Taylor should contribute quickly
By Mark Zuckerman
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
With the fifth pick in yesterday's NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins set out to acquire a player they felt could make an immediate difference.
In safety Sean Taylor, the Redskins believe they found their man.
"We think he'll be a very good fit for what we want to do on defense here and keep our attacking principles going," assistant head coach for defense Gregg Williams said moments after Washington selected the former University of Miami star.
How much did the Redskins love the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Taylor? So much so that they were willing to make him the highest-drafted safety since the Cleveland Browns took Eric Turner second overall in 1991.
"Obviously, safety is a place where you say it has to be an unusual person there," coach Joe Gibbs said. "But we felt like he was very unusual."
The 21-year-old Taylor figures to jump right into Washington's starting lineup at free safety, bumping veteran Matt Bowen over to strong safety and bumping Ifeanyi Ohalete out of the huddle altogether.
From that position, Williams expects to use Taylor in a variety of roles, from staying back to scan the entire field to blitzing the quarterback to occasionally lining up one-on-one with an opposing receiver.
"Yeah, he could cover a wide receiver," said Williams, who was known for using his safeties creatively during past coaching stints in Buffalo and Tennessee. "We would not want him to make a living doing that, because that's not how we see him fitting into our defense. But he gives you the versatility when you have to do that."
Taylor's biggest strength is his playmaking abilities. He tied a school record with 10 interceptions last season and returned three for touchdowns.
"You can't be throwing something in the middle of that field unless you've got a real wide-open shot, because he makes up a lot of ground," Gibbs said. "If there's anything bouncing around back there or up in the air, he's going to hopefully be a guy that gets to it."
Taylor's intimidating presence in the backfield also could have an effect on the rest of the defense, freeing up cornerbacks and linebackers.
"Your corners can be so much more aggressive when you've got a guy like that playing behind him, knowing he can go and cover a mistake a corner would make," Williams said. "That would allow us to play more people in the box, which hopefully in turn makes us a better run defense. Here's a guy with special pass-coverage skills that transforms into being able to commit more in the box to play the run."
Taylor also has shown an affinity for strong play on special teams. He blocked two kicks last season and occasionally returned punts and kickoffs. His true strengths, however, are on defense, where his unusual combination of size and speed allows him to match up favorably with opposing players who typically are difficult to cover, such as tight ends.
That fact wasn't lost on Washington's coaches, who now believe they have someone to handle New York Giants All-Pro Jeremy Shockey (Taylor's former teammate at Miami) when the two teams meet twice a season. Taylor also could conceivably find himself one-on-one with big, strong receivers like Philadelphia's Terrell Owens.
"We think he matches up very well against the people we play in this division," Gibbs said. "Gregg and our defensive coaches think he could come down and play man on [receivers lined up in the slot]. He's very physical."
However his new coaches utilize him, Taylor is eager to become a part of the Redskins' new-look defense. He'll get his first opportunity to suit up next weekend when Gibbs holds the second of his three offseason minicamps.
"I'm always interested in learning defenses and doing things like that," Taylor said. "I can't wait to play. I can't wait to get going."
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