Thank You Sean Taylor Thread...

[mheisig]

I'm sitting here at work still not knowing quite how to deal with this. Being a Skins fan since I was too young to walk, I've always loved the game and loved the players. It is, however, sad that I only know Sean Taylor as a football player.

It feels wrong in a sense that my appreciation for him seems reduced to how he entertained me on Sunday afternoons. I loved his passion and his desire for the game. With #21 it always seemed like all or nothing - he gave everything he had on every play, and you could always count on him coming up big.

Perhaps the biggest realization in this for me, is learning about Sean Taylor, the father and fiance. We praise him for his accomplishments on the football field, and rightly so. He played the position like no one else and elevated it to a new level. As someone else pointed out, it always felt safe with #21 in the backfield. When he went down with his knee injury this year, the entire team I think felt exposed. All of a sudden we were vulnerable and unprotected.

I think what this tragic story illustrates for us is that not only was Sean Taylor our Safety on the football field, he was his family's safety. Sean died protecting his fiance and his daughter. From what I understand of what happened, he was actually shot in the bedroom as he was moving to the door to investigate the intruder.

Sean Taylor's true character is revealed, I think, in this situation. A 24-year old man gave his life to protect his daughter and his fiance. He paid the ultimate price as the "safety" for his family, and in the end he succeeded in protecting what was truly precious to him.

His actions on November 26th, 2007 showed that the man he was on the football field was not just a fluke and not just for the purpose of entertainment. He was the same man, the same protection and safety for his family, which truly transcends and surpasses any accomplishments he made on the field.

He paid the ultimate price as the protector and defender of his little girl, and for that example of character and courage we should be forever grateful and proud.