Jason Taylor (American football)

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Jason Paul Taylor (born September 1, 1974 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American football defensive end for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Dolphins in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Akron.

In his eleven NFL seasons Taylor has a total of 117 sacks, which places him im third among active players. He has forced 41 fumbles in his career, recovered 26 fumbles, scored eight career defensive touchdowns, and has been selected to six Pro Bowls. He has also won numerous awards in his career which include the 2006 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2007.

His wife Katina is the sister of former teammate Zach Thomas. Taylor shares the same birthday with Thomas, although Taylor is one year younger. Taylor has three children: sons Isaiah and Mason, and daughter Zoey.

Taylor, one of People magazine's 2008 100 Most Beautiful People, was a leading contender on the sixth season of the ABC reality competition program, Dancing with the Stars. In addition to his dancing prowess, his role in Dancing earned him a spot in Us Weekly's "TV's New Top 10 Dream Men." Taylor was also featured in a pictorial, "Ten Sexiest Athletes", in 2001 by Sports Illustrated and was ranked by a panel of Sports Illustrated swimsuit models as one of the Top 20 Best Looking Male Athletes.

[edit] High school career

Despite being homeschooled from 10th to 12th grade, Jason Taylor participated in athletics at Woodland Hills High School in Churchill, Pennsylvania, where he was a three -sport star in football and basketball. As a senior, he won Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League honors by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Gateway Newspapers at both tight end and free safety.

[edit] College career

Jason Taylor was a four-year letterman and three-year starter for the University of Akron. He recorded 279 tackles, 21 sacks, seven fumbles recovered, and three INTs in his college career. Was a two-time First-Team All-Mid-American Conference selection as a junior and senior, as well as an All-America pick as a junior. As a junior he played weakside linebacker and moved to left defensive end as a senior. In 1996 he earned National Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against Virginia Tech when he posted 12 tackles, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, three stops for loss and tackled a punt returner in the end zone for a safety.

Jason Taylor also started for the basketball team at the University of Akron. In 2004, he became the third person ever inducted into Akron's Ring of Honor. He majored in political science/criminal justice.

[edit] NFL career

Taylor was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the 3rd Round (73rd pick overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft. Taylor signed a four-year deal worth approximately $1.3 million in July of 1997. Since then, he has firmly established himself as one of the premier defensive ends in the league. He became a starter in his rookie season and recorded 5 sacks and forced 2 fumbles.

The following season, 1998, Taylor recorded 9 sacks and the 6'6" Taylor batted away 8 passes. In 1999 Taylor grabbed the first of his 7 NFL interceptions.

On April 15, 2000, Taylor, a restricted free agent, received a one-year tender that earned him $1.027 million in 2000. Taylor responded with a 73-tackle, 14.5-sack, 6-passed batted season for the Dolphins. His performance was rewarded with his first selection to the Pro Bowl.

A year later, on July 24, 2001, he signed a six-year, $42 million contract to remain with the Dolphins. The new contract replaced the one-year, $5.39 million deal the Dolphins tendered Taylor in February, 2001, when he was designated their franchise player. In 2001 Taylor recorded 71 tackles (7 for a loss), 8.5 sacks and swatted away 8 passes.

In 2002 Taylor led the NFL and tied the Dolphin team record for sacks with 18.5. He also forced 7 fumbles and knocked down 8 more passes to go with his 69 tackles. He was a consensus All-Pro selection and returned to the Pro Bowl. The next season (2003) Taylor followed up his All-Pro performances with a 13-sack season.

On March 1, 2004, the Dolphins, in an effort to create more salary cap space, agreed to a three-year contract extension with Taylor. The extension put Taylor under contract through the 2009 season. The new deal (which replaced his 6-year, $42 million contract that was scheduled to expire in 2006) was worth $45 million over the 2004-2009 seasons, including nearly $10 million guaranteed in 2004. In 2004 Taylor had 68 tackles, 9.5 sacks, batted 11 passes and picked off a pass. He followed that up with a 73-tackle, 12-sack showing in 2005. He also knocked down 10 passes and forced four fumbles.

