With JT back in the fold, it may be a good time to review some of his Stats and general information. The Bad: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=sando_mike&id=3102510 JT jumps offsides, I'd forgotten how often he used to do that: The stats are from 04-07, I was unable to find his penalty stats in DC for 2008. His stat line is not as bad as some would think for his time in DC: 9 games started....3.5 sacks, two against the Eagles in the next to last game of the season, one of which caused a fumble that led to a Redskins game winning TD...9 passes defensed, to me that is nice number of PD's out of a strong side DE in a 4-3. http://www.nfl.com/players/jasontaylor/gamelogs?id=TAY338550 As for his injuries: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/10993661 Which other then scar has no real long lasting effects And He sprained his knee playing in the preseason. JT had a 130 game consecutive starting streak going into 2008 which placed him 3rd among active players at the time so he should have no long term issues that will hamper him this season, no knees that need draining or cleaning up, no lingering back issues etc. JT sat out three games and started only 9 last season. It seems to me that JT is now a much better situational player then a starter, he can start and play "okay" but for the last 2 season he has had slow starts out of the gate and improved as the season rolled along. That could be a product of a lack of conditioning over the last two seasons, in 07, we had Club Cameron in Miami, in 08 he was on DWTS and did not participate in any sort of organized offseason program as well as landing in the Redskins Training Camp with yet another Rook Head Coach running things. Looking objectively at those facts, in my very very humble opinion it becomes clearer "why" the Redskins demanded he stay in DC and workout in the offseason as well as HC Sparano getting our offseason workout program to him before we signed him. JT mentioned in his presser that he now has to do things he used to make fun of Trace Armstrong for doing, things like stretching, it was obvious to the Tuna in the spring of 08, hopefully JT comes into camp in the best shape of his life because he can still play at a high level, JT is more then likely not the player you want out there down after down because he will wear down that is unless our offseason program really is a difference maker for him.
I am ok with JT occasionally jumping off side. He makes up for it by the sacks that cause fumbles, or rushed throws by the QB that lead to INTs. These turnovers win games, whereas jumping offsides usually just prolongs a drive a little.
Sparano is such a disciplinarian I think JT will have to reign that in a bit Roman. After looking at JT's stat lines, the sacks are only a part of what makes him a great player, he has a ton of tipped passes, forced fumbles as well. What would be interesting is a "D" with JT on one side and Wake on the other and drop them in zone, JT is 6'6, Wake has that 45 inch vertical leap. I will say if JT comes into camp in the best football shape he can, JT will still be very very effective for us this season, especially as a part time/specialist, IMO his skills have eroded very much, his endurace and durability has.
I remember the game JT had a few years ago against the Bears. I think Orton was the QB. JT was all over the place....I remember he scored a TD and he singlehandidly won that game. I think JT will be more comfortable playing in Miami and being allowed to line up where he likes to. I am sure JT keeps himself in fantastic shape. Even JT at 75% would be better than a lot of guys at 100%. I can't wait for football to start back up.
He did pretty much the same thing against the Eagles and Cardinals last season Roman, in the first Cards game he tipped 3 passes with a calf that had blood pooling into it. So he's not done by a longshot.
I am watching the Padres and Rockies.....Rockies up 6-0 late in the game. Hopefully JT's calf has healed....he had that foot problem as well....I think it is called planter facitis??? I think we will see the old JT this year.
I could be wrong...but...we could see a JT that we have never seen before...really... I think under Shula's (later years) Dave, Nick and Cam, they did not do a good job of getting these Defensive guys in football shape all these years... I remember their December swoons, many at times stated that they went through a rigorus Off-Season and they just ran out of gas in the end (injuries at times added up)... so they took it easy on them from the start...and injuries still played a part in some of our late season collapses... Well we learned something new in Off Season program last year, yes, they worked their buts off but still stayed healthy during the season for the most part...So if this new FO has a miracle of an Off Season program, it will pay dividens this season with some of our vets... I expect JT to be in the best football shape of his career... and the rest of the guys too...
