Jason Taylor's dancing again

[DolFan619]

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_football_dolphins/2008/07/jason-taylors-s.html

Jason Taylor's dancing again

One week before Dolphins training camp opens and Jason Taylor's showing off that fancy footwork again.

In case you missed it, the Dancing With the Stars runner-up danced around the few hard hitting questions he was asked to tackle during an exclusive ESPN interview aired earlier this week.

While Taylor admitted he's still a Dolphin (THAT'S A START), said he plans to play this season (GREAT), and admitted that the supposed beef between he and Bill Parcells is squashed (ABOUT TIME), he wouldn't commit to showing up for the start of training camp (DAMN!).

"My plan is to play," Taylor said.

Then, when the possibility of sitting out training camp, or the season, was mentioned Taylor quickly retorted, "You can always do that too."

In case you don't have the time to spare for this latest episode of Jason Taylor's World let me summarize it for you.

I'm not into drama (but I do admit that after eight years my wife has finally gotten me interest in All My Children thanks to that damn DVR), but I've learned it's not safe to assume everyone knows what's going on with the Dolphins' top player.

Some people - like a certain friend I won't name on this blog - have had their hands on their ears all summer chanting "Nah, nah, nah, nah" on all things related to Jason Taylor because he can't handle thinking his favorite Dolphin wants to leave his beloved franchise.

So here's the breakdown....

What's Taylor's issue: Parcells has a habit of running off the most powerful player on every franchise he's taken over and decided to unsuccessfully needle Taylor with small, but noticeable disses. Taylor, who is tired of constantly rebuilding this franchise, tells yet another regime he's only playing one more season and respectfully, and privately requests they trade him to a contender.

When that doesn't get done by April's draft both parties draw a line in the sand, folds their arms and stomps their feet.

Taylor tells the franchise he isn't participating in ANY offseason activities, and won't commit to attending training camp. The Trifecta attempts to turn the fan base against him by making portions of their private battle public, damaging Taylor's public image.

Taylor turns it right back on them by admitting Parcells snubbed him during his lone visit to the Dolphins complex during the summer. Parcells counters by CLAIMING he didn't see or hear Taylor during the snub because his back was turned and he didn't have his hearing aide in. These two ego maniacs finally sit down for a chat and ALLEGEDLY squash their beef. But Taylor doesn't get moved, and hurts his trade value by admitting he presently only plans to play one more season.

The bottom line is the face of the Dolphins franchise is not thrilled about returning to the only NFL team he's every played for. And he's so adamant about it he's willing to jeopardize his South Florida legacy. But why?

"I want to win games. I don't play this game for fame or money; fun," Taylor says during the ESPN interview. "It's fun when you play it and you win....It's about winning. Being 1-15 and being on the doorstep of 0-16 isn't what this game is about."

So what are Taylor's options?

As he acknowledged, he's "not a free agent." He could sit out training camp, and possibly the start of the regular season. That plan could become COSTLY at $12,000 a day, and I'm told Taylor likes money a lot, so that option likely isn't extremely favorable to him. He's also got a $500,000 roster bonus worked into his contract over the next two seasons.

His representation has been requesting permission to personally, and privately shop him to teams for a suitable trade, but they have not been granted such permission. He could skip camp until they get it, allowing them to shop him till the trading deadline when the NFL's elite teams are desperate for that extra edge, and will likely be more willing to mortgage the future for the present.

What's Jason Taylor worth, and who might be interested in him? If trading tailback Lorenzo Booker got the Dolphins a fourth-round pick in last April's draft moving a six-time Pro Bowler, who will likely serve as a rented player to a contender for a season or two, is at least WORTH a third-round pick.

But Taylor's made it clear through back channels he's not going just anywhere. He wants a contender, and one that's not in Siberia. He also wants a good quarterback. And truth is he isn't motivated to restructure the final two years of his contract, which will pay him a salary just shy of $17 million to get a trade done.

So, who has the leverage?

After much consideration, I've concluded Taylor does. All the Dolphins control is his money, and his rights. He's presently won the first round of the public perception battle, but that could change if he skips training camp, pulling a Michael Strahan.

The Dolphins need him badly because the 3-4 defense they've installed likely won't work effectively without Taylor, one of the NFL's dynamic pass rushers. Joey Porter's the only possible replacement, but then where's the threat from the other side going to come from. Not addressing that pass rushing outside linebacker spot in the draft and free agency put the Dolphins in a bad spot.

Taylor's also a GREAT teacher, so he could help Jake Long, Phillip Merling, Kendall Langford, Quentin Moses and Charlie Anderson tremendously in their development. You should have seen Moses' puppy dog eyes when he was talking to me about how much he's hoping Taylor shows up to continue mentoring him.

Parcells exposed the Dolphins only leverage when he said Taylor would either play for the Dolphins in 2008 or "retire." Come to find out, that was a threat aimed directly at Taylor.

But as it turns out, retirement is Taylor's leverage because no matter what he does the Dolphins won't cut him. At any point Taylor could walk away from the game, but to do what? By saying he's flirting with retirement Taylor's already shown a few of the cards the Dolphins front office held in their poker hand.

"My plan right now is to play one year. Can that change. Sure. A lot of things can change. This is America," Taylor told ESPN. "We have the freedom to do pretty much what we want to do.

"I was trying to be upfront with the team and tell them. 'Look, my plan is to play one year.' I don't want to tell everyone else that. But things got so ugly and distorted, perception started to create false reality. I had to say this is what the real situation is."

Taylor also holds the leverage because he still has a tremendous amount of power and influence in the locker room, and will likely maintain it no matter how many former Cowboys they add. Not one player has publicly, and to my knowledge privately, turned on him because they know the dirty dance management and players annually play.

The one comment the straight talking Taylor made during the interview that stuck out to me the most was when he said, "I'm not asking anybody to kiss my butt....You just want to be respected, just like I'd give anybody else respect."

"I'm not that guy. I'm not the guy who is going to take that all the time and get pushed around. I'm a very strong minded person. Very confident person," Taylor says early in the interview. "At the end of the day Bill Parcells, Tony Sparano and everyone in Miami who has watched me play for 11 years knows what they're going to get when its time to play."

But the question remains, will he play for the Dolphins in 2008?

I've always said he will, and I stand by that comment because my few interactions with Taylor last season taught me he loves the game, and the locker room too much to say away for too long.

So how do we in Dolphins-land get all parties involved to play nice in the sandbox?

> Posted by Omar Kelly at 7:58:52 AM

[Doc-phin]

So, who has the leverage?

After much consideration, I've concluded Taylor does. All the Dolphins control is his money, and his rights. He's presently won the first round of the public perception battle, but that could change if he skips training camp, pulling a Michael Strahan.


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But the question remains, will he play for the Dolphins in 2008?

I've always said he will, and I stand by that comment because my few interactions with Taylor last season taught me he loves the game, and the locker room too much to say away for too long.

So how do we in Dolphins-land get all parties involved to play nice in the sandbox?[/i]

> Posted by Omar Kelly at 7:58:52 AM

So Taylor has the leverage but is going to do what the Dolphins want him to do?  Right.

Taylor has very little leverage.  He mainly is poised to lose in this situation.  He will lose fan support, credibility as an ideal team player, money if he sits out and overall likability (which could be a factor for a transition into off the field work oppurtunities).

Jason needs to go to camp, re-establish himself as a team leader and be prepared to go 2-3 more seasons.  If he does that he will re-gain support, have the potential to get traded in the way he wishes and be more desirable if he wants to have a non-NFL entertainment career.