Taylor enjoyed the best year of his career in 2006 when he recorded 13.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions (both of which were returned for touchdowns), an effort which resulted in his selection as the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. On January 5, 2007, Taylor received twenty-two votes from a panel of fifty sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the NFL. Taylor beat Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey, who received sixteen votes. Shawne Merriman received six votes, and the winner of the award in 2005, Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears, received four votes. He was also a consensus All-Pro for the second time.

In 2007 Taylor reached double-digits in sacks for the 6th time in his career and picked off another pass. He currently has 117 career sacks, which is 14th on the all time list. With 100.5 sacks since 2000, Jason Taylor is also the leading sacker this decade. He has also recorded 7 INTs, with three of them returned for TDs, and he has forced 41 fumbles and recovered 26, which is 4th on the all time list. Five of his FRs he has returned for TDs, which is an NFL record shared with former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Jessie Tuggle. With eight career defensive TDs (three on INT returns, five on FR returns), Jason Taylor is the all-time leader in defensive touchdowns scored by a defensive lineman. Jason has also registered two career safeties and has two career field goal blocks.

In 2007 Taylor was voted to the All-time Miami Dolphins team in a poll of Dolphins fans. He was a First-team selection at defensive end along with Bill Stanfill.

[edit] 2008 offseason

Miami Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland admitted that there were trade discussions regarding veteran defensive end Jason Taylor. Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio acknowledged speaking to the Dolphins about Taylor, "(T)hey had a certain price in mind and nobody in the league was interested in that price". ^[1] On Monday April 29, 2008, The Miami Herald reported that Dolphin President Bill Parcells is displeased that Taylor skipped the Dolphins voluntary off-season workouts and that when "Taylor walked into a room where Parcells was watching tape, and Parcells ignored him". ^[2] Taylor was reportedly "incensed". ^[3] Ireland, on Sunday, April 28, 2008, said that the Dolphins want Taylor back for the 2008 season and regard him as a team leader.

On Saturday, April 27, 2008, The St. Petersburg Times reported that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had agreed to trade at least a 2nd round pick, and perhaps others, to the Dolphins for Taylor. However, when the 2nd round pick was traded to Jacksonville, the paper removed the story from its website. Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, when asked about trade talks stated, “There have been some trade rumors and I don’t think we’re any different than anybody else. When you’re talking about high-profile players, we’re going to pick up the phone and see what’s going on. It’s part of our job.”^[4]

Taylor will be hit with a $8,638 fine for each day of mandatory minicamps he misses, according to "NFL Network"'s Adam Schefter. The fines escalate to $15,116 a day in training camp. Taylor is due to earn $7.5 million this year. Recently he cleared up all the controversy and said that he would love to stay with the Dolphins, but if the coaches wanted him to move on he wouldn't object. Taylor however missed the first day of mandatory training camp and will be docked with the $8,638 fine.

[edit] Awards

Jason Taylor has won numerous awards throughout his career, including the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and the 2007 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, the only league honor that recognizes both on-field achievements and off-the-field contributions. Taylor is also a six-time Pro Bowl selection (2000, 2002, 2004-2007), a four-time First or Second Team All-Pro (2000-2002, 2006), a two time NFL Alumni Association Defensive Lineman of the Year (2005, 2006), and the NFL Alumni Association Pass Rusher of the Year (2000).

