Commanders Post at The Warpath - View Single Post

joecrisp · 08-12-2004, 05:46 PM

Wow! Thanks guys! I sure wasn't expecting to find such generous praises directed towards me when I clicked on this thread! I really appreciate it.

As for Taylor, I'd expect to see him getting some work with the first team by the Rams game as well.

It's funny, I tried talking to Andre Lott while I was at camp, just trying to get his take on being in the starting role over such a highly touted rookie. It was clear he really didn't want to talk about it, and my experience has been that when guys don't want to talk about how well they're doing, it means they don't have much confidence that their run of good fortune will last much longer. I got the sense that he felt like he was playing on borrowed time, which obviously, he is. He had spoken with much more confidence and assertiveness when asked about the situation earlier in the week, but it was clear when I asked him about it on Friday that he preferred to downplay the whole thing. Not coincidentally, by Friday, Taylor had begun to show signs of improvement in practice.

As Taylor grows more comfortable with his assignments and his role within the defense, his superior athleticism and football instincts will rise to the surface. I think he's using this whole snit with the media as a motivational tool, to prove that all the worries and concerns that have swirled around him for the past few months were unfounded. Of course, he also wants to prove that he's worth a heck of a lot more than his contract would indicate. He's going to be licking his chops all season, thinking about the reneg he can do with Rosenhaus next August. That should bode well for his performance this season, and pose a bit of a problem for opposing offenses as well.

08-12-2004, 05:46 PM	#17
joecrisp The Starter Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Charlottesville, VA Age: 50 Posts: 1,501	Wow! Thanks guys! I sure wasn't expecting to find such generous praises directed towards me when I clicked on this thread! I really appreciate it. As for Taylor, I'd expect to see him getting some work with the first team by the Rams game as well. It's funny, I tried talking to Andre Lott while I was at camp, just trying to get his take on being in the starting role over such a highly touted rookie. It was clear he really didn't want to talk about it, and my experience has been that when guys don't want to talk about how well they're doing, it means they don't have much confidence that their run of good fortune will last much longer. I got the sense that he felt like he was playing on borrowed time, which obviously, he is. He had spoken with much more confidence and assertiveness when asked about the situation earlier in the week, but it was clear when I asked him about it on Friday that he preferred to downplay the whole thing. Not coincidentally, by Friday, Taylor had begun to show signs of improvement in practice. As Taylor grows more comfortable with his assignments and his role within the defense, his superior athleticism and football instincts will rise to the surface. I think he's using this whole snit with the media as a motivational tool, to prove that all the worries and concerns that have swirled around him for the past few months were unfounded. Of course, he also wants to prove that he's worth a heck of a lot more than his contract would indicate. He's going to be licking his chops all season, thinking about the reneg he can do with Rosenhaus next August. That should bode well for his performance this season, and pose a bit of a problem for opposing offenses as well.