A year ago today the NFL lost one of it's most vibrant and exciting players. Washington Redskins' Safety Sean Taylor was shot during a botched robbery attempt in his Florida Home, he died a day later from the injury.
At the young age of 24, Sean played with more passion and intensity than anybody I had ever seen. On the field he was known for his hard hitting style and deceptive speed as he was often a blur. I may not have known Sean off the field, but watching the response from his teammates, friends and family, you know Sean was a good soul off of the field. He was a loving father, leaving behind his 2 year old daughter Jackie whom he adored. She was always on his mind, always telling his teammates and friends about how wonderful and life changing it was to have his daughter. His teammates saw the change in him too, the moment Jackie was born, Sean was a changed man. Sean may have had some brush ups with the law early in his career but that all changed the moment Jackie came into his life.
November 5, 2007 would be the last time I saw Sean in action. It was a tight game against divisional rival Dallas Cowboys which went down to the wire. As the Cowboys were lining up to kick a potential game winning field goal, the kick was blocked and eventually recovered by Sean. Sean picked up the ball and hurried down the sidelines as the game clock winds down. As Sean reverses the field he was tackled well short of field goal range as the clock shows zeroes across the board. Game over...not yet, a flag was throw...face mask was called therefore putting the Skin's in field goal range. Snap...Hold...Kick....Game over Washington wins. It was a thrilling way to end a game but at that moment no one knew it would be the last time we would see Sean on the football field again.
It was a tragic end to not only a great player, but a great person. Sean was truly special, if anybody ever saw a down of football in which Sean played in, whether it was in college or the NFL, he brought it wherever he played. The game changing player that gave you goosebumps with every hit and made you jump out of your seat after every interception return. A year may have passed but the wound is still there, Sean is still very much in our minds.