Taylor has also won the "AFC Defensive Player of the Week" Award seven times which is fifth most ever by a defensive player, for the following performances:

• 10/13/02 vs. Denver: 5 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 1 FF
• 12/15/02 vs. Oakland: 8 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 2 FFs
• 11/23/03 vs. Washington: 9 Tackles, 2 Sacks
• 11/28/04 vs. San Francisco: 7 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR
• 11/27/05 vs. Oakland: 6 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 Safety
• 11/5/06 vs. Chicago: 3 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 FF, 1 INT returned for a TD
• 11/19/06 vs. Minnesota: 4 Tackles, 1 Sack, 2 FFs, 1 INT returned for a TD

Along with winning seven "AFC Defensive Player of the Week" Awards, Taylor has also won three "NFC/AFC Defensive Player of the Month" Awards which is the third most ever by a defensive player (trailing only Bruce Smith and John Randle) for the following performances:

• October 2002 - 15 Tackles, 4 Sacks, 2 FFs
• November 2002 - 15 Tackles, 5.5 Sacks, 1 FF
• November 2006 - 9 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 3 FFs, 2 INTs returned for TDs, 1 Blocked FG

Taylor has also won numerous team awards, including the Dolphins Newcomer of the Year Award (1997), the "Dan Marino" Team MVP Award a record four times (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006), and the "Don Shula" Team Leadership Award twice (2002, 2006).

[edit] Dancing with the Stars

• Week 1: Taylor and partner Edyta Sliwinska performed the foxtrot and received a score of 22 (out of 30) from the judges. He was dubbed an "early favorite" by the judges.
• Week 2: Judge Len Goodman told Taylor, "You're a winner," after Taylor and Sliwinska's Mambo. The pair received a score of 27 as judge Bruno Tonioli called Taylor "the Mambo King." They were asked to perform the encore on the results show.
• Week 3: Goodman told Taylor, "One week you're a rooster, the next week you're a feather duster," as Taylor's Jive garnered a score of 23 from the judges.
• Week 4: Taylor and Sliwinska danced what Goodman labeled "a 'wow'" of a Viennese Waltz, and after receiving a score of 29, Taylor proudly announced that "the feather duster lives, baby."
• Week 5: Tonioli said Taylor was a "love god" after his Rumba scored a 27. ^[5]
• Week 6: Taylor and Sliwinska danced the Cha-cha-cha and scored a 24. Judge Goodman said they "captured the flavor of the dance."^[6] Judge Inaba applauded his effort despite the cha-cha-cha not being the easiest dance for someone of his stature.
• Week 7: First, Taylor danced the Quickstep to a score of 29, prompting Goodman to say, "With performances like that, you're in the final." Later on, Jason and Edyta danced the Paso Doble to the NFL Monday Night Football theme and scored of 26. Taylor wore eye black as part of his costume. The combined score of 55 was tops among all dancing duos for Week 7.^[7] They were asked to perform their Quickstep as an encore on the results show.
• Week 8: Taylor and Sliwinska first danced the Tango and scored a 29. Then they danced the Samba and scored a 23 for a total score of 52 (the lowest scoring Latin dance of the night). The audience booed the 7 that Judge Len Goodman gave them.
• Week 10: Taylor and Sliwinska danced and got their 1st perfect score 30/30. Taylor said to Kristi Yamaguchi, "Kristi, it does feel good."

[edit] Performances

[edit] Jason Taylor Foundation

In 2004 Taylor and his wife Katina founded the Jason Taylor Foundation with the goal of improving the lives of children in South Florida. The Foundation has accomplished much in a short time, including launching the Jason Taylor Reading Room, an after-school program aimed at increasing literacy among inner city children; re-naming the Holtz Children's Hospital's learning center as "The Jason Taylor Children's Learning Center;" providing eleven sixth grade students with college scholarships through the Take Stock in Children organization; creating the "Big Screens-Big Dreams" program to screen inspirational films for hundreds of student-athletes; and furnishing 60 children with $300 back-to-school shopping certificates as part of the "Cool Gear for the School Year" program.

Taylor has been widely recognized for his charitable work. In addition to winning the 2007 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, he has been named twice as one of The Sporting News "Good Guys" and was honored by CBS Sports' James Brown with a JB Award, given annually to NFL players who have demonstrated a commitment to building better communities and stronger families.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Site
• Jason Taylor at NFL.com
• Jason Taylor at NFLPlayers.com