MNF / Ray Lewis - Taylor tribute

[BossHog]

How can anyone think that a pre-game ritual like they showed was at all not genuine?

Did he appear to be choosing his words carefully? Did he look like he was reading from a piece of paper?

He was going off like he always does before a game, and it was real, it was genuine, and it was a shining example of why I love watching pro football - heightened emotion and adrenaline.

They harnessed the energy into their game, and to me, that's to be admired.

[LORD GIBBS]

I thought that was powerful as well.
What does it say about the heart and fire of the Redskins when another team's players can channel their emotions into a stellar effort while the 'Skins predictably choke away another game?
At least one team will honor Sean's memory in a way that he would have appreciated: giving a never-say-die balls-to-the-wall effort on the field.

Kind of hard to understand what those guys are feeling I think that the last thing on there mind was winning the game they played with heavy hearts man give them a break...

[langleyparkjoe]

How can anyone think that a pre-game ritual like they showed was at all not genuine?

Did he appear to be choosing his words carefully? Did he look like he was reading from a piece of paper?

He was going off like he always does before a game, and it was real, it was genuine, and it was a shining example of why I love watching pro football - heightened emotion and adrenaline.

They harnessed the energy into their game, and to me, that's to be admired.

Everytime I look up, it seems Boss is expressing everything I'm trying to say. Ray was really feeling it man, he poured his heart out during that ritual. Your right brutha, I'm glad I watch pro-football as well. Oh, also, I made this comment a while back, its not smart to rag other teams because of your personal bias at a time like this. I say this because look how nice the other NFL teams/fans have treated us and the Skins organization since the tragedy. Still of course, hail to OUR Skins!

[SkinsChic]

Whos cares about the Ravens? Go over to the Ravens board. They suck

Unfortunately, the Ravens and their fans, showed more respect toward Sean during their moment of silence than many of Sean's own "fans" at FEDEX on Sunday.

That deserves respect. They fought hard, too against the best team this year and nearly shocked the football world.

Thanks, Ravens.

I heard them yelling out too...and thought to myself...must be our area that thinks it's appropriate to yell out during a moment of silence.

Disgraceful.

[PulpExposure]

1. It's not that black and white.
2. Your experience isn't even close to what Reed, Lewis, Willis, Ortega or whomever else is feeling.
3. The University of Miami is a huge family and to discount his collegiate years/on going relationships is just baffling. Those relationships are just as meaningul as any other.

My closest friends (people I consider family) to this day are from my time in college. Not from work or grad school.

I completely agree with you CLL.

[CanesSkins26]

You are comparing people scattered thru-out the NFL who played with Sean with the team he called family for FOUR FREAKIN YEARS! That's just like a month ago, I went to my ex-gf mom's funeral. Her mom always liked me(god knows why) and I wanted to go pay my repsects. Did I mourn the same as when my mother passed away in '99? Not even close.

The skins lost a FAMILY MEMBER, it's completely different than losing a friend. You people are rediculous.

Maybe this will help clear things up for you...

The death of Sean Taylor has affected his family, friends and Redskins teammates, and another subset of the NFL community is grieving as well: Every player in the league who attended the University of Miami, whether or not Taylor was there at the time.

College ties are often on public display during postgame handshakes or out in the parking lot by the visiting team's bus, but the bond maintained by those who played at "The U" is on an entirely different level. Many of these players work out together at their alma mater over the offseason, enduring the taxing regimen set forth by Hurricanes strength and conditioning coach Andreu Swasey, and socialize on a regular basis as well.

"It's like one big family," says Cardinals halfback Edgerrin James, one of the many ex-Hurricanes who attended Taylor's funeral on Monday. "We're all kind of the same – we pride ourselves on being from 'The U,' and we're all intertwined."

Did you see that poignant footage on "Monday Night Football" of the Ravens' three ex-Miami players, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Willis McGahee, huddled closely before the game? Lewis talked about how they had lost someone in the family and that their performance that night would be for Taylor and Taylor only.
Then the three of them went out and played passionate, physical football at an insanely high level – a very public form of grief counseling. In a brutal sport covered in largely superficial terms by reverential chatterboxes, this was one of the more touching things you'll ever see on an NFL-licensed telecast.

Two summers ago at Redskins training camp, I sat with halfback Clinton Portis and wideout Santana Moss and talked about the Miami connection. We were waiting for Taylor to join us, though he never made it out of the locker room before the start of meetings.

"The bond we shared at Miami, it was like no other," Moss said "We went out there and worked like no other team, and when we played, it was fun. And then the things we went out and did after the game, it was a lot of fun. Playing here with guys like Clinton and Sean, I know I can count on them like we're brothers."

Said Portis: "People hate 'The U,' but they love 'The U.' I think other teams want that camaraderie. And NFL teams always want guys from Miami, because they know we're not messing around. Guys like Sean Taylor have that killer instinct. They let us eat gunpowder down there."

Recalling Portis' playful, over-the-top metaphor from that hopeful summer afternoon seems chilling now that Taylor has been gunned down so senselessly, a cherished member of both the Redskins and ex-Hurricanes family gone forever. It was Portis who called James from the hospital last Monday night to tell him that Taylor had showed improvement – and who, along with numerous other ex-Hurricanes, texted him early in the morning to deliver the tragic news.

"All of us were in the loop, getting news from the people who were there," James said. "And when you wake up and see all those texts, from all those people, you don't even have to open the messages. There'd been a death in the family."

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ApCUvUwzZihzsdTEVdcpHxc5nYcB?slug=ms-32questions120507&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[Chris Luva Luva]

I think I'd like to add one more thing. I don't understand how "Fans" (using that term loosely) can fault our players for not playing to the high level that others may have for Sean.

1. Players on other teams aren't going to experience the constant emotional drain that the Skins do. Every pratice, study session, chapel session, whatever is going to constantly drain them emotionally because Sean would be there.

The Ravens, Indy or whomever else has U players may only reflect on Taylor 1/5 of the time. That's not due to a lack of caring on their part but it's easier for their mind to escape from it.

2. Emotions take a serious toll on you physically and we may see some more of that tonight.

3. I'm 200% sure that every Redskin player played with all his might on last Sunday. It may not have shown in a 60 yd run or a 3000000 yard pass but I know that they wanted that win more than anything. Mistakes were made and the outcome wasn't what we wanted/needed but the effort was there.

Everyone said that Sean would want them to play?

Well I've seen quotes of Sean saying that he didn't care what the score was and to just "keep playing". Thats what they did on Sunday, the players didn't give up, they went down fighting.

[gibbsfan]

How can anyone think that a pre-game ritual like they showed was at all not genuine?

Did he appear to be choosing his words carefully? Did he look like he was reading from a piece of paper?

He was going off like he always does before a game, and it was real, it was genuine, and it was a shining example of why I love watching pro football - heightened emotion and adrenaline.

They harnessed the energy into their game, and to me, that's to be admired.

amen to that and they have my respects as well.. the u is family and it shows thru the play on the field.