It appears Jason Taylor has not played his final game for the Miami Dolphins. After being traded to the Washington Redskins last season (because — let’s be honest — team Executive VP of Football Ops Bill Parcells didn’t like Jason’s involvement on “Dancing With the Stars”), it was pretty clear Jason’s days in Miami were over. But both sides have since had a change of heart and were able to put their past differences to rest. Jason signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Dolphins today.
Jason was being courted by the New England Patriots. And he turned down $8.5 …read more

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When I heard that Washington Redskins defensive end Jason Taylor had a skin infection, I was ready to jump to conclusions. As it turns out, Jason had a minor procedure done on his injured left calf today, but Redskins head coach Jim Zorn was quick to point out that Jason has a skin infection — not a staph infection — that is being treated with antibiotics.
Notice how coach Zorn emphasized that this is not a staph infection. Staph infections are all the rage among NFL players who seem to be coming down with them …read more

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Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor was traded to the Washington Redskins today for a second round Draft pick in 2009 and a sixth round Draft pick in 2010. Ironically, the Skins took a hit at that position during today’s first session of training camp with not one, but two injuries. Gone for the year is veteran starter Phillip Daniels, who was carted off the field this morning. He has a torn ACL that might end his career. And injured this afternoon was second-year defensive end Alex Buzbee. He was taken off …read more

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The Green Bay Packers contacted the Miami Dolphins about a possible trade for defensive end Jason Taylor today. It’s just an exploratory inquiry, but with Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila rehabbing a surgically repaired knee, the Packers are suddenly in the market for a pass-rushing DE. Former Dolphins coach (and now Green Bay’s defensive tackles coach) Robert Nunn said:
“Anytime you can get a guy of that caliber, you’d want to try to get him. But I don’t get involved in anything like that. All I know is that when I coached him, he was a …read more

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Jason Taylor cleared the air about his status with the Miami Dolphins yesterday during an informal Q&A session from Hollywood, FL. No, he did not demand a trade from the team. Yes, he wants to play one more season before moving on to an acting career. No, he still hasn’t spoken with new Dolphins boss Bill Parcells. Yes, he believes Tony Sparano will be a good coach in Miami. No, he doesn’t regret missing workouts to appear on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Yes, he desperately wants to leave football a winner:
“Do I …read more

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Only one player was missing from the Miami Dolphins’ voluntary OTA yesterday. And that was arguably the team’s best player, defensive end Jason Taylor. Less than 24 hours after finishing second to Kristi Yamaguchi on Dancing With the Stars, it appears Jason’s days in Miami are over. Head coach Tony Sparano said:
“I know that Jason is not going to be in any minicamps, and I know that right now Jason is not going to be at training camp. So that’s what we know. Jason’s a player under contract with the Miami Dolphins. He …read more

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As a member of the Pro Football Writers of America, I have a vote in the Annual PFWA Awards. Below are the five categories, the nominees, and who I voted for.
Horrigan Award (for the person — not a player or team PR staffer — who helped the media best do its job last season):

Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner. Roger’s background in NFL public relations and his understanding of our jobs have helped improve the lines of communication between the media and teams. His appearances at our writers meetings at the Super Bowl, where he …read more

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Miami Dolphins DE Jason Taylor will make his “Dancing With the Stars” debut tonight on ABC-TV. Personally, I find this very uninteresting. I watched the show in Season 2 when Jerry Rice was on, but I was really tuned-in to see the lovely and talented Stacy Keibler. Oddly, Jason doesn’t even dance. He’s only doing this as a challenge to himself. Plus, there’s got to be some sort of financial incentive. This is taking up way too much of his time and energy to pass as a clever PR stunt. More importantly, …read more

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The New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers lead the AFC’s 2008 Pro Bowl squad with a conference-high eight players each. New England’s eight All-Stars equals a franchise high set by the 1985 Pats. The AFC roster includes 18 first-time All-Stars, including Cincinnati WR T.J. Houshmanzadeh, who leads the NFL with 101 receptions.

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The cover athlete for NFL Tour, a new NFL licensed arcade football video game from my friends at EA Sports, will be determined through an open online voting process. Voters will be able to choose between Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, or San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman. At the end of the voting process, the NFL player who receives the most votes will be announced as the official cover athlete for NFL Tour. To get in on the action, check out voteNFLtour.com.
NFL Tour will offer …read more