Taylor’s arrival heightens Redskins’ playoff hopes

By BRIAN HUNSICKER

ASHBURN – Monday was a day of anticipation. On the practice field, the Washington Redskins gushed about the pending arrival of defensive end Jason Taylor, who was acquired a day earlier from Miami for a pair of draft picks.
“I was still a little distraught about Phillip, but we have to move forward. And Buzz, we have to move forward,” defensive line coach John Palermo said, referring to Sunday’s season-ending injuries to Phillip Daniels (knee) and Alex Buzbee (Achilles), which afforded the chance to land Taylor. “But to be able to plug somebody in that quickly, that’s that good, it obviously makes you feel pretty good as a coach.”
“I just think that he’ll be a good addition, because he fits the type of guy we look for here,” defensive coordinator Greg Blache said. “He’s got the M.O. of a real nasty guy that plays the game for 60 minutes.”
The mood hadn’t changed when Taylor’s introductory press conference began in the evening. In a whirlwind 24 hours, Taylor had gone from sorting his locker at Dolphins headquarters in Davie, Fla., to a flight northward on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder’s jet.
“I’m happy to be here and very excited about the possibility of playing for the Washington Red-skins,” Taylor said.
Monday’s trade has potential for both parties. Taylor joins a team that has playoff experience and believes it can make a deep run into the playoffs. In Miami, no such chance existed for the foreseeable future, not with the Dolphins coming off of a 1-15 season and in full rebuilding mode – though Taylor did say he left on amicable terms with the team. There were no hostile feelings as had been reported, he said.
And, just over a month from his 34th birthday, Taylor’s window for competing for a title is beginning to close.
The Redskins, meanwhile, close the suddenly gaping hole on their defense. Though Andre Carter had a successful, 10.5-sack season in 2007 – the most by any Redskins player since LaVar Arrington had 11 in 2002 – that total is nearly Taylor’s average per season. He is a six-time All-Pro and ranks 14th all-time with 117 sacks; four and a half more will tie him with former Eagle and Cardinal Clyde Simmons.
Moving Carter and Taylor around the defensive line may be a possibility in the future, though Blache said it was too early to think about such strategy. But pairing the two has raised expectations for the Redskins’ pass rush this season.
“He’s an awesome pass rusher,” offensive tackle Chris Samuels said. Samuels faced Taylor in last season’s opener, a 16-13 win over Miami. “He has very long arms to where you he can get you off of him. You can’t really get up on him tight and grab him. Just awesome speed, and he plays hard every single snap. And that’s what you want in a defensive end.”
Carter and Taylor will have some business to discuss before then. Carter wears No. 99, the same number Taylor wore in Miami. Though they’ll likely come to a resolution, no one was willing to say what it would take for the number to change hands.
Taylor has two remaining years left on his contract, and said he intends to play those two years. That contradicted Taylor’s earlier stance; in the offseason, he said he wanted to play only one more season – a fact he referenced when he committed to playing at least two years.
“I’ll be here for more than one year, God willing, unless something bad happens,” Taylor said. “I’m here to play ball and play ball as long as I can.”