It is not just a December swoon though 'Nardo, JT's last full season, 2007, he had 11 sacks, 9 in the first half, 2 in the second half of games. To me, the last 3 seasons after the DPOY season, JT has been wearing down a bit, add in two poor offseason conditioning program cycles and it's not a mystery why his sack number dropped in DC, and in 07 he was not a great player for us that season IMO because of Club Cameron's easy preseason conditioning. We are going to see a much better player this season, for example: JT's 9 tipped balls were better then Roth, Merling, Merling and JP..combined! For some context, if JT played Cb, he would have been third in passes defensed, 3 behind Will Allen and 10 behind Andre Goodman (Goodie was in the top ten in PD's in 08) That is an amazing stat, and to me it shows JT still has gas in the tank especially when you add in JT played in 13 games, those guys played in 64 games and still did not have his total. Add in better conditioning and schematic usage and JT is going to surprise people this season especially with the talent upgrades on defense.
I hope he shows us that he really is happy to be back in Miami and wants to play and perform for this team. I can't wait to see how they use him in certain defensive packages. This is going to be an exciting year for our team.
We interrupt this thread to bring you this breaking negative news Don't forget about his plantar fasciitis, it's bothered him for a few years now and it flared up last year in Washington.
Eh, he hasn't missed any games due to it. BTW, "if" JT had managed 2 more sacks he would have qualified to have led the league in PD for a OLB/De who was in the top 25 in sacks, he was tied with Suggs at 9. I was somewhat dubious toward JT's complement of skills, like maybe he was on the decline, but looking at the numbers I'm a bit more optimistic that JT isn't a shadow of himself, what is lacking is endurance and top conditioning. He can still do things on the field, but he wears down more quickly now then say 4 years ago, if he buys into the preseason conditioning he could return to form IMO. Always could to have your imput L2G, it is sort of mark of approval that a thread may be slightly optimistic..
Maybe I am...maybe..I'm not.... I expect Sparano to ride JT hard in TC to see what he still has left, it should be fun. And to be honest Marty, JT played a bit better then most people think he did last season, he wasn't "JT", he was Jason Taylor mere mortal, two injuries and two offseasons of camp softee caught up with him IMO. That impressive number of passes defensed can be looked at negatively, as in he couldn't reach the Qb like he used to so he simply spied the Qb and knocked the ball down, or positively, he was doubled on most plays but still made plays, 9 pd's are within his career norm for them. JT's value as a pass rusher is almost surpassed by his PD's and forced fumbles, he does the last two really well even in his mid 30's. Should be interesting to see "if" the foot issue arises in TC, Sparano may look at that happening as an indication of what to expect so I truly hope it doesn't.
Well, you can question how the change back to a DE impacted him, but it shouldn't be that hard for him seeing that he spent the majority of his career at that spot. You could question the switch to a new team and a new defense, but he's gone through that here as well and didn't lose much. I think his lack of dedication to the game last offseason really hurt him and who knows where his head is at, he had hinted several times over the years that might leave to pursue other options and only time will tell if he's 100% committed to playing football. I also don't buy into the conditioning program angle, for all of the talk about how it would get our players into better shape and keep them out on the field, we ended up losing Smiley, Cammy, Thomas has suffered a few injuries, etc. I think too much is made of the program and it's benefits. With that said, it's definitely better than what Cam tried in his lone year in Miami, that was an abysmal season, due in part, to a lack of conditioning. Nah, I reply to the **** threads too lol.
Well, there was the whole T and Te blocking him at RDE L2G, that makes a difference, the Redskins tried to put a speed rusher on the side of the formation were a power rusher was needed, everyone "here" knew it wasn't going to work very well. You sort of nailed it on the head about where his heart was at, that sums up the other issues like conditioning and dedication to the other guys on the team. As for the preseason regiment, I don't believe in magic so I don't believe two strength coaches make everyone healthier simply by pushing weights around, I do think it helps, and I also think if Jason Taylor buys in, it will make a difference this season, out on the field, in his performance. Look at JP and Matty Roth, Roth if one recalls was really injury prone prior to last season, JP in 07 had the knee issues, both played in all 16 games last season and at a high level, whatever Sparano is doing is working rather well and it is not illogical to rely on the same being true for the player formerly known as "JT", that Jason Taylor cat is on the kick coverage unit officially. I bet that galls him to no end. If some guy played for us and had 3.5 sacks, tipped 9 passes and forced fumbles that led to wins and worked for 1.5 million, we'd all be happy that "some guy" was on the team, but once the "JT" label is applied, all the other stuff comes into it. Yeah, the Pat White contract thread was pretty lame...
