by
Chris Shashaty, Phins.com Columnist
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The Miami Dolphins closed
out an unfulfilled chapter in its history by trading disgruntled DE Jason
Taylor to the Washington Redskins for a 2009 second round pick and a 2010 sixth
round pick.
Until last Sunday, it seemed
unlikely that the Dolphins would receive a proper offer. Then, as it often does
in the NFL, the unlikely became reality. The Redskins, harboring championship
aspirations, lost star DE Phillip Daniels to a knee injury. Redskins Executive
Vice President of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato immediately called
Parcells. Within hours, they had a deal.
On one hand, the Dolphins and
The Dolphins got their
price, a very good price, and got it before
As for the fans, some of
them anyway, they are pleased to know that more draft picks are loaded into the
re-building plan, the wise use of which could bring the future closer, sooner.
Even old friend Bill
Belichick is happy, no longer having to worry about #99 breaking Tom Brady in
two.
However, there is another
side to all this; the sad reality that the Dolphins have fallen so far down
that great players no longer wish to be associated with the team. Such things
happen to other clubs, not the Miami Dolphins.
Consider
"I'm 100 percent sure
he's going to play out this contract and then some”, Cerrato told SI’s Peter
King. “I wouldn't be surprised if he signed another contract and played several
more years.''
Cerrato’s comments only
serve to confirm what some believe was inevitable.
Jason Taylor the player quit
on the Dolphins. He was more professional, more honest about it than Nick Saban
was, but the act was the same. Right or wrong, he decided not to fulfill his
contract. He gave up trying to help make the Dolphins a success.
I know. “Quit” is such an
ugly word, an unfair word where JT, a man who has done so much, is concerned. Yet,
sadly, it is true.
To those who compare
It’s a shame that
Suppose
As much as people wish a
happy ending for JT in
The best possible outcome
for
Fittingly, Jason Taylor
slips into the annals of team history, while the Dolphins slip back to the
future, back to the days of being unknown.
I’ve followed the Dolphins
at a meaningful level for 35 years, and I cannot remember a roster more
anonymous than this one will be. Real old timers, the ones who remember George
Wilson’s first training camp at
This could be a good thing, for
those late 60’s no-names were the catalysts to the glory years. Dolfans hope the
story repeats, just as they hope for a ring for JT. But the memory of Jason Taylor,
wearing another team’s colors, will never be forgotten.