Well, I said I wouldn’t write anymore about the Jason Taylor-Dolphins Soap Opera until JT spoke, and he finally did today. I just got back from a press conference Taylor held at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood (Taylor has a charity event there this evening.) Not surprisingly, Taylor once again said what he had been telling me all along. The drama and perceived dislike between he and the Dolphins is mostly media driven. I’ve said this all along, and no one seemed to believe me. Taylor told the Dolphins a long time ago that he wouldn’t object to a trade, as long as it was to a contender, but he has NOT requested or demanded a trade. Here are just some of the tidbits of information that Taylor revealed:
–He wants to play one more season in the NFL, and he wants it to be with a contender. He’s not sure if the Dolphins are that contender, but he says if anyone can turn around the Dolphins, it would be Bill Parcells and the staff he brought in.
–Taylor also said the he is not sure if he is going to training camp, but he did not want to commit either way because a lot of things may transpire from now until then. Translation: he could be traded, so he just wants to wait things out.
–Taylor said he met with Tony Sparano this week and the two had a very good meeting. He added that he likes the new Coach and thinks he will make a good head coach. JT also said he wasn’t sure why Sparano said publicly that he would miss training camp, but the issue was addressed in the meeting. He said he has no hard feelings toward Sparano, but wished that the coach would not have said what he said. Either way, they will continue to communicate through the offseason.
–Now to Bill Parcells. JT says that he doesn’t know Parcells but knows that he can help turn things around. He added that he doesn’t take it as disrepectful that Parcells doesn’t reach out to him. He knows that Parcells has bigger issues with this team then just him, and he’s fine with that. He did try to meet with Parcells during a South Florida visit a couple of months ago, but Parcells didn’t talk to him. He wouldn’t eloborate on what happened, but he said that Parcells probably didn’t like the fact that he was doing a dancing show while missing time with the team. Taylor added that the two will speak when they need to, but that he doesn’t have a problem with Parcells, and that it’s just a media contrived story that they hate each other.
–Among other things that Taylor said: He admits both sides probably could have handled things better when it started looking like a Soap Opera, but each side wasn’t really losing sleep over it. Both sides know the truth, and that’s all that matters. He also said that he will always be a Dolphin and that he loves this orginazation. He would never say anything bad about the team and all he wants to do is win. Taylor also said that the Dancing with the Stars experience was benificial to the team because it opened up a whole new fan base for the franchise. Finally, he reiterated, he is on good terms with the team and their is no friction.
Okay, that’s about it. I know it’s a lot to take in on paper, but it’s really nothing new. I’ve been saying this all along. Taylor is saying all the right things, and why shouldn’t he. He had a great experience on Dancing with the Stars that will open up a lot of avenues in the future. That said, he knows he is a football player who is under contract and paid well by the Dolphins. He is not a T.O. of Chad Johnson type of player who will cry that he wants to be traded. Instead, he will let the team decide what is best for them, and he knows it will all work out for him when the dust settles.
My take on what will happen? The Fins will continue to shop Taylor, but they will not get what they want for him. A soon to be 34 year old player who wants to retire after this season and makes big money isn’t exactly the type of player teams are dying to acquire. I think JT is in a Dolphins uniform next season and closes out his career with the Fins. All of this drama will have been just that. Some good stuff to fill the papers and get people to watch tv, but not much more.
