Taylor To Washington Bittersweet Move For Dolphins

He deserves thanks, appreciation and respect for all of the skill and passion he showed on the field, and for all of the class he showed off of it. The Dolphins traded Jason Taylor on Sunday, and, yes, it was a very good trade. But that doesn't mean it has to feel good.- Greg Cote of the Miami Herald.

Jason Taylor, the face of the Miami Dolphins franchise since Dan Marino's retirement in April 2000, was officially introduced as the newest member of the Washington Redskins yesterday. Despite the inevitability of the situation, the Taylor trade is as bittersweet as they come. Bitter because No. 99 was the best player on the team since Danny Boy left and, aside from the reality of Miami's bleak situation, gave fans and teammates hope that his presence alone could deliver a victory on any given Sunday. Bitter because his departure leaves those once hopeful fans with no justifiable reason to actually watch this season. Bitter because it is now official that Taylor joins a group of Dolphins greats that left town without a championship, underlining the fact that management wasted the elite years of his career. And bitter because his career in South Florida could not have ended any worse with a 1-15 finish in his farewell season and seven months of animosity between he and the new regime that had fans and analysts questioning his loyalty and love for the game. Loyalty? Miami hasn't been to the playoffs since the 2001 season and has had five head coaches in that six year span. If Taylor didn't have loyalty in his blood, don't you think he would've bolted for another city three or four years ago?

Now to the sweet part of the deal. Miami netted a second round pick in 2009 and a sixth round pick in 2010. Sweet. Taylor is the game's best pass rusher and one of the five best defenders in football. He is someone that teams spend an entire week game planning around and there aren't many players on the defensive side of the ball you can say that about. He has 100.5 sacks in the post-Marino years (2000) and second place is not close. Recently retired Michael Strahan is next with 89, a full season's worth of sacks behind JT. All that gets you a second round pick and a player who will be one of the team's first cuts in the summer of 2010? Sweet.

The great thing about all this is that it got Taylor out of Miami and gives him a chance at the storybook ending his illustrious career deserves. As nice as it would've been for him to finish with a 4-12 bang in aqua and orange, it would be much more fitting if he were to go out on top by bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to the nation's capital. The opportunity is there. The Redskins have a good, young quarterback in Jason Campbell, an explosive bunch of young receivers, a game-changer at running back in Clinton Portis and, now, an even better defense than the one that finished the 2007 season ranked eighth overall. Experts say Taylor doesn't help the 'Skins much because he's going to the worst team in the NFL's best division. Uh, what about the Philadelphia Eagles makes them better then Washington, who actually made the playoffs last year? And flukes aside, I'll take them over the New York Giants any day of the week in 2008. Dallas is the team to beat in the NFC East, but the Redskins will make the playoffs and, as the Giants demonstrated last winter, once you get there anything is possible.

It was said on a few occasions yesterday that this is a terrible deal for Washington because Taylor isn't the same player as he was two years ago. Well that makes sense because in 2006, the year he was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, he upped the ante by recording an obscene 13.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and returned two interceptions for touchdowns. How could anyone expect a 33-year old to put on an encore performance better than that on a 1-15 team that had Matt Roth (who?) playing opposite end? Since when was his 2007 production of 11 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and an interception returned for a touchdown considered pedestrian? How many ends or linebackers would love to say they had those numbers and made a Pro Bowl? On a 1-15 team! That statement is simply idiotic. Taylor will give the organization every bit of energy he has on every down he plays this season. He'll celebrate the wins and mourn the losses, just as he did much too often the last few years in Miami. The trade injects him with new life, something he did not have at the end of last season and now there's no limit to the havoc he can wreak. The Redskins added a revitalized playmaker that instantly turns their defense from good to great and makes them a legitimate contender in the NFC.

On a side note, after leading one of the NFL's top defenses for 11 years in Miami, Taylor and Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker Zach Thomas will both finish their careers in the same division, on opposite sides of the league's most bitter rivalry. The two best defenders in Dolphins history will fight twice, maybe three times a year for the ultimate career achievement that both deserve to add to their legacy. Go get 'em boys. Let the Miami organization feel some bit of satisfaction and relief that, despite wasting most of your prime years, you left town just in time to add the one missing piece to Hall of Fame-worthy careers.

DTM