by
Chris Shashaty, Phins.com Columnist
"; echo "Printer-Friendly Version"; echo "\n"; ?>
“99, right on
time!”
That’s
what Joe Rose, Dolphins radio color man, likes to say when Jason Taylor makes
one of his usual game-changing plays.
Now
that statement means a little bit more.
Advertisement |
|
As
Dolphin Nation continues to stew in a sea of anger and bitterness in the wake of
Benedict Saban’s disgraceful departure from the Dolphins, Taylor picks us all
up with pride, just as he always does, “right
on time”.
The
award is so well deserved. For the season, he racked up 60 tackles (40 solo),
tallied13½ sacks and probably 100 or so pressures, recovered 2 fumbles and
forced 9 others, intercepted 2 passes for touchdowns, defended 10 passes,
prevented untold number of potential pass receivers to stay at home to help
block, and created general and regular disruption each and every game.
Let’s
not forget the superb leadership he provides to the other players. No one does
it better than
More
precisely, Jason Taylor is the best defensive player on the planet. He’s the
Dan Marino of this generation. He’s a warrior. And, with this award, he further
strengthens his case as the best defender in Dolphin history.
"There's
nobody I've seen that has played anywhere near close to the level that he's
at”, said New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. “He ruins a lot of
games offensively for teams."
‘JT’,
as he is affectionately called, surely ruined the Patriots on December 10, just
as Belichick feared he would.
“Jason,
I think, is at the top of his game, which is indicative if you’re being
considered for the player of the year on defense”, marveled ex-officio Dolphin
defensive domo Dom Capers. “I was just thoroughly impressed with the way he
played all year. He was consistent. He impacted games. In almost every game, he
impacted that game and made a big play, which is what great players do. You see
him cause a fumble or sack the quarterback or intercept the ball and score
touchdowns. He did it all.”
Great
players are consistent each and every season.
Amazing
stuff considering that he gives up over 50lbs in size to the linemen he
regularly embarrasses.
In
2006, JT passed the 100 sack milestone for his career, an important prerequisite
for serious Hall of Fame consideration. The 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the
Year award adds even more weight to his resume.
With
every game that he plays, it is just becoming so very clear that he will indeed
achieve enshrinement in
Edwin
Pope, the venerable columnist for The Miami Herald and a Hall voter, has
already declared that
As
for
Said
So
perhaps it is more fitting to get the proper perspective from
“The
award is about making plays that make a difference and Jason certainly did that
this year,” said
For
those you worried that
"If
(the new coach will) have me, I'll be back in
Thank
goodness for that. More of #99 “on time” is what the Dolphins need and what
Dolfans love to see.