pads, the thing with him was he played even better. So not only does he stick out for being so much bigger, he showed on the drills/warm ups how athletic he was…he glided on the field with such ease…….in drills and on the field……. NOW…this didn’t just come to him automatically either…….Yes, he was dominant in college and he was a high draft pick and a pro bowler and ion my opinion a future 1st ballot HOF’er…..HOWEVER, it was earned…… He was sub-par in the NFL in his rookie year and had some real growing pains…the kind that most (95%) players do not adjust to or come out of. I mean it…He had coverage issues in the NFL his rookie season that were evident to even the most untrained eyes. He played at times with no discipline, and in some times, completely confused on the field………other times, he would be so “overly-aggressive” that he would play himself out of a good position……and this was evident in his game against the ruin as well……. Lets not make any mistake about it…..he struggled at times in the NFL. I do not want to bash him or make light of his rookie season in anyway…ST is one of my all-time fav players, and the fact that he rebounded the way he did, speaks volumes for him…much more then it does about the ones that “get it” right away…….To me, the fact that he learned this game and studied this game and fixed all of his “bad stuff” for a lack of better terms…….in the short time that he did, is simply amazing. Some players never rebound from that and they just never have the ability to fix what it is they need to fix…Not only did ST fix it, he turned it around so fast, that he was prolly one of the top 2-3 safeties in the game at the time he was taken away from us way too soon. Just remarkable. Now…….stats say one thing about a player, and his stats definitely started to head in the right direction for him to be noticed as one of the best……but more so then even stats is in the way teams prepare and game plan for a player…for instance, if and when you play VS the Ravens and/or the Steelers, you will have several coaches meeting leading up to the game that will discuss Reed/Polamalu and how to attack them AND stay away from trouble with them….the good thing for an OC against Ed Reed, is that you know that once or twice per game, he will go off of his scheme and freelance and give you an opportunity……and you will beat him. The thing about Reed is just that, is is very well known for his ability to abandon his scheme and his teammates and give up a big play…..lots of times TD’s….but as fans we do not see that nearly as much as we see him return a int for a TD, or like he did last year lead the NFL in TD’s and in playing in only 12 games…..Troy Polamalu is muych more disciplined then Reed and stays in his schem,e and plays with in the base of his defense…this makes him a much scarier and harder to plan for safty, yet Reed is much more the playmaker…….. ST was s a little bit of both of them but yet better then both of em….,.make sense??? He had some REED in him where he abandoned ship on the scheme and went against the base principals and purposes of the play…….…….coaches knew that about him and that’s why they got him so much EARLY in his career…… yet, he learned to be more like Troy later when he started to play smarter and more in the scheme in which he was in……. The better then them both comment is because of this simple fact….When he played with in the scheme and played “like” Polamalu……..he was more athletic and more disruptive then Troy…..when he free-lanced and went off scheme he had this rare ability to make up ground faster than any player to have ever played the game. …..That is why you can do so much more as a def with him on the field, playing single safety high with LL compared to laying single safety high with ST is night and day……He covers ground like no other player, and has that rare size you get at that position…meaning at the snap or just before, he could walk to the box to be a LB in the box, yet still get out to the deep 1/3 of the field that is vacant when he drops in the box…… I hope you guys took the time to read this today. I wanted to put this out there for a while now,. But finally had the time and nerve to do it. Some of you will laugh at me and my post and call me nuts, and make light of almost everything I said…..but I hope you realize that I wrote this because of how much respect I have and will always have for #21. I miss him……….more than I ever thought I would. And as much as he was poked fun at in his rookie year and for the few times that Dallas “got to him” in his first year and ½ in the NFL…he has far made up for that…….and he was well on his way of being a first ballot HOF’er and would go down as the best to have ever played the position…… Coming from a man that has rooted hard for the Cowboys now for 35 straight years……..I miss the Tarantula and today just happened to be the day I let you all know LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackToGlory Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Everytime I went to FEDEX to see the Skins play and was early where you could walk down close to the field, both Santana Moss and Sean Taylor were always friendly and signed autographs for me and my kids, LaVar Arrington did that as well, it didn't matter how many times I called they looked, smiled and waived and when they saw the sharpie they came over. I miss Sean and wonder why he was taken from us. Many times it seems like a cruel joke that God played on the Redskins.....HAIL!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A.C.O.L.B. Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I honestly believe he would have gone down as the greatest safety of all time. Better than Ronnie Lott, better than anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DButz65 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I missed him play in his last game vs the Eagles when he got injured (I was out of town) before those punks killed him..but yea I had seen every game he played in until that one (pic from my old seats) :mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I was fortunate enough to see most every home game he played at FedEx Field. One of my favorites was the Lions game. Here are a couple vids of the start of the game, if you weren't there live you missed the first one. j5WYINtYCuI GlBHZMWDg6c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goskinz0721 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 TonyRomoProBowl....that brought tears to my eyes...Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman21ST Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I was fortunate to see one game...the Giants game in 2007, where we wore the circle R helmets. Blessed to see him grab an interception. Completely agree with everything you said TRPB. On a side note, the first thing I do when I get a new copy of Madden is create Sean, just for the hell of it. Our defense would have a completely different look if he was still back there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Forget positions. Watching guys like Sean Taylor play football should inspire anyone who plays the game. He moves effortlessly, he hits hard as hell, he jumps with the best of them, and he's extremely aware. The guy could flat out ball. I miss him, for sure. I feel lucky that I was one of the few that got to see him live and on TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No_Pressure Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 To me the mark of a great player is good fundamentals. The NFL has so many people who can run a 4.4 and lower 40 yard dash, the NFL has so many people who can bench press a billion pounds a billion times. Sean Taylor had an incredible form tackle. I have seen a lot of people knock Sean as a headhunter or somebody who was out to make the super big hits. I watched every game he played in and he had great form with his tackles. Always came in fast and low, head up and on the ball, shoulder pads to the chest, driving his legs through the opposing player. He had the strength, size, and speed you need to be good in the NFL, but he also had certain instincts and fundamentals which made him extremely entertaining to watch. I was at the Eagles game in his rookie year, I just remember him scaring Eagles WR's all night and running TO into a cheerleader (might have been a bit of a late hit...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyRomoProBowl Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 I was fortunate to see one game...the Giants game in 2007, where we wore the circle R helmets. Blessed to see him grab an interception. Completely agree with everything you said TRPB.On a side note, the first thing I do when I get a new copy of Madden is create Sean, just for the hell of it. Our defense would have a completely different look if he was still back there haha. I do too and make him a FA...you know the Skins, somehow they would have let him walk in free agency. So i create him as a Free Agent! LMBO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reic Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I was lucky enough to go to the Eagles game where he got injured, despite us losing that is one of my favorite games at FEDEX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwack Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 haha. I do too and make him a FA...you know the Skins, somehow they would have let him walk in free agency. So i create him as a Free Agent! LMBO You honestly believe the Skins would have allowed Sean to become a FA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman21ST Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 You honestly believe the Skins would have allowed Sean to become a FA? In the Madden world, bushwack. The place where I successfully traded Haynesworth for Ed Reed straight up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouvan59 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Okay, anybody else open this expecting a list of 8 safeties that TRPB thought were better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyRomoProBowl Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 Okay, anybody else open this expecting a list of 8 safeties that TRPB thought were better? damn,....didn't even notice that typo...hahaha. Supposed to be a ( instead it was a 9 HAHA! is it possible to edit and fix the thread title? Imma try it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouvan59 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I think you should be able to edit the original post. Just hit the "Go Advanced" button on the bottom right. I was able to edit in my post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I live in SD so when we played the Chargers in that game I was all over the place. He LAID OUT Gates..I mean upended the guy and was over top of him beating on his chest. Charger fans went "ooooh ****". Then on a sweep to LT nobody seemed to want to get in there against Lo Neal, because lets face it, the dude is a beast and loves hitting people. In comes 21 and hits Lo so ****ing hard he FLEW off his feet and with his back foot kicks the ball out of LTs hands. Now this is back when LT was still the best RB in the game and charger fans went "OOOOH ****!!" he would have been the best..plain and simple. he was already in the position to become the best ball hawk in the game after establishing himself as THE hardest hitter in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiro Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I saw him live twice. Once at the 2005 San Fran game when we crushed them, and once at the 2007 Cardinals game. The latter of which was when he caught his 5th (I think?) interception and gave him the league lead. Great player. Great person from what I've read and heard. Taken from his family and friends way too soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyRomoProBowl Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 thanks for the fix Zoony...and nice ziiing about "dealing with a Cowboys fan"....ahahaha. i am not smart and dont claim to be, only one thing interest me enough in life to take full interest in learning and that is football and coaching football...everything else is meaningless to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger.Staubach Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Okay, anybody else open this expecting a list of 8 safeties that TRPB thought were better? Haha. When I first read your post I thought, "what are you thinking, dude? That is not the style of TRPB." Now, after re-reading the title, I laughed out loud. Good catch, bud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrifNick21 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 This is depressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 ya know, I often wonder if his life will ever turn to stories of "remember when" and they are happy thoughts? I dont think so just because of how violent and sudden he was taken from us all...but I wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A.C.O.L.B. Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 This is depressing. Yup. I haven't given this much thought in awhile. It's really, really depressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouvan59 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 This is depressing. Yep, it still hurts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#98QBKiller Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I honestly believe he would have gone down as the greatest safety of all time. Better than Ronnie Lott, better than anyone. I think this would've been a real possibility. I've seen him play live three times: Cowboys game at FedEx 2005 Giants game at FedEx in 2007 Eagles game at FedEx in 2007 (his last game) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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