I think JT will preform on the level, or better than we expect. Am I wearing homer glasses? Sure. But he is a competitor. I think he WANTS to be known as one of the best ever, he WANTS to be known as one of the best ever. its not about money for him, obviously it isn't. He wants to have a Jason Taylor legacy, and he will want to build it.
True, but if he's asked to play LOLB, as some have suggested that he'll be moved around and play a more significant role, then he'll still be competing against the TE and T, and in some cases the FB/HB. After his DWTS nonsense and wanting a trade, I'd make him hand out water whenever he's on the sidelines. I don't know much about Roth's history in college, but he's only missed 3 games since playing in the big leagues. And while Porter has had some nagging knee issues that caused his production to slip a bit before coming to Miami, one good healthy season doesn't mean that he's over them, so I'd be cautious in using him as an example at this point. Porter played a full 16 game season his first year in Miami, so it's not as if his fortunes changed overnight once the trifecta started punching the time clock. Well again, if folks are going to talk about his potential and suggest that he may be in for a career revival (some even expecting it), then it's fair to hold him to that standard when looking at his performance last season. I don't think there is much positive in his 3 and a half sacks and 9 PD's when you have an equal playing field regarding which Jason Taylor everyone is talking about.
Do you really expect him lineup as a starter where K Langford is playing now? Down after down? Jason Taylor is going to be moved around, they aren't going to place him in a position of fighting two guys play after play, runs and passes. JT as the Nickel ILB is interesting though. At least they did not issue him a mauve jersey... 1 roth had the Boldin issues, he may not have missed games per se, he was always on the "questionable" report before the game with hamstrings normally, then a groin. Well, his production did, JP was a different player in 08 then 07 clearly and in 07, like roth, JP had health issues that did not keep him off the field, his knee was not 100% for the first qtr of the season at least. Why not though? What would be the barrier to JT having a JT type season especially "if" he takes the conditioning seriously? I am fairly certain he can best 3.5 sacks in 3 more games, if healthy, and 6 or 7 sacks and 10 pd's and a forced fumble or two would be nice.
Jason isn't a 3/4 DE, so no I don't see him playing there at all. I think he'll be a situational rusher, he may see time at DE in the nickel, but he'll primarily be an OLB to spell Porter IMO. Remember that Porter was also playing out of position because of Taylor's presence, once Jason left Porter was able to slide back over and play his game. And there was also talk that he didn't even know the playbook until a few weeks into the season, so that could also have been a factor, as well as the poor conditioning under Cam. The same barrier that Porter faced in his first year in Miami, playing out of position. I thought, just like everyone else, that they were going terrorize opposing QB's all year and instead the tandem was a disappointment. I don't see that changing now that Porter had a career year and Taylor is back. One of them is still going to be playing out of position, and no amount of cutesy player rotation is going to allow Taylor to regain his DMVP form. JMO Any contributions that he can give us will help, but I don't see him being much of an asset in pass D unless he's rushing the passer. 10 PD's is alot to expect from a player that may see limited snaps.
I may sound like a homer, but I really expect 10+ sacks from JT this year. I also expect him to cement his way into the Hall Of Fame.
I expect to see the "old" JT again this season, he is MOTIVATED again. He went through the strength & conditioning program of THIS regime. He took a serious pay cut to play in Miami again, because he wants to be part of something special, and he wants to CONTRIBUTE to our success.
is usually resolved with a simple cortisone injection directly through the top of the foot into Plantar Fasciitis. you can get a shot every six months & keep it a bay. no reason to present a problem on the field.
I'm of the opinion that when his foot "flares up" it's a sort of code word for JT feels he needs a rest in TC. It's not unusual for a Vet, JP's back was supposedly bad in preseason last year, Omar K really played it up.
I have to disagree with this. Sure, we lost a few guys. But every team does. The 2008 Dolphins were #1 in the NFL in adjusted games lost. I recall that the Cowboys under Parcells were near the best in the NFL in terms of adjusted games lost. Once Parcells left, they reversed course. Now of course I'm not saying we are immune to injuries. There will be guys that get hurt. But we certainly will have one of the least injured teams in the NFL. The strength and conditioning program shouldn't be overlooked. But the S and C program isn't the only thing that helps. Guys get nicked up during the season. And on a lot of teams, those players will end up missing time. But not on the Dolphins. Sparano has made that much clear: There is no middle ground on this team. Either you can practice and play, or you head to the IR.
